Belief in Shakespeare

8/7/2019 Belief in Shakespeare

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BelievinginShakespeare/BelievinginGod

MichaelHa7away

NewYorkUniversityinLondon


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Arriving Conversaonswithmywife MyuniversityteachersinNZhadbeenraisedintheCambridgetradion(closereading,a7enontowordsonthepage)andIeventuallystudiedinCambridgemyself

RESEARCHShakespeareandtheFairiesfortheBA

DidShakespearebelieveinfairies?

RESEARCHBelievinginShakespeare Punningtle >Hamletsproblem:believingintheGhost

TEACHINGMystudentstellmetheyneedtobelieveincharactersorsituaons Whythendowereadfantasyliterature? Notdescribingourreaconsaccuratelyenough Wereadperformancesandthesereadingsaremodelsforwaysinwhichwereadothertexts,includingScriptures


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BelievingintheSupernaturalintheEarlyModernPeriod

Disnguishbeliefs(espoused?)fromdoctrines(taught?)? Someperiodsandfaithcommuniesmoredoctrinairethanothers Beliefsanddoctrineschangeaccordingtotheformsandpressuresoftheme Bothbeliefsanddoctrines,scripturalormorerecent,expressedinsigns

Imaginavetexts,images,plays,music,ritualsaswelltheologicaltexts Wedontjustseetheseoraremovedbythesebutwereadthem

Aretheseasser,onsoforreflec,onsuponbeliefsanddoctrine? Shouldwedisnguishwhatissignifiedfromthesignifiers?

DidShakespearebelieveinGhosts?

DoctrineofPurgatoryhadbeenabolishedbyReformers Ghosts(andfairies)couldbeheldtobedevils

HAMLET(toGhost)Angelsandministersofgracedefendus!

Bethouaspiritofhealthorgoblindamned?

Signscanbepossessedofalonguedure


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Bosch,VisionsoftheHereaer,ca1500


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LafeutoParolles,inAllsWellthatEndsWell

NotonlyPurgatorycondemnedbutmiracles InthisplayHelenacuresanailingkingbymagic

Theysaymiraclesarepast,andwehaveourphilosophicalpersonstomakemodernandfamiliarthingssupernaturalandcauseless.Henceisitthatwemaketriflesofterrors,ensconcingourselvesintoseemingknowledgewhenweshouldsubmit

ourselvestoanunknownfear(AWW,2.3.1-5) Shakespearehappytousemouldytales,notjusttoentertainbuttothinkandexplore,showhowpeopleinterprettheworldtothemselves


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DidHamletBelieve(in)theGhost?

WhattheGhostcommandedwasproblemacandpossiblywrong Shouldhehavebelievedhim?


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Evidence?

BARNARDO

Hownow,Horao?Youtrembleandlookpale.

Isnotthissomethingmorethanfantasy?

Whatthinkyouont?

HORATIO

BeforemyGod,Imightnotthisbelieve

Withoutthesensibleandtrueavouch

Ofmineowneyes.


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DoWeBelieveinHamlet?


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Dichotomies(1):ComprehendingvsApprehending

StudentsofShakespeareandmanyothertextshavebeenprogrammedtobelieveincharactersetc. Designerstrytocreateillusioniscscenery,editorstemptedtolocatescenes

Charactersarenotsimplysubstanalfullyroundedbeings,resemblingpeoplelikeus,tobeapprehended,orseen(inthemindseye)

Rathertheyarealsocomplexsignsrequiringtobecomprehended,orread

Theycomeintobeingthroughtheagencyofbothtextsandourminds Soisthereanunchangingentyforustobelievein?


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Dichotomies(2):BelievinginvsBelievingthat

Believingin Cognion,commitment TheApostlesCreed:IbelieveinGod,theFatherAlmighty TheNiceneCreed:WebelieveinoneGod,theFather,theAlmighty

Believingthat Lendingorgivingassenttoassenttoaverifiablestatement

Indicatesaproposionalatude IbelievethatInthebeginningwastheWord

MysurmiseisthatmanypeoplewhenrecingtheCreedmayconsidertheyareasserngtheexistenceofGodratherthan

expressingtheirtrustinHim


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Theseus vs Hippolyta (1)HIPPOLYTA'Tisstrange,myTheseus,thattheseloversspeakof.

THESEUS[cannotbelievein]Morestrangethantrue.InevermaybelieveTheseanquefables,northesefairytoys.Loversandmadmenhavesuchseethingbrains,Suchshapingfantasies,thatapprehendMorethancoolreasonevercomprehends.Thelunac,thelover,andthepoetAreofimaginaonallcompact.Oneseesmoredevilsthanvasthellcanhold:Thatisthemadman.Thelover,allasfranc,SeesHelen'sbeautyinabrowofEgypt.

Thepoet'seye,inafinefrenzyrolling,Dothglancefromheaventoearth,fromearthtoheaven,AndasimaginaonbodiesforthTheformsofthingsunknown,thepoet'spenTurnsthemtoshapes,andgivestoairynothing

Alocalhabitaonandaname.


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TheseusvsHippolyta(2)

SuchtrickshathstrongimaginaonThatifitwouldbutapprehendsomejoyItcomprehendssomebringerofthatjoy;Orinthenight,imaginingsomefear,Howeasyisabushsupposedabear!

