Ray Yuan and Vincent Liu

Mrs. Tsuji
AP English Literature Period 6
18 October 2015
Hamlet Allusions Chart

Greek
Mythology

Explanation/Description:

What does Shakespeare

achieve by employing this
allusion? How does the
allusion enhance the
meaning in relation to the
character or the situation?

Act I, III, V:
Julius
Caesar/the
death of
Caesar

Supposedly a descendent of the

Trojan prince Aeneas, Julius Caesar
was one of the Roman Empires most
prominent rulers. He acquired his
power through negotiations and
alliances, the first of which was the
First Triumvirate. He then started to
conquer more lands and gain more
power, alarming his political partner,
Pompey. Eventually, Caesar went to
war with Pompey, successfully
pursuing him into Egypt and driving
the nobility out of Italy. He then set
out to improve the Empire, relieving
the debt, reforming the legistature,
and amending social issues.
However, he took careful measures
to secure his authority as well by
maintaining allies in the Senate,
which granted him royal privileges.
Caesars increasing power alarmed
his enemies, whom he had also put in
the Senate. Dubbed the liberators,
these enemies assassinated Caesar on
the Ides of March. He quickly

In the most high and palmy

state of Rome,
A little ere the mightiest
Julius fell,
The graves stood tenantless
and the sheeted dead
Did squeak and gibber in the
Roman streets
As stars with trains of fire
and dews of blood,
Disasters in the sun, and the
moist star (Shakespeare 1.1,
113).
Bernardo is comparing the
kingdom of Denmark to the
Roman Empire under Julius
Caesars rule. He mentions
that the night before Caesar
was murdered by his
conspirators, there were
various omens. Specifically,
the dead were agitated and
supernatural phenomena like
an eclipse, the moist star, and

became a martyr and was the first

Roman to be deified.

dews of blood were present,

as if to foreshadow
impending disaster. The state
of Denmark is currently
under the threat of an attack
launched by Prince
Fortinbras. Because the
Ghost, clad in war gear, has
appeared ominously before
the guards on several
occasions, Bernardo and the
others fear that this
apparition that resembles the
omens that appeared before
Caesars downfall would
ultimately lead to the ruin of
the kingdom of Denmark.
By tying his play to a
historically significant event,
Shakespeare is able to
elucidate the situation and
explain the Ghosts
appearance. The Ghosts
ominous appearance in the
play can seem confusing to
some and detract from the
validity of the plot. However,
when Shakespeare connects
this event to several
supernatural events that led
up to Caesars death, the
Ghost is more believable. Its
presence also ominously
foreshadows future strife.
Imperious Caesar, dead and
turned to clay,
Might stop a hole to keep the
wind away.
Oh, that that earth, which
kept the world in awe,

Should patch a wall t' expel

the winters flaw!
(Shakespeare 5.1, 193).
Hyperion

Hyperion, the Titan god of light, was

the son of Ouranos and Gaia. He was
one of four brothers who helped
Kronos defeat Ouranos. Each one
held down one limb while Kronos
castrated Ouranos. Hyperion became
one of the four great pillars that holds
the heavens apart from the earth. As
the father of the morning sun, he was
considered the pillar of the east.
When he and the other Titans were
defeated by Zeus and cast into
Tartarus, they became the bearers of
the cosmos.

In his first soliloquy, Hamlet

expresses discontent with
many of the event that have
just happened in his life, one
of which is Claudius
ascension to the throne. In
Hamlets eyes, his father, the
deceased King Hamlet, is far
more superior to Claudius.
He compares the two by
comparing them to Hyperion
and a satyr. Hyperion, the
son Titan, embodies light,
power, and glory. His
participation in the castration
of his father gives him a
rebellious nature and
authority. Similarly, King
Hamlet defeats King
Fortinbras of Norway,
acquiring respect and
authority from the lands that
he gains. King Hamlet fully
lives up to his royal title in
this manner. However,
Claudius does not achieve
nearly as much. He replaces
the hasty funeral for King
Hamlet with a wedding for
himself and King Hamlets
widowed wife. These two
acts by themselves outrage
Hamlet, who considers these
incestuous and disrespectful
acts as inferior to what is
expected from a king.
By emphasizing the

