Th'infected World
Schools closed on Friday afternoon due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Our task of remote education now begins in earnest.
We study one of the world’s most famous plays - when theatres around the world have been shut down
to prevent the spread of the virus. We live in extraordinary times. Like Horatio at the appearance of Hamlet’s ghost
during the opening scene of the drama, ‘it harrows me with fear and wonder’ (I.i.47).
Our task of remote education now begins in earnest.
We study one of the world’s most famous plays - when theatres around the world have been shut down
to prevent the spread of the virus. We live in extraordinary times. Like Horatio at the appearance of Hamlet’s ghost
during the opening scene of the drama, ‘it harrows me with fear and wonder’ (I.i.47).
It is perhaps inevitable then, as I re-read the text, that images to do
with infection surface and resonate more powerfully than they have
ever done before; while we collectively experience ‘some strange
eruption to our state’ (I.i.72).
with infection surface and resonate more powerfully than they have
ever done before; while we collectively experience ‘some strange
eruption to our state’ (I.i.72).
Even Hamlet’s ‘windy suspiration of forc’d breath’ (I.ii.79)
in his opening exchange with the queen now seems to rattle
as an early symptom of coronavirus rather than the more usual
interpretation as a criticism of the appearance of grief.
in his opening exchange with the queen now seems to rattle
as an early symptom of coronavirus rather than the more usual
interpretation as a criticism of the appearance of grief.
And don't get me started on Laertes counselling of Ophelia,
that ‘in the morn and liquid dew of youth/Contagious blastments are
most imminent’ (I.iii.41-42).
that ‘in the morn and liquid dew of youth/Contagious blastments are
most imminent’ (I.iii.41-42).
My plan is to pick up where we left off our reading of Act Three, and work on through, but let's get this started
with some other references to disease and sickness in the first half of the play.
It seems that Hamlet’s work is to ‘cleanse the foul body of th'infected world’ before becoming infected himself.
(That's actually a quotation from As You Like It, so I'm already cheating.)
But leave your examples below. Where else does Shakespeare employ the imagery of disease? Let's see how
many we can collect.
with some other references to disease and sickness in the first half of the play.
It seems that Hamlet’s work is to ‘cleanse the foul body of th'infected world’ before becoming infected himself.
(That's actually a quotation from As You Like It, so I'm already cheating.)
But leave your examples below. Where else does Shakespeare employ the imagery of disease? Let's see how
many we can collect.
What a wonderful post, Mrs G! I'm cheating too (teachers can, 12A/Ei1 most assuredly cannot!). I've been thinking of Macbeth's exchange with Lennox in 4.1 when, after hearing that Lennox has not seen the weird sisters, he exclaims "Infected be the air whereon they ride / And damned all those that trust them!" This sort of reference would, of course, have resonated with Shakespeare's original audiences in a particularly acute way, due to the prevalence of "miasma theory". The Wikipedia entry on this is worth a read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miasma_theory
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mr C. Good shout. I was rather waiting for some acknowledgement of my impressive photo manipulation skills...'Is that a Covid19 virus I see before me?'
DeleteSolid start!
ReplyDeleteReally useful one, compact yet packed with important points.Thank You very much for the effort to make the hard one looks so simple. Further, you can access this site to read Method in Hamlet’s Madness
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing that link!
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