I hold my duty as i hold my soul both to my God and to my Gracious King - In what ways does Shakespeare challenge this statement then? In what ways does Shakespeare challenge this statement now

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 ZEENA PRICE

FEBRUARY 2002

‘I HOLD MY DUTY AS I HOLD MY SOUL BOTH TO MY GOD AND TO MY GRACIOUS KING,’

IN WHAT WAYS DOES SHAKESPEARE CHALLENGE THIS STATEMENT THEN? IN WHAT WAYS DOES SHAKESPEARE CHALLENGE THIS STATEMENT NOW?

Polonius’ statement, found in Act Two, Scene Two, reflects the symmetry and order of the society he lives in. He inhabits a world of certainty and medieval convention. The play can be seen to challenge the statement, both in the action and in the characters, particularly in the character of Hamlet himself. It is Hamlet, the ‘renaissance’ man of the play, whose controversial attitude is constantly seen to challenge the medieval certainties that could still be seen in Jacobean society. Value was placed on duty to the monarch and to God; the institution of marriage was sacred and scientific reasoning was absolute and definite. All these things are challenged in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

The social and cultural climate of Jacobean society was such that certainties and conventions were held in high esteem- Shakespeare’s Hamlet  is written in the context of, for example, the social hierarchy of the time, the medieval court, and religion. All of these are challenged in the play by both the characters and the plot. Even the very form of the statement challenges these certainties, for the couplet is a chiasmus- the symmetrical structure reflects the very nature of the society in which Polonius lives.

In Shakespeare’s time society was beginning to ask some of the questions which Shakespeare addresses through the character of Hamlet.  Most people embraced a rational, scientific line of thinking - Elizabethans were not always heavily superstitious. For example, in Act one, Scene one, Horatio expresses doubt at the existence of the ghost:

‘Before my God, I might not this believe

 Without the sensible and true avouch

 Of mine own eyes.’

They also began to question the old hierarchy and the natural order of things- such as God and ‘gracious king’ upon the dawn of the Renaissance.  The idea of society as a fixed structure and everything being ordained in the world was indeed a strong certainty. Hamlet has a clear vision of things as they are - he is a realist, a Renaissance man, unlike characters such as Claudius and Polonius who Shakespeare portrays to be lacking in vision. Shakespeare shows the court to be full of people who think that all these things are absolute simply because they have always been a certain way.  Hamlet is also the main vehicle through which Shakespeare conveys his views. Hamlet has indeed been brought up with medieval and religious certainties too.

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‘Or that the everlasting had not fix’d

 His canon ‘gainst self- slaughter.’

 A modern audience may very well see Hamlet as being rather tame- a twenty-first century rebel would not acknowledge proprieties such as the divine ban on suicide- but Hamlet seeks more than revenge. He is a melancholy individual, who searches for the answers to some of these questions; through the title statement, Shakespeare challenges his contemporary audience and the modern audience to question these certainties too.

Hamlet’s clear vision is in direct contrast to the other characters, in the sense that he is ...

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