Paul Adrian Fried / HAMLET'S BIBLE

Letter and Mousetrap, Twelfth Night and Hamlet: Shakespeare’s comedy, Twelfth Night, and his tragedy, Hamlet, were written around the same time: Certain details of themes, motifs, and plot mechanics suggest a variety of connections (in addition to Hamlet feigning madness and Viola feigning being a young man...). One of these is the function of the letter that brings about the demise of the steward Malvolio in Twelfth Night, and “The Mousetrap” playlet used by Hamlet to catch the conscience of his monarchs. Both are used to entrap a powerful person, both artifacts of writing (letter) or based on them (playlet). The letter in Twelfth Night is written in the hand of Maria for how it resembles that of Olivia, so it is like a forgery, but never called that. Some form of the word forgery occurs three times in Hamlet, spoken by the ghost, Polonius, and Claudius, usually in a metaphorical rather than literal sense [2]. Hamlet on the ship to England finds the letter from Claudius to England...

In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night , there is a curious exchange of a message with a ring, spread over multiple scenes: 1.5: Olivia sends Malvolio with a ring (of her own) and a message, claiming (falsely) that Cesario (Viola in disguise) had delivered it for Duke Orsino  [1]. But it was not actually Orsino's ring as Olivia claims to Malvolio; it was Olivia's ring, so this lie to Malvolio is like a kind of forgery. - Malvolio is to "return" the ring to Cesario - who never actually gave it in the first place - and who (Olivia says) should return it to Orsino. - Actually, Olivia wants an excuse for Cesario to return, since Oliva enjoys Cesario’s company. - Malvolio is to tell Cesario only to come back if it is to report how Duke Orsino received the ring. The rest of this unfolds in 2.2 (ring delivered to a dumbfounded Cesario) and 3.1 (Olivia apologizes for any confusion or dishonor caused by the ring conceit) [2]. In October of 2020, Alicia Hughes of the University of Gl...

How might Londoners have reacted to seeing Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at its first public performance on February 2, 1602 [1]? The play’s character Olivia, mourning a father’s and brother’s deaths, and reluctant to marry, might easily remind them of their queen, Elizabeth I. Olivia hides her face with a veil (1.1; 1.5); Elizabeth survived smallpox and hid her facial scars with thick makeup [2]. Olivia’s steward, Malvolio, might remind many of the late William Cecil, long-time advisor to Elizabeth and sometime spymaster [3]. Malvolio intercepts a letter - a forgery by Maria, designed to entrap him and bring about his downfall, which he believes contains a code - this would remind audiences of the downfall of Mary Queen of Scots (executed February 1587), accomplished in part by intercepted letters – some in code, some alleged forgeries - overseen by Cecil [4]. Mary claimed at her trial “That it was an easy matter to counterfeit the Ciphers and Characters of others” [5]. It was an old ...