Shakespeare's Purpose in Subverting the "Moral Universe" in Hamlet, Measure for Measure, and the Henriad.

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5/8/07 7:39:29 PM

Michelle Wendt

Intro to Shakespeare

Fall 2003

Professor Tomkins

Shakespeare's Purpose in Subverting the “Moral Universe” in Hamlet,

 Measure for Measure, and the Henriad

The inverted “moral universe” in Shakespearean drama was a demonstration of the increased reality that ancestral and collective foundations were losing their sanctified nature.  Key upheavals were taking place and the world of Shakespeare was evolving from a time where “the earth was still the center of the universe,” towards a life of societal instability.  Like all playwrights, Shakespeare's ideas for plot were partly a reflection of the world in which he lived.  The enlightenment was a time where religion was giving way to science and economic gain.  It would be unreasonable for such a reflective dramatist to omit the implications and limitations of the times in his work.  The regulations and boundaries for human conduct are not always clear, especially in times of fluctuation.  While I would not maintain  “moral universe” is a dominant theme in Shakespeare’s work, I do argue that it is a somewhat significant current running through many of his plays.

 To define any one “moral universe” in the work is folly, each play deserves many separate definitions.  Collective morality goes through an alteration according to the circumstances of each group of characters.  Situational ethics play a role in determining the behavior of Shakespeare’s characters, especially in the history plays.  To ascribe one particular “moral universe” to any work does not take into account the perspectives of all the major characters.  While we are not privy to the thoughts of all characters, some plays reveal them more clearly.

The “Moral Universe” In Hamlet

Hamlet shows Shakespeare’s belief in the potential of human beings to achieve spiritual and moral transcendence and social harmony through reasoned thought and proper action.  The    play presents the individual as trying to make choices in shaping his or her own fate.

This quote, taken from a lecture by Maria Simms, identifies Shakespeare’s intentions in the character of Hamlet.  The play presents a parallel of the playwright’s objective.  Mad or no, Hamlet knows the difference between ethical and unethical and is committed to shaping his “moral universe” to that end.  Shakespeare, torn between the dark ages of Elizabethan traditions and the glow of enlightenment, uses this indecision in the makeup of the character of Hamlet.

The inversion of the “moral universe” takes place in the murders within the family, the 'unnaturalness' of the mother remarrying the uncle, and old friends turning traitor.  The quote, “My two schoolfellows.  Whom I shall trust as I will adders fangs,” is a clear example of Hamlet’s world.  His father is dead, his mother is lost to him, he is seeing ghosts, and he cannot trust those around him.

         Shakespeare's purpose in subverting the “moral universe” was to accentuate the unnaturalness of the acts and the appearance of the ghost.  In the first act of Hamlet, the appearance of the ghost character is problematic.  When Shakespeare wrote it; English religious theology was not recognizing the state of purgatory.  Granted, the locale of the play is in Denmark, however, it is a sensitive point and conceivably that is why after Hamlet sees the ghost, Shakespeare permits his character go wholly round the bend.  The spirit becomes the influence that upsets the balance of the “moral universe.”  It is the most unnatural character in the play.  The accusation of murder is the real moral question, from the ghost’s viewpoint.  If it were that Gertrude had remarried too soon, the ghost would have been seeking revenge for that transgression as well.

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The purgatory in Shakespeare’s play is a blatant upset in the conventional universe of that era.  Hamlet furthermore has a dilemma, he has to believe the manifestation and the charge made by the spirit, and he cannot have absolute belief without sufficient evidence.  One can assume that the audience was also questioning the likelihood of a ghost.  Only when Hamlet establishes confirmation can the play advance; otherwise, we are trapped in purgatory along with the ghost.

Other instances of inverted “moral universe” are: the mother marrying the uncle in haste, friends betraying each other, the wrongful murder of Polonius, and ...

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