Paul Adrian Fried / HAMLET'S BIBLE

Thank you to readers of this blog for this past week, which the blog's analytics say came to 220 views from the following 19+ countries: Last week the blog had many views from Russia (the second highest source of views), but again this week the second highest was from France. Thank you for your interest. The blog's analytics only list up to 19 countries, so the bottom listing of 11 "other" views may be from 11 other countries, or it may include readers whose browsers block tracking of nation of origin. But whether your country is listed or not, thank you for your interest. I am grateful and humbled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My current project is a book tentatively titled Hamlet’s Bible , about biblical allusions and plot echoes in Hamlet. Below is a link to a list of some of my top posts (“greatest hits”), including a description of my book project (last item on the list): https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2019/12/top-20-hamlet-bible-post...

In the last few weeks, my research that started with the Lazarus allusion in Hamlet 1.5 ("lazarlike") has moved out in concentric circles or spirals, from Lazarus and the rich man, to King Hamlet and to his stealthy, usurper-brother, Claudius, who has stolen the kingdom - and its queen. So already we have broadened our scope from rich men and beggars, to kings, thieves and usurpers: The king seems to play the role of the rich man, and Claudius may have been like one of the beggars neglected too long , and who finally turned thief and murderer. I also considered how the theft of the commons created more poverty, more beggars, the criminalization of beggars and vagabonds created more hardships , and how Shakespeare was familiar with bread riots, and included such things in his plays . [Coriolan supplié par sa famille (Coriolanus begged by his family), circa 1652-1653, by Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665), Musée Nicolas-Poussin, Les Andelys. Photographed by Aiwaz....

Thank you to readers of this blog for this past week, which the blog's analytics say came to 192 views from the following 19-21 countries: Whether your country is listed or not, thank you for your interest. I am grateful and humbled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My current project is a book tentatively titled Hamlet’s Bible , about biblical allusions and plot echoes in Hamlet. Below is a link to a list of some of my top posts (“greatest hits”), including a description of my book project (last item on the list): https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2019/12/top-20-hamlet-bible-posts.html I post every week, so please visit as often as you like and consider subscribing.

In Hamet , Horatio and the prince repeatedly describe as "strange" the apparition who claims to have been killed by poison. For those familiar with the history of Shakespeare's acting career and of various claimants to the English throne, Lord Strange (pronounced "Strang") might come to mind. He died at the age of 35, strongly suspected of having been poisoned, and was the patron of an acting company in which Shakespeare and a number of his fellow actors worked before the forming of The Lord Chamberlain's men. Lord Strange's grandmother was a younger sister of Henry VIII, and had been listed in his will as in the line of succession, so for that reason, Lord Strange, Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby, was also in the line of succession. [Dated 1594, oil portrait of Fernando Stanley, Lord Strange, 5th Earl of Derby (1559–16 April 1594), by unknown. Cropped. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons .] Many others may have noticed this, but in spite ...

Thank you to readers of this blog for this past week, which the blog's analytics say came to 263 views from the following 19-27 countries: Whether your country is listed or not, thank you for your interest. I am grateful and humbled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My current project is a book tentatively titled Hamlet’s Bible , about biblical allusions and plot echoes in Hamlet.   Below is a link to a list of some of my top posts (“greatest hits”), including a description of my book project (last item on the list): https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2019/12/top-20-hamlet-bible-posts.html   I post every week, so please visit as often as you like and consider subscribing.    

Three official Cranmer & Jewell homilies mention the beggar Lazarus - and have many other connections to Hamlet. Shakespeare heard these homilies many times during his life. The first, “An Exhortation Against The Fear Of Death” (Cranmer) comes uncomfortably close to conflating beggars and thieves (not necessarily synonymous). I will consider these three homilies in upcoming weeks, but for this week, will focus on a few key ideas from this one. Some consider Shakespeare an atheist, but he probably didn’t (always) work secretly on poems and plays while homilies were read in church; in fact, he utilized their ideas and vocabulary in his writing, making them his own. Yes, if one is an atheist and wishes to view Shakespeare as an atheist because of certain things certain characters say, it's possible to find evidence for that. And it's certainly possible to sit in church while a priest is talking, and to have one's thoughts on other things instead of listening. But...

Thank you to readers of this blog this past week, which the blog's analytics say came to 136 views from the following 16 countries: Whether your country is listed or not, thank you for your interest. I am grateful and humbled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My current project is a book tentatively titled Hamlet’s Bible , about biblical allusions and plot echoes in Hamlet.   Below is a link to a list of some of my top posts (“greatest hits”), including a description of my book project (last item on the list): https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2019/12/top-20-hamlet-bible-posts.html   I post every week, so please visit as often as you like and consider subscribing.    

Having identified the ghost's "lazarlike" remark as an allusion to the tale of the beggar Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16 , and having shown how the Lazarus tale might be a mirror held up to Polonius and the players in 2.2 , we might consider other moments in the play that present a contrast between a beggar-like person, and another, or others, who have some wealth they withhold. In Act 1, scene 3, Ophelia bears a remarkable resemblance to aspects of the Lazarus tale, in relation both to her brother Laertes, and also to her father Polonius. [L-R: Michael Maloney as Laertes; Kate Winslet as Ophelia in Hamlet (1996), dir. Kenneth Branagh. Image via fanpop.com . Fair use.] OPHELIA AND LAERTES IN 1.3 At the beginning of the scene, it's clear that Laertes knows of Ophelia and Hamlet's mutual romantic interest. As the son of Denmark's chief counselor, Laertes has been given permission to return to France, where perhaps his father has sent him so that he can...