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8/7/2019 Belief in Shakespeare
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BelievinginShakespeare/BelievinginGod
MichaelHa7away
NewYorkUniversityinLondon
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Arriving Conversaonswithmywife MyuniversityteachersinNZhadbeenraisedintheCambridgetradion(closereading,a7enontowordsonthepage)andIeventuallystudiedinCambridgemyself
RESEARCHShakespeareandtheFairiesfortheBA
DidShakespearebelieveinfairies?
RESEARCHBelievinginShakespeare Punningtle >Hamletsproblem:believingintheGhost
TEACHINGMystudentstellmetheyneedtobelieveincharactersorsituaons Whythendowereadfantasyliterature? Notdescribingourreaconsaccuratelyenough Wereadperformancesandthesereadingsaremodelsforwaysinwhichwereadothertexts,includingScriptures
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BelievingintheSupernaturalintheEarlyModernPeriod
Disnguishbeliefs(espoused?)fromdoctrines(taught?)? Someperiodsandfaithcommuniesmoredoctrinairethanothers Beliefsanddoctrineschangeaccordingtotheformsandpressuresoftheme Bothbeliefsanddoctrines,scripturalormorerecent,expressedinsigns
Imaginavetexts,images,plays,music,ritualsaswelltheologicaltexts Wedontjustseetheseoraremovedbythesebutwereadthem
Aretheseasser,onsoforreflec,onsuponbeliefsanddoctrine? Shouldwedisnguishwhatissignifiedfromthesignifiers?
DidShakespearebelieveinGhosts?
DoctrineofPurgatoryhadbeenabolishedbyReformers Ghosts(andfairies)couldbeheldtobedevils
HAMLET(toGhost)Angelsandministersofgracedefendus!
Bethouaspiritofhealthorgoblindamned?
Signscanbepossessedofalonguedure
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Bosch,VisionsoftheHereaer,ca1500
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LafeutoParolles,inAllsWellthatEndsWell
NotonlyPurgatorycondemnedbutmiracles InthisplayHelenacuresanailingkingbymagic
Theysaymiraclesarepast,andwehaveourphilosophicalpersonstomakemodernandfamiliarthingssupernaturalandcauseless.Henceisitthatwemaketriflesofterrors,ensconcingourselvesintoseemingknowledgewhenweshouldsubmit
ourselvestoanunknownfear(AWW,2.3.1-5) Shakespearehappytousemouldytales,notjusttoentertainbuttothinkandexplore,showhowpeopleinterprettheworldtothemselves
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DidHamletBelieve(in)theGhost?
WhattheGhostcommandedwasproblemacandpossiblywrong Shouldhehavebelievedhim?
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Evidence?
BARNARDO
Hownow,Horao?Youtrembleandlookpale.
Isnotthissomethingmorethanfantasy?
Whatthinkyouont?
HORATIO
BeforemyGod,Imightnotthisbelieve
Withoutthesensibleandtrueavouch
Ofmineowneyes.
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DoWeBelieveinHamlet?
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Dichotomies(1):ComprehendingvsApprehending
StudentsofShakespeareandmanyothertextshavebeenprogrammedtobelieveincharactersetc. Designerstrytocreateillusioniscscenery,editorstemptedtolocatescenes
Charactersarenotsimplysubstanalfullyroundedbeings,resemblingpeoplelikeus,tobeapprehended,orseen(inthemindseye)
Rathertheyarealsocomplexsignsrequiringtobecomprehended,orread
Theycomeintobeingthroughtheagencyofbothtextsandourminds Soisthereanunchangingentyforustobelievein?
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Dichotomies(2):BelievinginvsBelievingthat
Believingin Cognion,commitment TheApostlesCreed:IbelieveinGod,theFatherAlmighty TheNiceneCreed:WebelieveinoneGod,theFather,theAlmighty
Believingthat Lendingorgivingassenttoassenttoaverifiablestatement
Indicatesaproposionalatude IbelievethatInthebeginningwastheWord
MysurmiseisthatmanypeoplewhenrecingtheCreedmayconsidertheyareasserngtheexistenceofGodratherthan
expressingtheirtrustinHim
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Theseus vs Hippolyta (1)HIPPOLYTA'Tisstrange,myTheseus,thattheseloversspeakof.
THESEUS[cannotbelievein]Morestrangethantrue.InevermaybelieveTheseanquefables,northesefairytoys.Loversandmadmenhavesuchseethingbrains,Suchshapingfantasies,thatapprehendMorethancoolreasonevercomprehends.Thelunac,thelover,andthepoetAreofimaginaonallcompact.Oneseesmoredevilsthanvasthellcanhold:Thatisthemadman.Thelover,allasfranc,SeesHelen'sbeautyinabrowofEgypt.
Thepoet'seye,inafinefrenzyrolling,Dothglancefromheaventoearth,fromearthtoheaven,AndasimaginaonbodiesforthTheformsofthingsunknown,thepoet'spenTurnsthemtoshapes,andgivestoairynothing
Alocalhabitaonandaname.
