Context - Great Chain of Being Flashcards
What did Elizabethans believe?
They believed that God set out an order for everything in the universe, known as The Great Chain of Being.
It was believed that God created a…
social order for everybody, which essentially meant that the King or Queen was there because they had been chosen by God.
The social order made by God meant that…
disobeying or betraying the monarch was not just a crime on earth, but a sin against God.
What would a Elizabethan audience think about Claudius?
They would understand that Claudius has not just committed regicide, but is guilty of blasphemy and disrupting the natural order put in place by God.
What Act and Scene is this related to?
Act 3 Scene 3, where Claudius is conflicted as he desperately wants absolution but he feels it is out of reach as due to him still being in possession of the rewards of his crime - his queen and his throne.
Quote related to this context and about Claudius confessing
-All my imperfections on my head’ - 1.5 Hamlets father died without confessing so Hamlet can’t kill C as he has just confessed.
What is Claudius referring to when he says ‘my offence is rank, it smells to heaven/it hath the primal eldest curse upon’t’
-He is referring to his sinful actions and he has usurped God by killing Old Hamlet and becoming King
-Perhaps an intertextual reference to Cain and Abel which was the first murder in the bible.
Quote showing Claudius as in internal conflict
‘like a man to double business bound’
Analyse ‘like a man to double business bound’
-inner conflict - Claudius feels remorse and wants forgiveness whilst wanting to obtain his power as King.
Quote showing Claudius wants absolution?
‘To wash it white as snow’ then he later refers to his ‘bosom as black as death’
Analyse ‘To wash it white as snow’ and ‘bosom as black as death’
-colour imagery showing he wants to be pure again and this desire contrasts with what he truly is.
Quote showing Claudius listing his priorities
-‘My crown, mine own ambition, and my Queen’
Analyse ‘My crown, mine own ambition, and my Queen’
-Possessive pronouns emphasising his ownership over these things and how his gain is more important than repentance
-Gertrude is said last showing how Claudius desires power
How does Shakespeare present Claudius when he talks of having a ‘heart of steel’
-He believes he can’t repent as his desires are stopping him from doing so
