Part 8: Ophelia to Claudius: "God yield you"
Ophelia to Claudius: “God dild [yield] you.” [1] * Some claim "God yield you" means "God reward you," which sounds a lot like "God bless you".... But yield? To whom does the verb apply? Is God the one yielding by being merciful and withholding anger and wrath, a common biblical theme? Or is this grammatically inverted, saying "You (should/must) yield (to) God"? In their ritual repetition of "The Lord's Prayer," over and over, Christians say, as if in a covenant or vow, "Forgive us our sins (or debts) as we forgive (our debtors)." This repeats another biblical idea: As we judge others, so shall we be judged. As we forgive (and yield, instead of taking revenge), so shall we be forgiven by a God who will yield in mercy instead of wrath. So in fact it seems that "God yield you" involves the verb "yield" being applied both to "you" and to "God." The tradition rep...