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TheseusvsHippolyta(2)
SuchtrickshathstrongimaginaonThatifitwouldbutapprehendsomejoyItcomprehendssomebringerofthatjoy;Orinthenight,imaginingsomefear,Howeasyisabushsupposedabear!
HIPPOLYTA[believesthat]
Butallthestoryofthenighttoldover,Andalltheirmindstransfiguredsotogether,Morewitnesseththanfancy'simages,Andgrowstosomethingofgreatconstancy;
Buthowsoever,strangeandadmirable.
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Mark1:15:adpropinquavitregnumDei:paeniteminietcrediteevangelio
[trust(?)thegospel](Vulgate) thekingdomofGodisathand:repentye,andbelievethegospel
(KJBNewEnglishBible) thekingdomofGodhascomenear;repent,andbelieveinthegoodnews
(Bible:NewRevisedStandardVersion)
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S.T.Coleridge
Inthisideaoriginatedtheplanofthe'LyricalBallads';inwhichitwasagreedthatmyendeavoursshouldbedirectedtopersonsand
characterssupernatural,oratleastromanc,yetsoastotransferfromourinwardnatureahumaninterestandasemblanceoftruthsufficienttoprocurefortheseshadowsof
imaginaonthatwillingsuspensionofdisbeliefforthemoment,whichconstutespoecfaith.
(Emphasisadded)
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Dichotomies(3):ThinkingaboutvsThinkingwith
Thinkingabout/thinkingwith ParablesandaccountsofmiraclesFactsThegenealogiesinOTasrealityeffects,thereto
authencateotherpartsofthenarrave
PyrrhusinHamlet
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Neoptolemus(Pyrrhus)KillsPriam
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Reading PyrrhusHAMLET
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
With heraldry more dismal. Head to foot
Now is he total gules, horridly tricked
With blood of fathers, mothers, daughters, sons,
Baked and impasted with the parching streets,
That lend a tyrranous and damnd lightTo their vile murders. Roasted in wrath and fire,
And thus oer-sized with coagulate gore,
With eyes like carbuncles the hellish Pyrrhus
Old grandsire Priam seeks. (2.2.455-67)
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Playing PyrrhusFIRST PLAYER
Anon he finds him,
Striking too short at Greeks. His antique sword,Rebellious to his arm, lies where it falls,
Repugnant to command. Unequal match,
Pyrrhus at Priam drives, in rage strikes wide;
But with the whiff and wind of his fell sword
Th unnervd father falls. Then senseless Ilium,Seeming to feel his blow, with flaming top
Stoops to his base, and with a hideous crash
Takes prisoner Pyrrhus ear. For lo, his sword,
Which was declining on the milky head
Of reverend Priam, seemed i th air to stick.So, as a painted tyrant, Pyrrhus stood,
And, like a neutral to his will and matter,
Did nothing.
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ReligiousTextsandPoetry
TheBibleasLiterature Religioustextsas(mere)poemsPoetryoendenigratedPlato:thereisanoldquarrelbetweenphilosophy
andpoetry(Republic,60b5-6)
Nocategoricaldisnconbetweenpoetry(feelings,emoons,fantasies)andprose(ma7ersoffact)
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Heurisc(Invesgave)Wring Writersinpre-Romancrhetoricaltradions(includingBiblical
authors)startedfromtheinven:on(retrieval)oftopics
Shakespeareswringasmuchheurisc[exploratory]asexpressive
Figuresofspeech,etc.,notjustvehiclesbutinves,ga,vetoolsforthought
CHORUS[toHenryV]Oforamuseoffire,thatwouldascend
Thebrightestheavenofinven:on(Prologue.1-2)Theinven:onwastohaveasatyrlodgedinaliOlespinetwhoadvancedhisheadabovethetopofthewood
BenJonson,TheEntertainmentatAlthorp,1616
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BenJonsonsTributetoShakespeare
he
Whocaststowritealivingline,mustsweat,
andstrikethesecondheatUpontheMusesanvil;turnthesame
(Andhimselfwithit)thathethinkstoframe.
(emphasisadded)
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IdeasandTexts
ProblemaseideasintextsIdeasarenotthings
Becomeself-consciouswhenyouusemetaphorssuchasunderlying,orpreposionssuchasbehindorbeneath
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ArchbishopRowan
IhaveassumedthatDostoyevskyisnotpresenngtousasetofinconclusiveargumentsabouttheexistenceofGod,for
andagainst,butaficonalpictureofwhatfaithandthelackofitwouldlooklikeinthepolicalandsocialworldofhisday.
RowanWilliams,Dostoevsky:Language FaithandFic,on,(London,Connuum, 2008),p.4.
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Conclusions
Ohwhatatextualisedworld! DegasvsMallarm: DEGAS:Whatabusiness!Mywholedaygoneona
blastedsonnet,withoutgenganinchfurther...andit
isntideasImshortof...Imfullofthem,Ivegottoomany...
MALLARM:ButDegas,youcantmakeapoemwithideasyoumakeitwithwords!
PaulValry,DegasManetMorisot,trans.David Paul(PrincetonN.J.:PrincetonUniversityPress, 1989),p.62