difference between a sunTitan and a goat-man,

Shakespeare highlights the
stark contrast between King
Hamlet and Claudius. The
comparison between the two
not only reflects Hamlets
absolute abhorrence of
Claudius, but also gives the
reader a good idea of how
the deceased King was. By
being compared to the great
Titan Hyperion, King Hamlet
takes on a heroic and great
persona. On the other side of
the spectrum, Claudius
lowers himself to the status
of a goat-man by failing to
respect the dead kings
achievements and marrying
his wife. Hamlet himself
decries these acts, setting up
his motivation for revenge
later on.
Satyr

Satyrs were rustic beasts that were

half goat and half man. They have
bristly ungrizzled hair and small
hornlike protuberances, as well as a
tail. Their hoof-like feet liken them
to the nature god Pan, and all their
wild animalistic characteristics
highlight the satyrs wild being
which mirrors the unhibited forces of
nature.They were close with some
Gods, but mainly spent time in the
forest attempting to connect with
nature and seduce nymphai.

So excellent a king, that

was to this
Hyperion to a satyr
(Shakespeare 1.2, 139).
Although satyrs possess
human characteristics, they
are more animal than human.
Humans consider themselves
superior to other animals
and thus rank themselves
above other animals,
including goats. When
Hamlet compares his father
to Hyperion and Claudius to
a satyr, he really is

emphasizing the difference in

status between them.
Essentially, he is comparing
a god, someone far more
superior to a human, to an
animal. By highlighting a
discrepancy between these
two contrasting figures,
Shakespeare elucidates
Hamlets feelings towards his
uncle, whom he believes
deserves no respect because
of his disrespectful and
incestuous actions. In
Hamlets eyes, King Hamlet
was a king worthy of being
deified who is succeeded by
the detestable Claudius. A
deeper understanding of
Hamlets emotions helps the
reader understand his desire
for revenge later in the book.
It also sets up the tension
between Claudius and
Hamlet that prevails
throughout the play.
Niobe

Niobe bore seven sons and seven

daughters and boasted her
progenitive superiority to the Titan
Leto, who only had two children of
his own, Apollo and Artemis. To
punish her pride, Leto had Apollo kill
all of her sons and Artemis kill all of
her daughters. The dead bodies lay
unburied for nine days because the
civilians had been all turned to stone.
On the tenth day, Zeus and the other
gods buried them. Niobe returned to
her Phyrgian home, where she
pleaded the gods for mercy. Zeus felt

A little month, or ere those

shoes were old
With which she followed my
poor fathers body,
Like Niobe, all tears
(Shakespeare 1.2, 149).
Hamlet is alluding Gertrude
to Niobe in this first
soliloquy in a sardonic
manner to mock how quickly
she marries Claudius after
King Hamlets death.When
Niobes sons were all killed,

Hercules

sorry for her and turned her into a

rock on Mount Sipylus. Even as a
rock, she continued to grieve,
shedding tears that formed a constant
stream of water that seeped out of the
rock.

she was extremely mournful

and let that sadness become
her entire being. By saying
that Gertrude was Like
Niobe, all tears Hamlet is
describing his mothers
sadness after King Hamlets
death. However Hamlet
introduces a bitter and
sarcastic tone by highlighting
that although Gertrude
grieved tremendously after
King Hamlets death, she
remarried his brother such a
short time later. Essentially,
he is implying that her
sadness is not as deep and
ingrained as that of Niobe,
and that her action of
marrying Claudius is
detestable and unjust because
she should still be mourning
King Hamlets passing.

