Transcript Motif Presentation

Motif Presentation
Greek & Roman Allusions Found Throughout Hamlet
In the play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the motif of Greek
and Roman allusions develops the central idea of Fate’s role in
the lives of humans.
Act I, Scene II
“Frailty, thy name is woman!A little month, or ere those shoes were old
With which she followed my poor father’s body,
Like Niobe, all tears. Why, sheO God, a beast that wants discourse of reason
Would have mourned longer!-married with my uncle,
My father’s brother, but no more like my father
Than I to Hercules…” (I. ii. 146-153)
-Hamlet
These few sentences, spoken by Hamlet following a conversation with and the
exit of King Claudius contains two allusions to Greek mythology. The first is
a reference to Niobe, a mother in Greek mythology whose children were
killed by the gods Apollo and Diana. Niobe was turned to stone after
witnessing the death her fourteen children by the gods, but her grief was so
great that she wept continuously in the form of a spring that ran from the
rock. The second allusion is to Hercules, a prince widely known for his
extreme strength. These two examples Hamlet uses in his speech are contrasts
to his mother and himself. His mother was sarcastically compared to Niobe
because Gertrude so quickly moved on from her grief of the King Hamlet’s
death, while Niobe remained a stone spring for hundreds of years after her
childrens’ murders. Hamlet compares himself to Hercules as support for the
absurd comparison of his father Hamlet to his father’s brother Claudius.
These few lines depict the fact that unlike the gods, humans are not perfect
and are subject to faults and deviations from their original purposes. These
two allusions show the lack of loyalty Gertrude has for her dead husband in
contrast to the strength of Niobe’s loyalty to her deceased children and the
power Hamlet understands he has little of in comparison to the legendary
Hercules. Fate has caused Gertrude to deviate from her position as a loyal
mourning wife and put Hamlet into a situation where he would need to be
strong and brave like the mighty Hercules to reclaim his father’s throne and
mother’s dignity.
Act II, Scene II
“So as a painted tyrant Pyrrhus stood,
And, like a neutral to his will and matter,
Did nothing.
But as we often see against some storm
A silence in the heavens, the rack stand still,
The bold winds speechless, and the orb below
AS hush as death, anon the dreadful thunder
Doth rend the region, so, after Pyrrhus’ pause,
A roused vengeance sets him a-work,
And never did the Cyclops’ hammers fall
On Mars’s armor, forged for proof eterne,
With less remorse than Pyrrhus’ bleeding sword
Now falls on Priam.
Out, out, thou strumpet Fortune!”
(II. ii. 465-478)
-Player One
This quotation is both an allusion to Greek history and
a metaphor for the action taking place in Hamlet.
Pyrrhus, the son of Achilles, is out to avenge his
father’s death at the hands of Paris. Because Paris is
already dead, Pyrrhus seeks vengeance on his family,
including his father, Priam. Pyrrhus acts as a foil to
Hamlet; both are seeking vengeance for their fathers’
deaths, and both have moments of hesitation at their
greatest opportunities to kill their foes. Shakespeare
compares the inaction of Pyrrhus and Hamlet, then
foreshadows Hamlet’s later acceptance of his fate and
seizing of opportunity by telling Pyrrhus’s story. This
speech characterizes Hamlet as irresolute and shows
that he has not yet accepted the role of fortune in his
affairs.
Act III, Scene II
“Full thirty times hath Phoebus’ cart gone round
Neptune’s salt wash and Tellus’ orbed ground,
And thirty dozen moons with borrowed sheen
About the world have times twelve thirties been
Since love our hearts and Hymen did our hands
Unite commutual in most sacred bands…” (III. ii. 143-148)
-Player King
This line, spoken by the player king at the beginning of
their performance, contains several allusions to Greek and
Roman mythology. Phoebus’ cart is the chariot of the sun
god, which goes around the sea (Neptune’s salt wash) and
the land (Tellus’orbed ground) of the world each day.
Hymen is the Greek god of marriage. These references
are incorporated to show the role that outside forces play
in human life. Gods have control over the elements, while
people are affected by them. People are subject to the
passage of time, as well as to their own desires. This
allusion demonstrates the lack of power possessed by
humans. Ironically, several characters in Hamlet do not
acknowledge the role of fortune in their lives.
Act III, Scene II
“Soft, now to my mother.
O heart, lose not thy nature; let not ever
The soul of Nero enter this firm bosom.
Let me be cruel, not unnatural:
I will speak daggers to her but use none.
My tongue and soul in this be hypocrites.
How in my words somever she be shent,
To give them seals never my soul consent!”
