Hamlet's Choice

I thought this group might be interested to know that there is strong evidence Shakespeare was a Calvinist and wove Calvinism throughout his plays.

For instance in her book, Hamlet’s Choice, Linda Hoff intricately attempts to prove that the entire play of Hamlet is an allegory of the Reformation. Shakespeare “want[ed] to alter the old Hamlet material to allegorize Revelation and the dawn of the Reformation…Informed by the Reformation, the book that was interpreted as being a history of the Christian Church, Hamlet, is not only Shakespeare’s ode to the turn of the century, but also an allegory of the advent of the Reformation itself.” Consistent with this statement, Hoff goes on to say that “Hamlet’s choice in the play was Calvinism.”

Aaaah, I knew there must have been a reason why that is one of my fav's of Shakespeare's plays.

Are you Hoff?

JJB said:

Aaaah, I knew there must have been a reason why that is one of my fav's of Shakespeare's plays.

Are you Hoff?

Click to expand...

No, but I strongly recommend her book....you will u/s scenes in the play much more than you ever thought possible.

JJB said:

Aaaah, I knew there must have been a reason why that is one of my fav's of Shakespeare's plays.

Are you Hoff?

Click to expand...

Ahahaha. I knew Jules would love this topic!

Soli Deo Gloria

Jon

HamletsChoice said:

No, but I strongly recommend her book....you will u/s scenes in the play much more than you ever thought possible.

Click to expand...

It does sound like a very interesting read. The part I can't see is the connection with Revelation. Sounds like it would worth the time invested to give it a read.

Thanks for pointing it out, HamletsChoice!

oops -- dbl post.

JJB said:

It does sound like a very interesting read. The part I can't see is the connection with Revelation. Sounds like it would worth the time invested to give it a read.

Thanks for pointing it out, HamletsChoice!

Click to expand...

The only problem is her book is selling for as much as $200 used. I just noticed a used edition for around $30 on-line but you better hurry...that won't last long. Hoff is a scholar and former editor to a Shakespeare Journal and definitely not a Calvinist (she say's so in her book), but she say's the evidence is overwhelming, which once you read her book I think you will agree.

Here's a small taste and by the way it's an extract from a paper my son did on this subject for his IB Degree in H.S. (with his parents help of course....) so it is very summerized and written at a high school level. I'll be glad to send the whole paper to you if you like because there is much more on Hamlet of course as well as Macbeth and other plays, just let me know:

"In her book, Hamlet’s Choice, Linda Hoff intricately attempts to prove that the entire play of Hamlet is an allegory of the Reformation. Shakespeare “want[ed] to alter the old Hamlet material to allegorize Revelation and the dawn of the Reformation…Informed by the Reformation, the book that was interpreted as being a history of the Christian Church, Hamlet, is not only Shakespeare’s ode to the turn of the century, but also an allegory of the advent of the Reformation itself.” Consistent with this statement, Hoff goes on to say that “Hamlet’s choice in the play was Calvinism.” (Hoff, 336-339).

One of the many volumes of evidence Hoff provides that Hamlet is an allegory to the Reformation is that many of the major characters in Hamlet represent larger Biblical themes or ideas relating to the Reformation in a positive light and Roman Catholicism in a dark and sinister light. For instance, she suggests that Claudius represents the “Beast of Revelation.” “Hamlet lauds his father (Hyperion-sun god and Jove), but refers to Claudius as a beast (Satyr-lascivious beast, Adulterate Beast…)” (Hoff, 109):

Hamlet – Act 1. Scene 2: 140-141



wo: so excellent a king (Old Hamlet); that was, to this, hyperion to a satyr (Claudius); so loving to my mother (Durband, 42)



Hamlet – Act 3. Scene 4: 62-63



see, what a grace was seated on this brow (Old Hamlet); hyperion’s curls; the front of jove himself; (Durband, 194)



Hamlet – Act 1. Scene 5: 47



uncle! Ghost ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast (Claudius), with witchcraft of his wit, (Durband, 72)