Hercules is mostly remembered as

the most powerful mortal to ever
live, even stronger than many gods.
However, his limited intelligence
provided a qualification for his
strength and bravery. His father is
Zeus and his mother is a mortal
woman. Hera was extremely jealous
of Zeuss affair with another woman
and tried to strangle Hercules with
snakes after his birth. This proved
unsuccessful, however, since
Hercules displayed his tremendous
power at an early age by killing both
the snakes with his bare hands.
Herculess most known feats were
his twelve tasks that were assigned to

My fathers brother, but no

more like my father
Than I to Hercules
(Shakespeare 1.2,153).
To compare Claudius to his
father, Hamlet compares
himself to Hercules.
Hercules is superhuman,
displaying strengths that rival
even those of some gods.
Hamlet, however, is an
ordinary person. Thus, when
he compares himself to
Hercules, he states that he
cannot achieve anywhere
near Herculess level. He

Act II:
Hecuba

him by King Eurystheus. Each task

was extremely difficult and taxing,
but Hercules succeeded in all twelve,
underscoring his prodigious strength
and unrivaled bravery. Additionally,
Hercules is the only man to turn into
a God after he dies.

uses this comparison to

highlight the differences in
status between Claudius and
King Hamlet. Hamlet deifies
his father as a Hercules
figure while characterizing
Claudius as someone of
inferior status. This is only
one of several analogies
Hamlet draws between King
Hamlet and Claudius.
Through his repeated
expressions of his hatred for
Claudius, Shakespeare
clearly conveys his animosity
for the new king and builds
up the tension between the
two. Even though Hamlet is
angry, he cannot fully
commit to avenge his fathers
death, highlighting yet
another difference between
him and Hercules. His lack
of resolve exposes his
vacillating mindset and
enables to the reader to see
the emotional and mental
conflicts that affect him
through the play.

When she was pregnant with her

child Paris, Hecuba had a bad dream
that she gave birth to a torch covered
in snakes. The prophets told her that
this was a omen and meant that the
child would be the downfall of Troy
if he survived. Therefore, after
Pariss birth, Hecuba ordered her
servants to kill him. However, they
could not bear to do such an act and
left him on a mountain to die. As

Oh, what a rogue and

peasant slave am I!
Is it not monstrous that this
player here,
But in a fiction, in a dream of
passion,
Could force his soul so to his
own conceit
That from her working all his
visage wanned,
Tears in his eyes, distraction

predicted by the prophets, Paris

survived and caused the ruin of Troy.
He started the Trojan War by taking
away Helen, whom all of the Greek
rulers swore to protect. As a result,
Troy was sacked and destroyed.
After the Trojan War, Hecuba
became Odysseuss slave. Before the
war, her youngest son had been
placed in the care of King
Polymestor of Thrace. However, her
journey with Odysseus took her
through Thrace, where she found out
that he had instead killed her son.
Enraged, she tore out his eyes and
murdered his two sons. When
Odysseus tried to subdue her, she
turned into a dog and cast herself into
the sea. Her tomb stands as a
landmark for sailors.

in his aspect,
A broken voice, and his
whole function suiting
With forms to his conceit?
And all for nothing
For Hecuba!
Whats Hecuba to him or he
to Hecuba
That he should weep for her?
What would he do
Had he the motive and the
cue for passion
That I have? (Shakespeare
2.2, 516).
In this soliloquy, Hamlet
reflects upon Player Kings
moving monologue about
Hecuba. The Player is so
engaged that he moves
himself to tears. Afterwards,
Hamlet questions how
someone so disconnected
from Hecubas emotions can
produce such an intense
reaction. He also finds
himself guilty for not being
able to react like so even
though he has experienced
his fathers death and
witnessed the incest within
his family. The fact that
Hamlet has so much to
mourn for yet does not find
himself moved by the actors
monologue demonstrates the
expectations he has for
himself. He so desperately
wants to avenge his fathers
death through the
assassination of Claudius, yet

he lacks the passion that he

admires in the actor. Hamlet
recognizes his lack of anger
and passion. The purpose of
Hecuba in the play is to
reveal Hamlets struggle to
find the emotions he needs to
drive him to murder
Claudius.
Trojan
Horse