(III. ii. 371-378)
-Hamlet
Hamlet makes this statement before he goes to Gertrude’s
chamber to speak with her about the play he had performed by the
traveling actors. The allusion here is to the Roman emperor Nero,
who murdered his mother by tearing open her womb to see where
he had come from. Nero also ruled the Roman empire following
the death of his uncle, Claudius. Because of Nero’s birth and the
circumstances of his life, fate led him to the insane state that
caused his murderous actions. Unfortunately, because of Hamlet’s
birth and the circumstances surrounding his family, fate has also
let him towards a similar situation. Hamlet states that he does not
want to be like Nero, but is unsure of the power he will have over
his own destiny.
Act III, Scene IV
“See what a grace was seated on this brow:
Hyperion’s curls, the front of Jove himself,
An eye like Mars, to threaten and command,
A station like the herald Mercury
New lighted on a heaven-kissing hill
A combination and a form indeed
Where every god did seem to set his seal
To give the world assurance of a man.
This was your husband…”
(III. iv. 55-63)
-Hamlet
In this quote, Hamlet uses several allusions to mythology to
describe his father. Hamlet’s use of hyperbole serves to
characterize him as fiercely loyal to his father’s memory. Hyperion
was the Titan god of light; therefore Hamlet is commenting on
the shiny luster of his father’s locks. Hamlet describes his father’s
face as that of the king of the gods in Roman mythology. Hamlet
believed his father was both a great warrior, like the Roman god
of war, Mars, and a great diplomat, like the messenger god,
Mercury. These allusions all serve to compare the late king to a
god. Yet, despite Hamlet’s exaggerated similes and metaphors, the
king was only a man, one that was fated to death and judgment,
possibly proving the futility in striving to gain control over
destiny.
“To what base uses we may return,
Horatio! Why, may not imagination
trace the noble dust of Alexander till
he find it stopping a bung
hole…Alexander died, Alexander
was buried, Alexander returneth to
dust, the dust is earth, of earth we
make loam, and why of that loam,
whereto he was converted, might
they not stop a beer-barrel?
Imperious Caesar, dead and turn’d to
clay,
Might stop a hole to keep the wind
away…” (V. i. 189-200)
-Hamlet
Act V, Scene I
This quote is spoken by Hamlet while he
is in the graveyard, a setting which leads
to this discussion of death and
remembrance. Hamlet, upon seeing
clowns throw about skulls with no
respect, wonders what has become of
the remains of great men like Alexander,
the Macedonian king who conquered the
Persian empire, and Caesar, the famous
Roman leader and conqueror. The syntax
of this passage emphasizes the brevity
of life and control by natural forces even
after death, speaking in a series of short
clauses (Alexander died, Alexander was
buried, etc.). Hamlet is beginning to
realize that even great men could not
escape the clutches of Fate.
Act V, Scene I
“Let Hercules himself do what he may,
The cat will mew, and dog will have his day…”
(V. i. 277-278)
-Hamlet
This quote alludes to Hercules, a hero of Greek
mythology. Hercules was the son of Zeus and a
mortal woman, Alcmene; he performed heroic feats
(the Twelve Labors) and was rewarded after his death
with immortality at Mount Olympus. This quotation
is a display of Hamlet’s dynamic growth in character.
Hamlet, realizing the role played by fate in one’s life,
decides to act, rather than trying to hide from destiny
through inaction. This quote asserts that while gods
may have the power to control their lives, fortune
holds power over humanity. This is also the last time
Hamlet puts on his antic disposition, speaking the
last line in a sarcastic, jovial tone.
Act V, Scene II
“I am more an antique Roman than a Dane.
Here’s yet some liquor left…” (V. ii. 323-324)
-Horatio
Heratio makes this statement directly following the
poisoning of Gertrude and the stabbings of
Laertes, Hamlet, and Claudius. In ancient Rome, it
was commonly believed that it was more honorable
to commit suicide than to live a dishonored life.
Danes were Christian, who were strongly opposed
to suicide, as discussed early in Act V following
Ophelia’s death. These few lines depict Horatio as a
foil to the fallen Hamlet, ready to give his life and
his beliefs at a moment’s notice for something he
feels strongly about in contrast to Hamlet’s delayed
act of revenge for his murdered father. Horatio is
put into a situation where he can decide his own
fate of life or death, but instead lets fortune take
control, as does most of mankind. The option of
suicide was a way to elude the hands of fate, but
Hamlet, by this point in the play, has matured
enough to know that fate is inescapable, showing
the traits of a dynamic character.
Concluding Thematic Statement
The play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare is
about fate and reveals that one is often
unable to control one’s destiny.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Jeff Dolven. New York: Barnes & Noble,
2007.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Stanley Appelbaum. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover
Publications, Inc., 1992.