Hoff is suggesting that the references to Claudius as a beast are also references to Claudius as the Beast of Revelation. Revelation 11:7 says “And when they have finished their testimonie, the beast that commeth out of the bottomlesse pit shall make warre against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.” (Sheppard, 129)

“The name Claudius may have been an allusion to the Roman emperor of that name who married his niece, the mother of Nero, to whom Emperor Claudius was therefore an uncle-stepfather as the new king, Claudius is to prince Hamlet.” In the play Hamlet even identifies with Nero saying he didn’t want to be like him (Hoff, 114).

Hamlet – Act 3. Scene 2: 375-377



O heart, lose not thy nature. Let not ever

The soul of Nero enter this firm bosom:

Let me be cruel, not unnatural. (Durband, 180)



The use of the name of a Roman Emperor was to link Rome with Hamlet’s new stepfather Claudius. Denmark is even compared to Rome in the play (Hoff, 114):

Hamlet – Act 1. Scene 1; 125-139



Horatio:

A mote it is to trouble the mind’s eye.
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
Upon whose influence Neptune’s empire stands
Was sick almost to doomsday with eclipse:
And even the like precurse of fierce events,
As harbingers preceding still the fates
And prologue to the omen coming on,
Have heaven and earth together demonstrated
Unto our climatures and countrymen.--
But soft, behold! Lo, where it comes again!

(Durband, 28-30)



Horatio’s comments not only compare Denmark to Rome but also speak of the Revelation omens of stars falling, the moon turning to blood and the sun darkening. The reference to these omens suggests therefore that doomsday is eminent for Denmark (Rome). (Hoff, 245). The wording given to Horatio by Shakespeare comes from the book of Revelations 6;12-13 in the Geneva Bible: “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seale, and, loe, there was a great earthquake; and the Sunne was as blacke as sackecloth of haire, and the Moone was like blood. And the starress of heaven fell unto the earth, as a figge tree casteth her greene figgess, when it is shaken of a mightie winde.” (Sheppard, 127)

Shakespeare’s Protestant Calvinist audience would have associated the plays portrayal of Claudius as a Beast and a Roman and his city as Rome with their common interpretation of Revelation that the Beast of Revelation was the pope of the Roman Catholic Church and the anti-Christ. The Geneva Bible notes refer to the Beast as the Roman Empire which became the Holy Roman Empire with the pope as ruler (Sheppard, 129). Hoff indicates that this interpretation was common in Protestant England at the time of the play’s performance and would have been readily understood and interpreted as such by Shakespeare’s audiences (Hoff, 115).

HamletsChoice said:

I thought this group might be interested to know that there is strong evidence Shakespeare was a Calvinist and wove Calvinism throughout his plays.

For instance in her book, Hamlet’s Choice, Linda Hoff intricately attempts to prove that the entire play of Hamlet is an allegory of the Reformation. Shakespeare “want[ed] to alter the old Hamlet material to allegorize Revelation and the dawn of the Reformation…Informed by the Reformation, the book that was interpreted as being a history of the Christian Church, Hamlet, is not only Shakespeare’s ode to the turn of the century, but also an allegory of the advent of the Reformation itself.” Consistent with this statement, Hoff goes on to say that “Hamlet’s choice in the play was Calvinism.”

Click to expand...

Forgive me if I remain skeptical that Hamlet is an allegory of the Reformation, although I will agree that one cannot understand Hamlet very well without understanding the Reformation. However, I will suspend judgment until I get the opportunity to read the book (it does sound fascinating).

More importantly, where does Hoff stand on the Stratford-Oxford authorship controversy?

Very interesting. I remember Hamlet had been studying in Wittenberg (the place where the Reformation begins) and Laertes is studying in Paris (then an intellectual strong of Roman Catholicism).

I see how it can be linked to the Reformation here, but I don't see a link to Calvinism.

I would love to read the book though.