The Trojan War had already been

going on for a long time when
Odysseus crafted a plan to ensure
victory for the Greeks. He planned to
use chicanery to enter the well
fortified walls of Troy by means of
building a giant hollow wooden
horse. Odysseus planned to fill the
horse with Greek soldiers and leave
it outside the walls of Troy, and then
pretend to walk off in defeat. The
Trojans fell right into the Greekss
trap and brought the horse inside
their city as a means of gloating over
their supposed victory.However, at
nighttime, the Greek soldiers snuck
out of the horse and decimated all
civilization in Troy. The incident of
the Trojan Horse is epitome of
deception and subterfuge.

The rugged Pyrrhus, like th'

Hyrcanian beast
It is not so. It begins with
Pyrrhus
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
(Shakespeare 2.2, 423).
In the play as a whole, the
Trojan horse serves to
represent the themes of
deception and revenge. In the
Trojan War, this Horse was
used to deceive the Trojans
into thinking that they had
won. Also, the Trojan horse
is how Pyrrhus was able to
avenge his fathers death. By
hiding inside, he was able to
breach the external defenses
and carry out his mission
once inside. Similarly in
Hamlet, Hamlet feigns
madness in order to avenge
his own fathers death.

Another theme that the

allusion to the Trojan horse
brings up is that of sons
avenging their fathers deaths.
Pyrrhus primarily uses the
horse to avenge his fathers
death. In Hamlet, Hamlet is
not the only one who seeks
revenge. Laertes also wants
to avenge his fathers death.
His ardent desire causes him
to believe that Hamlet is
responsible for Poloniuss
death. Hamlet himself is
trying to kill Claudius for
murdering his father.
However, the difference
between the two is that
Laertes has the motivation to
accomplish his task, whereas
Hamlet cannot compel
himself to assassinate
Claudius. In this manner,
Shakespeare highlights
Hamlets failure to do so by
including the Trojan horse.
Aeneas and
Dido

Aeneas and Dido met when Aeneas

was shipwrecked on the shores of
Carthage, where the widowed Queen
Dido took him and his men in. They
soon fell madly in love, as designated
by the gods. However, Aeneas was
quickly reminded by Hermes that his
ultimate goal was Rome, not in
Carthage. Thereafter, he guiltily left
Dido, who could not bear to be
separated from her new lover. As a
result, she climbed a funeral pyre and
stabbed herself.

One speech in it I chiefly

loved. Twas Aeneas tale to
Dido and thereabout of it,
especially where he speaks
of Priams slaughter
(Shakespeare 2.2, 418).
Hamlet says he loves the
speech about Aeneas and
Dido, but the connotation is
that Shakespeare is alluding
Hamlet to Aeneas and
Ophelia to Dido.Just as
Aeneas recognizes that Rome

is his ultimate goal, Hamlet

understands that he must
focus on avenging his
fathers death, and not be
distracted by Ophelia. This
comparison also implies,
although Hamlet denies it,
that Hamlet does have true
feelings for Ophelia. In Act I,
Hamlet sends Ophelia love
letters and even makes an
oath on God to love her.
However, as the story
progresses and Hamlet
realizes he must focus on the
quest his dad gives him, he
explicitly states that he has
no feelings for her.
Priam

Priam was the last king of Troy.

Among his many wives was Hecuba.
According to the Iliad, he had 50
sons and many daughters. Hector and
Paris were his most favorite sons.
When he sent Paris on a journey to
fetch his sister, Hesione, he instead
returned with Helen. Her abduction
angered the Spartans and caused the
Trojan War. In this war, Priam saw
his sons slain one by one. The Greek
warrior Achilles slew 13 of his sons
himself, among whom was Hector.
Hectors death signified the end of
Troy and also broke Priams spirit.
Priams love and courage for his son
Hector drove him to obtain the
corpse from Achilles. After the fall of
Troy, Priam was slain by Achilless
son Pyrrhus..

