Hamlet's Polonius: A Comic Parody

www.darkladyplayers.com

POLONIUSTHEDIVINEPIGINHAMLETIntheoriginalstory,Amleth(Hamlet)discoversaspyhidinginapileofstraw,andthrustsaswordintothestrawandthroughtheman’sbody.Heafterwardsdragsoutthebody,killsthemanandcutshisbodyintosmallpieces.Amlethboilstheseinwaterandthrowstheminthepigstytobedevouredbypigs.HethenissenttoEnglandwhereherefusestoeattheporkbecausehesaysthatthemeattastesofcorpses.TheKing’sstewardthenconfessesthatthepigshadescapedandeatenthecorpseofadeadrobber.Intheplay,PoloniusisspyingonHamlet(andonothers),andhasconcealedhimselfinGertrude’schamber.ThisiswhereGertrudeandClaudiushavesexandisdescribedasfollows:

IntherankcorruptionofanenseamedbedStewedincorruptionhoneyingandmakinglove

Overthenastysty(3,4,92‐4)

Hamletthenspotsamovementbehindthearras,stabshisswordthroughthecurtaintokillPolonius.Afterwardshesayshewill“lugthegutsintotheneighboringroom”(3,4,214)andlateroddlygoesto“drawapart”orcutup(4,1,24)thecorpse.ThequestioniswhydoestheauthorgiveHamletthisstrangephraseoflugginghis“guts”,whystrangelyisthebedroomovera“sty”andwhyinsteadofthestrawisPoloniusconcealedbehindthearras?Andforthatmatterwhat,ifanything,doesthishavetodowithhisnamePolonius?ElizabethWatsoninausefularticle‘OldKing,NewKing,EclipsedSonandAbandonedAltarsinHamlet’(2004)notesthatthewordarras,forakindoftextilemadeinthattownandusedforwallhangings,canbeseenasapun

www.darkladyplayers.com

onaratheLatinwordforaltar,especiallysinceitisoftenexpressedwithaprepositionadarasmeaningtothealtar.Shefurthernotes(onpage489)thatarawassometimesusedasapunontheLatinharameaningpigsty.ItwasforinstanceusedinthiswayinBabio,amedievalcomedyinLatinverse.Sothereasonswhytheauthorintroducesthearrasarecomplex.Firstlyitcreatestheassociationofasacreddeathonanaltarandassociatesthatwithastabbingthroughacurtain.ThissacredassociationmakessenseiftheauthorisparodyingTitusCaesarstabbingthroughthecurtainoftheTempleandthinkinghehaskilledtheHebrewGodasdescribedintheTalmud.ItalsomakessenseofPolonius’allegoricalidentityasGodtheFather(whichcanbeinferredseparatelysinceheisthefatherbothofLaerteswhoisclearlyidentifiedasaChristfigureandofOpheliawhoisclearlyidentifiedasboththeVirginMaryandtheWomanCrownedwiththeSunfromRevelation).SoononehandtheplaywrightisgivingusacomicparodyofthekillingoftheChristianGodonanaltar/behindacurtain.Secondlyhowever,becausePoloniusiskilledpunninglyinthehara,heiskilledinthepigsty,whichexplainswhyGertrude’schamberisabovea“nastysty”.Maybeitalsoexplainshisnameandthose“guts”.PoloniusisapunonpolonyapopularseventeenthcenturyporksausagethoughttocomefromPoland,andgutsarewhatsausagesaremadefrom.SoHamletiskillingPoloniusasapigandtakinghisgutsforsausages.Overlaidwiththepreviousallegory,thentheauthorishintingthattheChristianGodisaswine.Finallytheauthoronlyhintsatthepigreferences,buthassubstitutedforthemtheDietofWorms.ThisConvocationin1521wasindeedwhethertheChristianGodwasinasensecutup,andwaseatendifferentlybyLutherfromtheCatholicclerics.ThissubstitutionhelpsconfirmthatPoloniusisindeedahereticalcomicallegoryfortheGodwhoiseatenintheMass,andwhoisbeingparodiedbybeingturnedintoanimplicitstringofunkoshersausages.Ormaybejustham.JohnHudsonisagraduateoftheShakespeareInstituteattheUniversityofBirmingham,andisFounderoftheNewYorkShakespeareensemble,theDarkLadyPlayers,whoarecurrentlyworkingonanallegoricalproductioncalledHamlet’sApocalypseforthefall2010.