Context Flashcards
define the great chain of being
God set out an order for everything in the universe
what are the four humours
It is an ancient Greek theory in which the human body is made of the four basic fluids, called Humours.
These are: blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm.
If any of these fluids were out of balance, then disease would be resulted.
how is hamlet affected by the four humours
he experiences conflict between the opposing humours black bile and blood. he has too much black bile causing him to be melancholic, he wants blood in revenge, the family unbalance. blood causes sanguine, happy and care free. black bile = air, melancholy , blood = earth, sanguine
women’s place on the great chain of being
Women were low on this chain of power, and men were on top. In fact, women were below horses; you couldn’t live without a good horse, but, you could live without a wife.
the Divine Right of Kings
the king or queen was in charge because God put them there and they were only answerable to God
when was hamlet published
1603
views on women at the time (quote)
“woman is an excellent ornament of men” - Cornelius a Lapide, 1638
what was the believed cause of hysteria
In The Suffocation of the Mother(1603), it is suggested that virgins and widows are prone to hysteria which is caused by ‘congestion’ around the womb.
religion in hamlet
denmark is a Catholic country, however hamlet was schooled in Wittenberg in Germany which was Protestant, this creates conflict within his religious beliefs.
Catholics believe in purgatory which makes the ghost possible, however, Protestants do not. this could be a reason for his doubt.
hamlet’s “inky cloak”
The fact no one at court is wearing mourning dress bar Hamlet is significant as during Shakespearean time it would be worn for at least a year following the death of a king. (sign of disrespect towards Old Hamlet and subsequently Hamlet).
incest
Claudius’ marriage to Gertrude would have been regarded in Elizabethan times as incestuous and unlawful. Henry VII married Catherine of Aragon who was his brother’s widow. this was also his excuse for divorcing her
“fix’d His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter!”
is the sixth commandment which forbids all murder including suicide. Unlike Claudius, Hamlet feels bound by such an order.
the dumb show
this amount of stage direction is uncommon of Shakespeare
they are typical of theatre at the time
Shakespeare separates the action from the words mirroring hamlets use of words in delaying his action
Rue
symbolic of repentance and adultery
“oh you must wear your rue with a difference” gives it to Gertrude
is this what sparks her betrayal of Claudius