One speech in it I chiefly

loved. Twas Aeneas tale to
Dido and thereabout of it,
especially where he speaks
of Priams slaughter
(Shakespeare 2.2, 418).
Shakespeare alludes
Claudius to Priam in order to
demonstrate the hesitancy in
Hamlet to kill
Claudius.Pyrrhus initially is
ambivalent to killing Priam,
and does not know if he
should, which is synonymous
to Hamlet when he says the
spirit I have seen may be a
devil(Shakespeare 2.2, 418420). Essentially, Hamlet has
a slight suspicion that the
ghost of his father could
possibly be a devil .

Additionally, Pyrrhus is on a
quest to kill Priam to avenge
his father, just as Hamlet is.
Pyrrhuss success in that
venture foreshadows that
Hamlet will succeed in
killing Claudius eventually.
Pyrrhus

Pyrrhus, or Neoptolemus, was the

son of Achilles and the greatgrandson of Aeacus. He was brought
to Troy by Odysseus, who was told
that the city could not be captured
without the help of a descendant of
Aeacus. Pyrrhus helped capture Troy,
but committed sacrilege by slaying
the king, Priam, at an altar. He was
murdered at Delphi, where he had
gone to demand Apollo to make
amends for Achilless death.

The rugged Pyrrhus, like th'

Hyrcanian beast
It is not so. It begins with
Pyrrhus
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
(Shakespeare 2.2, 423).
Pyrrhus was a determined
person with strong resolve.
He exhibited his fortitude
when he viciously murdered
Priam, who was begging for
mercy. Pyrrhus was driven
by his desire to avenge his
fathers death. Hamlet, too,
wants to avenge his fathers
death. However, the
importance difference
between them is their
abilities to carry out such a
task. Whereas Pyrrhus was
strong enough to commit
murder, Hamlet is not, as
evidenced by his
procrastination of his plans.
By including an allusion to

Pyrrhus, Shakespeare
highlights Hamlets inability
to fulfill his task and portrays
him as a character without a
strong resolve.
Act III:
Nymph

Nymphs were female spirits of nature

and resided in forests, rivers,
mountains, and seas. They are largely
responsible for crafting natures
beauty. Aside from being
companions of the gods, some were
also nurses. The first class of nymphs
is categorized based on their
domains. Water nymphs presided
over lakes and rivers that inspired
those that drank from them. Because
of this, water nymphs were thought
to have prophetic powers. Forest
nymphs resided in trees in the forest
and were believed to occasionally
appear and frighten travelers.
Because their livelihoods were so
intertwined with those of the trees,
they died with their arboreal
dwellings. The second class of
nymphs is usually associated with a
people, who sacrificed various
animals to honor them. These
nymphs were usually portrayed as
beautiful women.

Soft you now,

The fair Ophelia!Nymph,
in thy orisons
Be all my sins remembered
(Shakespeare 3.1, 89).
Hamlet addresses Ophelia as
a nymph, implying her pure
nature. However, Hamlet
uses this comparison in a
rather accusatory manner.
Because she is sinless,
Hamlet wants her to pray for
him. This situation brings up
some possible
misconceptions that are held
by some of the characters.
Hamlet does not express any
feelings of love towards
Ophelia, as witnessed later
when he tells her to go to a
nunnery, but merely wants
her to pray for him. His
comparison of her to a
nymph also highlights the
lack of love in this
relationship. However, the
other characters do not see
this and believe that Hamlet
is madly in love with
Ophelia. By describing
Ophelia as a nymph,
Shakespeare proves that
Hamlet indeed does not love
her.