In Christ,
Kenith

Cajun Huguenot said:

Very interesting. I remember Hamlet had been studying in Wittenberg (the place where the Reformation begins) and Laertes is studying in Paris (then an intellectual strong of Roman Catholicism).

I see how it can be linked to the Reformation here, but I don't see a link to Calvinism.

I would love to read the book though.

In Christ,
Kenith

Click to expand...

Yeah....really gotta read the entire book...but here is another taste...

Another character that is a representation of a Biblical theme in the reformational allegory of Hamlet is Gertrude. Hoff interprets Hamlet’s mother and the new wife of Claudius, as both the true Church, when she was married to Old Hamlet, in Revelation 12 and the harlot of Babylon in Revelation 17, the adulteress Roman Catholic Church now that she is married to Claudius. Hamlet even claims his mother has been “whored” by someone he calls a beast (Hoff, 115-118):

Hamlet – Act 5. Scene 2: 70

he that hath kill’d my king and whored my mother (Durband, 284)


The harlot of Babylon is referred to in Revelation 17 verses 3-5 as follows:

“So he carried me away into the wilderness in the spirit, and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemie, which had seven heads and ten hornes. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and gilded with gold and precious stones, and pearles, and had a cup of gold in her hand full of abomination, and filthinesse of her fornication. And in her forehead was a name written, a mystery, that Great Babylon on that mother of whoredomes, and abominations of the Earth.” The Geneva Bible marginal notes to these verses indicate that this harlot is the Roman Catholic Church. (Sheppard, 133)

To the Calvinists and Anglicans of Protestant England during Shakespeare’s day, the pope and Roman Catholic Church were the real church turned into a harlot similar to Gertrude. (Hoff, 115-116). This whoring of the true church, which the scriptures in Galatians 4:26 refer to as “the mother of us all” (Sheppard 95), by the Beast (pope and Roman Catholic Church) is the “something rotten in Denmark” that Marecellus refers to in his most famous and remembered line (Hoff, 117-119).

Hoff concludes her interpretation of Hamlet by pointing out that Hamlet chooses Fortinbras in Act 5 Scene 2 as his successor. After fighting Roman Catholic Poland, Fortinbras returns as the new king, accompanied by Protestant English Ambassadors. Fortinbras, representing Protestant Sweden aligned with Protestant England, all of whom were Calvinists, will lead Denmark back to the true faith they had under Old Hamlet. Therefore, Hamlet’s choice was Calvinism for his Denmark. (Hoff, 334-337)

At Amazon:
Hamlet's Choice: Hamlet, a Reformation Allegory (Studies in Renaissance Literature, Vol 2) (Hardcover)
by Linda Kay Hoff

td.productLabel table.product List Price:$119.95Price:$119.95 and this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. See details
Availability: This title usually ships within 2 to 4 weeks. Please note that special order titles occasionally go out of print, or publishers run out of stock. These hard-to-find titles are not discounted and are subject to an additional charge of $1.99 per book due to the extra cost of ordering them. We will notify you within 2-3 weeks if we have trouble obtaining this title. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
6 used & new available from $101.95

From the publisher:


Hamlet's Choice Hamlet - A Reformation Allegory
Hoff, Linda Kay

Description



Basing her conclusions on research into apocalyptic and Mariological imagery in Hamlet, Hoff offers a comprehensive solution to Hamlet's perennial problems. "an extraordinary book . .. unlike any other before . . ..Thoroughly documented and up-to-date.. . . Make no mistake about it: this is an arduously researched book with extremely close reasoning. A short review simply cannot do it justice." _Hamlet Studies

Reviews

". . . an outstanding example of new historicism at work . . . ." _ South Carolina Review ". . . an honest and even in some ways a rather endearing piece of work. [The author] has accumulated a formidable amount of information . . . she gets a great deal out of what others have passed over. . . . There is a certain fascination in reading Hamlet's Choice, so much arcane information is gathered in from so many obscure works and dusty corners and set out with such admirable clarity." _ Notes and Queries