HIPPOLYTA[believesthat]

Butallthestoryofthenighttoldover,Andalltheirmindstransfiguredsotogether,Morewitnesseththanfancy'simages,Andgrowstosomethingofgreatconstancy;

Buthowsoever,strangeandadmirable.


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Mark1:15:adpropinquavitregnumDei:paeniteminietcrediteevangelio

[trust(?)thegospel](Vulgate) thekingdomofGodisathand:repentye,andbelievethegospel

(KJBNewEnglishBible) thekingdomofGodhascomenear;repent,andbelieveinthegoodnews

(Bible:NewRevisedStandardVersion)


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S.T.Coleridge

Inthisideaoriginatedtheplanofthe'LyricalBallads';inwhichitwasagreedthatmyendeavoursshouldbedirectedtopersonsand

characterssupernatural,oratleastromanc,yetsoastotransferfromourinwardnatureahumaninterestandasemblanceoftruthsufficienttoprocurefortheseshadowsof

imaginaonthatwillingsuspensionofdisbeliefforthemoment,whichconstutespoecfaith.

(Emphasisadded)


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Dichotomies(3):ThinkingaboutvsThinkingwith

Thinkingabout/thinkingwith ParablesandaccountsofmiraclesFactsThegenealogiesinOTasrealityeffects,thereto

authencateotherpartsofthenarrave

PyrrhusinHamlet


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Neoptolemus(Pyrrhus)KillsPriam


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Reading PyrrhusHAMLET

The rugged Pyrrhus, he whose sable arms,

Black as his purpose, did the night resemble

When he lay couchd in the ominous horse,

Hath now this dread and black complexion smeared

With heraldry more dismal. Head to foot

Now is he total gules, horridly tricked

With blood of fathers, mothers, daughters, sons,

Baked and impasted with the parching streets,

That lend a tyrranous and damnd lightTo their vile murders. Roasted in wrath and fire,

And thus oer-sized with coagulate gore,

With eyes like carbuncles the hellish Pyrrhus

Old grandsire Priam seeks. (2.2.455-67)


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Playing PyrrhusFIRST PLAYER

Anon he finds him,

Striking too short at Greeks. His antique sword,Rebellious to his arm, lies where it falls,

Repugnant to command. Unequal match,

Pyrrhus at Priam drives, in rage strikes wide;

But with the whiff and wind of his fell sword

Th unnervd father falls. Then senseless Ilium,Seeming to feel his blow, with flaming top

Stoops to his base, and with a hideous crash

Takes prisoner Pyrrhus ear. For lo, his sword,

Which was declining on the milky head

Of reverend Priam, seemed i th air to stick.So, as a painted tyrant, Pyrrhus stood,

And, like a neutral to his will and matter,

Did nothing.


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ReligiousTextsandPoetry

TheBibleasLiterature Religioustextsas(mere)poemsPoetryoendenigratedPlato:thereisanoldquarrelbetweenphilosophy

andpoetry(Republic,60b5-6)

Nocategoricaldisnconbetweenpoetry(feelings,emoons,fantasies)andprose(ma7ersoffact)


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Heurisc(Invesgave)Wring Writersinpre-Romancrhetoricaltradions(includingBiblical

authors)startedfromtheinven:on(retrieval)oftopics

Shakespeareswringasmuchheurisc[exploratory]asexpressive

Figuresofspeech,etc.,notjustvehiclesbutinves,ga,vetoolsforthought

CHORUS[toHenryV]Oforamuseoffire,thatwouldascend

Thebrightestheavenofinven:on(Prologue.1-2)Theinven:onwastohaveasatyrlodgedinaliOlespinetwhoadvancedhisheadabovethetopofthewood

BenJonson,TheEntertainmentatAlthorp,1616


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BenJonsonsTributetoShakespeare

he

Whocaststowritealivingline,mustsweat,

andstrikethesecondheatUpontheMusesanvil;turnthesame

(Andhimselfwithit)thathethinkstoframe.

(emphasisadded)


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IdeasandTexts

ProblemaseideasintextsIdeasarenotthings

Becomeself-consciouswhenyouusemetaphorssuchasunderlying,orpreposionssuchasbehindorbeneath


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ArchbishopRowan

IhaveassumedthatDostoyevskyisnotpresenngtousasetofinconclusiveargumentsabouttheexistenceofGod,for

andagainst,butaficonalpictureofwhatfaithandthelackofitwouldlooklikeinthepolicalandsocialworldofhisday.

RowanWilliams,Dostoevsky:Language FaithandFic,on,(London,Connuum, 2008),p.4.


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Conclusions

Ohwhatatextualisedworld! DegasvsMallarm: DEGAS:Whatabusiness!Mywholedaygoneona

blastedsonnet,withoutgenganinchfurther...andit

isntideasImshortof...Imfullofthem,Ivegottoomany...

MALLARM:ButDegas,youcantmakeapoemwithideasyoumakeitwithwords!

PaulValry,DegasManetMorisot,trans.David Paul(PrincetonN.J.:PrincetonUniversityPress, 1989),p.62

Belief in Shakespeare

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