Nero

Nero was a Roman King who

ascended to the throne after his
adopted father, the emperor Claudius.
Nero developed antipathy for his
mother shortly after his reign as
emperor began as they had a huge
argument. He suspected that his
mother was plotting to kill him and
ordered his own troops to murder his
mother. Although the mother was a
key figure to the Roman household,
most of the Romans applauded
Neros decision because they realized
that his own life was at risk. There is
a story of doubtful authenticity that
when a great fire decimated Rome,
Nero remained indifferent and played
with his fiddle. This incompetent
leadership earned him an air of
infamy that still exists today.After the
fire, Nero continued persecuting
Christian and passed many
controversial policies. These edicts
caused the people of Rome to revolt
and many Romans began to grow
hate for him and plot to assassinate
him. Nero realized his own demise
was inexorable and fled, and
eventually decided to suicide.

O heart, lose not thy nature,

let not ever
The soul of Nero enter this
firm bosom.
Let me be cruel, not
unnatural (Shakespeare 3.2,
356).
Hamlet speaks these lines
before he talks with his
mother, who is angry with
him for offending Claudius
with his play. Although he is
very angry with both
Claudius and Gertrude,
Hamlet follows the Ghosts
directions to not harm his
mother. When he says that he
does not want the soul of
Nero [to] enter this firm
bosom (Shakespeare 3.2,
357), Hamlet is praying that
he not possess Neros cruel
soul. Nero was a cruel
Roman emperor who not
only stirred up resentment
among his people but also
ordered his mother to be
killed. Because Hamlet does
not want to harm his mother
in any fashion, he
desperately does not want to
experience the same
antagonism that Nero had.
However, at the same time,
Hamlet wishes to be more
hostile so that he can have
the fortitude to murder
Claudius. By alluding to
Nero, Shakespeare conveys
Hamlets opposing feelings

of wanting to be both fair

and cruel. His dilemma in
this situation reflects his
indecisiveness throughout
the play. In addition, his
desire to house opposing
sentiments at once
characterizes him as a wishywashy character and reveals
his inner conflicts.
Act V:
Alexander
the Great

Alexander the Great ascended to the

throne of Macedonia after his father
Phillip II died. He had many
kingdoms within Macedon and had
them mercilessly executed to
maintain and cement his power.
Phillip had conquered many empires
outside of Macedonia, and these
kingdoms tried to take advantage of
the power transfer to Alexander in
order to gain their own freedom.
Alexander, with exceptional speed,
defeated and regained control over
all of Greece with his powerful army
and cunning military tactics. He also
reasserted his control over
Illyria,Thrace, and Tribilia. Even
with this tremendous empire,
Alexander still looked to advance
further East, defeating the Persians
and even successfully conquering
India. His desire for power
galvanized him to try and advance
even further east, but his troop finally
refused, and Alexander had no choice
but to return home. This seemingly
invincible emperor finally died from
a ravenous fever at the age of thirtythree.

Dost thou think Alexander

looked o' this fashion i' th'
earth? (Shakespeare 5.1,
173).
To what base uses we may
return, Horatio. Why may not
imagination trace the noble
dust of Alexander till he find
it stopping a bunghole?
(Shakespeare 5.1, 178).
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 (Shakespeare 5.1,
189).
Hamlet mentions Alexander
the Great several times in Act
5 for a couple reasons. The
first reason is the more literal
one that reveals Hamlets
recognition that all things
will ultimately be reduced to
nothing more than dust and

dirt. He comes to understand

that death is a part of life.
Hamlet specifically refers to
Alexander the Great because
he was a great ruler who
assumed the responsibilities
of ruling a powerful empire
at an early age. Hamlet
himself is rather young and
he also has to take on the
burden of avenging his
fathers death. To Hamlet,
this task is an immense one
for his age that he is wholly
unprepared for. In addition,
Alexander the Great died
relatively young at the age of
thirty-three. Hamlet, too,
ends up dying at a young
age.
Pelion and
Mt.
Olympus