"[T]here is much worth in this study: that Shakespeare was conscious of the religious debates of his day, that Hamlet has an undeniably religious vigor to it _ these points are well taken . . . . for academic libraries that desire the most complete collection of Hamlet materials." _ Choice ". . . copiously underpinned by theological and historical research (helpfully kept accessible through the extensive name and subject Index. . ." _Shakespeare - Jahrbuch

". . . includes a trenchant examination of the textual history and reception of various biblical translations, exhaustive word comparisons, and etymological glosses. . . . Hoff's book is successful in forwarding the notion that standard readings of Hamlet may have missed the mark. Its strength rests in its successful advancement, through rigorous historical analysis, of the idea that the play could be contained by a previously overlooked theological superstructure. This is at once disturbing and fascinating." _ South Atlantic Review

ISBN: 0-88946-145-7 Pages: 380 Year: 1989

Series: Studies in Renaissance Literature Number: 2

Subject Area: Shakespeare

Imprint: Edwin Mellen Press

USA List Price: $119.95 UK List Price: £ 74.95

Discounts: Discounts are available. Please Register, or if you have already registered, Sign In, to view your personalized prices.

Paleoconservatarian said:

Forgive me if I remain skeptical that Hamlet is an allegory of the Reformation, although I will agree that one cannot understand Hamlet very well without understanding the Reformation. However, I will suspend judgment until I get the opportunity to read the book (it does sound fascinating).

More importantly, where does Hoff stand on the Stratford-Oxford authorship controversy?

Click to expand...

I'm telling you, ya gotta read this book. I love to read, I have hundreds of books and besides the bible Hamlet's Choice is the most interesting well researched book I have ever read. I absolutely love Shakespeare now, my eyes have been opened!! By the way, interesting enough Hoff isn't the only scholar holding this position, Garry Willis in Witches & Jesuits: Shakespeare’s Macbeth holds this same position.

Hoff doesn't bring up de Vere vs Shakespeare but rather assumes Shakespeare is the author. Of course you know if de Vere is the real author of Hamlet that Hoff's position is all the more credible given the Calvinistic heritage of de Vere (Arthur Golding and all....)!

The book looks great. I wish I could afford it. Have you read Peter Leithart's Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays ? I bought it for my daughter a while back, but I have not yet read it.

Kenith

Cajun Huguenot said:

At Amazon:
List Price:$119.95Price:$119.95 and this item ships for FREE with Super Saver

Click to expand...

Rather try Abebooks.com for $30 or Half.com for $50

Cajun Huguenot said:

The book looks great. I wish I could afford it. Have you read Peter Leithart's Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays ? I bought it for my daughter a while back, but I have not yet read it.

Click to expand...

I hate to say this but that book is very shallow, poorly researched with far reaching conclusions that, quite frankly, is embarrassing to read. It pales in comparison to Hamlet's Choice. When I bought it I was like you, I had high hopes...only to see them dashed to the ground!

HamletsChoice said:

I hate to say this but that book is very shallow, poorly researched with far reaching conclusions that, quite frankly, is embarrassing to read. It pales in comparison to Hamlet's Choice. When I bought it I was like you, I had high hopes...only to see them dashed to the ground!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the information. It is good to know these things. I thought it looked interesting and got it for my daughter. I will have to find' hoff's book at a reasonable price.

Thanks again.
Kenith

Cajun Huguenot said:

Thanks for the information. It is good to know these things. I thought it looked interesting and got it for my daughter. I will have to find' hoff's book at a reasonable price.

Thanks again.
Kenith

Click to expand...

Did you see my post where you can get it for $30 from Abebooks.com?

i checked our library, but of course it is not to be found there! I saw the price on Amazon and was

HamletsChoice,

have you ever read The Elizabethan World Picture by E.M.W. Tillyard? It was one of the first books I read that made Shakespeare come alive for me. I just happened on it in an used bookstore many, many years ago. It's subtitle: A study of the idea of order in the age of Shakespeare, Donne and Milton