Context Flashcards
Theatre as a form of Justice
Shakespeare treating the stage like a law court
The Elizabethan state was trying to take control of justice which was unpopular.
Replaced the medieval system based around honour and revenge, with more modern ideas of social justice.
The old form of justice, a feud could only be settled once vengeance had been taken.
Revenge and Justice in Religion
Conflict between the modern Christian idea of forgiveness and the old testament ideal of revenge, an eye for an eye.
The Globe
The Glode, geographically, is very close to the inns of court which was, and still is, integral to justice.
Biblical context
Hamlet is often referred to as ‘the most Christian of plays’
Hamlet’s intellect is underpinned by his morality that comes from his Christian mindset.
Cain and Abel
In Genesis 4:8
“Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.”
“whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.”
- God condoning revenge.
- The revenge crime out surpassing the original crime.
The Great chain of being
Every creature had its ordained position on a ladder descending from God
This justified the belief that failure to apply reason reduced humans to the animal state.
Divine Right of Kings
A king was believed to have a divine right to rule (appointed by God and superior to normal mortals)
Killing or usurping a king was considered a grave offence which attracted devastating consequences for the whole country.
Microcosm and Macrocosm
Stated that the king, ruled by reason, was the body of the country.
If he gave way to passion or misjudgement the consequences would ripple outwards.
Appearance vs Reality
External appearance were believed to be an indicator of what lay within
If appearances are deceptive, the character is unreliable.
e.g. The ghost- “one may smile, and smile, and be a villain”.
Reason
The failure of reason was believed to be the cause of the Fall of Man (Adam and Eve).
Elizabethans, therefore, believed it was dangerous to let reason be dominated by passion.
Melancholy
One of the four humours thought to define the character in Elizabethan England.
It was associated with refined male intellect.
Thomas Bright’s Treatise of Melancholy (1586) suggests sufferers are distracted by apparitions.
Purgatory
Catholic doctrine- A place where the souls of those who are not wholly bad or good are sent after death, to receive purification.
Protestants- did not believe in the existence of purgatory.
Sudden death was feared as the soul would not be in a state of grace for passage to heaven.
Catholic Ghosts
Restless human souls that remained in Purgatory.
Spirits of the departed, who returned to disclose a crime, and that it was a religious duty to help them find rest.
Protestant Ghosts
Rejected the idea of Purgatory, believed they came from Hell.
Made dangerous requests and corrupt a human soul from the pathway of righteousness.
Ghosts could be delusions experienced by those suffering from melancholy or madness.
Social role of Women
The security of society was dependent upon women’s virginity before marriage.
The literary stereotype of the faithless female was founded on the premise that Eve betrayed her husband and all mankind.
Virginity and chastity were linked to the Virgin Mary and was regarded as an ideal state for women.
Elizabeth I
Queen Elizabeth I died childless in 1603, soon after Hamlet was written.
Her reign was hailed as a golden age.
The obsession with death and mourning, ‘Hamlet’ anticipates this momentous death.
Questions raised about Claudius’ legitimacy reflects uncertainty over the royal succession.
Female mental illness
Ophelia is presented as suffering from ‘erotomania’, or love-madness, caused by unrequited love and repressed sexual desire.
Explored in Edward Jorden’s treatise on hysteria.
Marriage
The Book of Common Prayer (1549) stated that ‘A woman may not marry with her…husband’s brother’.
Ignored by Henry VIII who married Katherine of Aragon, his brother’s widow.
They failed to produce an heir.
Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy (c. 1582–1592)
Inspired Shakespeare when he was writing Hamlet.
Begins with a ghost killed in battle.
The mother is driven mad and commits suicide.
A play within the play acts as a law court, enacting the crime that has taken place.
Was the most popular tragedy on stage at the time.
Francis Bacon ‘Of Revenge’ (1625)
This essay describes revenge as ‘a kind of wild Justice’ which is not legally defensible.
He says that by taking revenge, you become as bad as your enemy.
Seneca
Roman tragic playwright, popular in the 16th century.
He introduced many tropes of revenge tragedy.
He saw anger as the most hideous and dangerous emotion.
Revenge Tragedy tropes introduced by these plays included…
• Ghost
• Spectacle violence
• Play within a play as a form of justice
• Revenge which surpasses the original crime
Heightened violence
The horrific, macabre, theatrical spectacles of violence in plays like Titus Andronicus was popular- 1 in 2 men in London saw this play.
Allowed audiences to question their own desire for justice which could perpetuate a downward spiral of violence.
Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo was a Danish historian and author.
Many plot elements and characters of Hamlet came from his play, Historiae Danicae.
Niccolo Machiavelli
Argued that a country required a ruler who could ensure the safety of his people.
If corruption and crime were needed to secure this, it would not make them an evil person.