Pelion was the summer dwelling of

the Greek gods and the homeland of
the Centaurs, the wisest and calmest
of which was Chiron. Also located on
Mount Pelion was the cave which
people to ask Zeus for rain during the
hot summer months.
Mount Olympus was the home of the
gods, who controlled it after
overthrowing the Titans. The gods
would convene there at Zeuss
command, as he was the supreme
god. Olympus was also portrayed by
the Greeks as a utopia in which the
gods enjoyed perfect weather and
divined feasts of nectar and
ambrosia. Any god or goddess could
reside there, but no mortal could ever
enter. This was tested by

Now pile your dust upon the

quick and dead,
Till of this flat a mountain
you have made,
T' o'ertop old Pelion or the
skyish head
Of blue Olympus
(Shakespeare 5.1, 227).
Pelion and Mt. Olympus are
both massive mountains. If
they are not that tall in real
life, they at least symbolic of
unattainable heights in Greek
mythology. Laertes
commands the others to fill
in the grave so much that the
pile of dirt is almost
infinitely tall. Since they are
both places that mortals

Bellerophon, who rode a Pegasus up

the mountain. However, Zeus merely
sent a gadfly that irritated the
Pegasus so much that it threw
Bellerophon from its back.

cannot be in, Laertes is

highlighting the fact that he
will die and is okay with it as
long as he can be buried with
his sister Ophelia.

Acts I, III, Cain is the first son of Adam while

V: Cain and Abel is the second, making them the
Abel
third and fourth humans to live on
Earth, excluding Lilith. Cain became
a farmer, while Abel discovered his
vocation as a herder of animals. One
day, Abel sacrificed some of his
sheep as an offering to God while
Cain made an offering of some fruits
that he grew. God liked Abels
offering more, leading Cain to grow
extremely jealous and vindictive.
Cain eventually killed Abel, making
him the first human to commit the act
of murder. God found out and
sentenced Cain to isolation.
However, Cain complained that his
punishment was too hard, and
surprisingly God acquiesced and
branded Cain with a mark so that
anyone who killed him would die,
along with six of his or her family
members. God eventually disowned
this method of dealing with violence,
and after the Great Flood, decided on
the principle of the unforgivable
immorality of murder.

O, my offence is rank it
smells to heaven;
It hath the primal eldest curse
upon 't,
A brother's murder
(Shakespeare 3.3, 37).

Biblical
Allusions

Claudius alludes to Cain and

King Hamlet to Abel in order
to portray himself as an
unforgivable murderer as
well as display remorse for
his action of poisoning King
Hamlet. By stating that his
offence is rank to heaven ,
Claudius implies that God
detests it and will punish
him, just as he does with
Cain. Additionally, Claudius
recognizes the horror of the
murderous act he commits
and admits that he should not
have done it, just as Cain
realizes after killing Abel.
However, Shakespeare draws
a contrast with Claudius and
Cain in the sense that Cain
believes his punishment is
too hard and asks for Gods
forgiveness. However,
Claudius does not plead for
Gods forgiveness since he

knows it himself that the

murder he committed was
too heinous to be forgiven.
That signifies an
understanding of his evil, and
provides foreshadowing for a
possible future
acknowledgement and
apology.

Act I: The
Serpent

The serpent was one of the animals

that God created, but it was also the
most cunning and sly of them all.
Although Adam and Eve were
restricted by God from eating the
fruit of the central tree in the Garden
of Eden, the serpent convinced them
that it was okay. After God found
out, he sentenced the serpent to be
forever hated by mankind and having
to always crawl on its belly, which
implies that it originally had legs or
wings of some kind.

A serpent stung me. So the

whole ear of Denmark
Is by a forgd process of my
death
Rankly abused. But know,
thou noble youth,
The serpent that did sting thy
fathers life
Now wears his crown
(Shakespeare 1.5, 36).
Shakespeare alludes to the
Serpent from the Garden of
Eden in order to manifest the
Claudiuss sly duplicitous
nature. The Serpent in the
Garden tricks Adam into
eating the apple just as
Claudius tricks the entire
Kingdom of Denmark that
King Hamlet dies from a
snake bite. Additionally after
God finds out, he severely
punishes the Serpent. In
Hamlet,Hamlet refers to God
in this scene because after his
dad tells him about how he
dies by Claudiuss murder,
Hamlet takes it upon himself

to try and exact revenge,

which is synonymous to the
punishment that God enacts
on the Serpent.
Act II:
Jephthah

Jephthah was the son of Gilead of

Israel and a prostitute. Gilead also
had sons with his real wife, and these
kids were technically Jephthahs
brothers. However, they kicked
Jephthah out of Israel not only
because he was born from a
prostitute, but also because they did
not want him to take their
inheritance. Many years later, the
brothers asked Jephthah to return to
lead the Israelites against the
Ammonites. Jephthah won the war
but made a deal with God that if God
grants him the victory, he would
sacrifice the first living being that
came to greet him when he returned
home. To his dismay, this being was
his daughter. And although Jephthah
was heartbroken, he followed
through with his word to God and
sacrificed his daughter.

O Jephthah, judge of Israel,

what a treasure hadst thou
(Shakespeare 2.2, 375).
If you call me Jephthah, my
lord, I have a daughter that I
love passing well
(Shakespeare 2.2, 383).
Hamlet alludes to Jephthah
and Jephthahs daughter as a
sardonic disparaging remark
towards Polonius. Instead of
sacrificing his daughters life
like Jephthah did, Polonius
sacrifices his daughters love,
like barring her from
marrying and restricting her
chastity. Essentially, Hamlet
is commenting snidely that
Poloniuss excessive
devotion to Claudius, like
Jephthahs excessive
devotion to God, will result
in the sacrificing of his
daughter. However, Jephthah
truly loves his daughter and
is heartbroken when she
must dies, but Hamlet
suggests that Polonius does
not love his daughter as
much as Jephthah does and is
only restricting her to save
his own face.

Act III:
Herod

King Herod is originally the Jewish

king of Rome. One day, he heard an
omen from three wise men that a
baby would take over as the Jewish
ruler. Frightened and worried, Herod
went so far as to attempt to massacre
all the two-year-old children in
Bethlehem. However, he was not
completely successful in that venture
and Jesuss family managed to
escape. All in all, Herod was
egregious, ruthless, and villainous.
He committed many acts of murder,
including that of his wife, brothers,
and thousands of people who refused
to subject themselves to Roman rule.

I would have such a fellow

whipped for o'erdoing
Termagant. It out-Herods
Herod. Pray you, avoid it
(Shakespeare 3.2, 12).
Hamlet outlines the
consequences of this play
should it not be received and
honored. He claims that the
punishment that would
follow would be far greater
than Herods worst doings.
Since Herod was extremely
savage and heinous in his
mass killings and grasps for
power, Hamlet is saying that
the punishment he would
carry out would be far worse.
Hamlet designs this play for
Claudius and wants to see his
reaction to a murder scene
that inevitably reflects
Hamlets suspicions. If
Claudius does not receive the
play well, Hamlet thinks that
this unfavorable reaction
would mean that Claudius is
guilty of murdering King
Hamlet himself because he
cannot bear to watch a
reenactment of his guilt. The
punishment that Hamlet has
in mind out-Herods Herod,
or outdoes Herods
wickedness. By comparing
this machination to Herods
evil deeds, Hamlet reveals
just how much he wants to
exact revenge on Claudius.
Yet at the same time, the

reader knows how conflicted

Hamlet feels about carrying
out such task.

Works Cited
"Alexander the Great." Historyofmacedonia.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.
"BibleGateway." BibleGateway.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.
Biography.com Editors. "Julius Caesar Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks
Television, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.
"NYMPHAI." Theoi. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.
"Hyperion." Theoi. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.
"Priam." Myths Encyclopedia. Advameg, Inc, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.
The Editors of Encyclopdia Britannica. "Niobe | Greek Mythology." Encyclopedia
Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.
The Editors of Encyclopdia Britannica. "Aeneas." Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
N.p., 28 Aug. 2015. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.