To Thine Own Self Be True

All his life the Novice has delved into literature — not only to see what an author is attempting to say, but also to reveal what the words stir within himself. This is the beauty and artistry of word-craft: the ability to express the human condition through symbol, through plot, through character. The Master, William Shakespeare, crafted these elements into the tale of Hamlet most well: the symbol of a deposed queen, a poisonous plot, an oblivious character who has the power to change all. It is left to the Novice to explore these components, to discover what treasures may be hidden within. Thus, the Player comes to the Novice's aid, for the Player is the key to unlocking the deeper meanings of Hamlet.

The Player! The Player has come to Elsinore castle with his troupe. There, they are well met by Hamlet who requests a taste of the troupe's quality — a passionate speech as it were (2.2, 431-32). The Player is pleased when Hamlet vocalizes Aeneas' tale to Dido. The summary of Priam's death from Virgil's Aeneid does well to mask Denmark's plight. As the Player comes to Hecuba, emotion breaks; tears flow; the tongue wavers. Who can see the plight of Hecuba? Who will lend aid? Who will protect her and restore her to her former glory? For Hecuba! What is Hecuba to the Player or the Player to Hecuba that he should weep for her (2.2, 558-60)? The Master knew. Oh, he crafted his words most cunning when he chose to symbolize the state of Denmark as Hecuba stumbling through the blazing ruins of Troy. Why should the Player not weep? He can see the misery of his beloved country while a carousing drunkard usurps the throne. What has brought noble Denmark to this? Alas! How the happy nation of Denmark has fallen to chaos and sadness since the death, nay, the murder of King Hamlet. The poison that flowed into King Hamlet's ear did not stop there. Swift as quicksilver it coursed through his body and seemingly burst forth from it, drenching all of Elsinore, the heart of Denmark, with a vile concoction of sins (1.5, 67-68). With the heart poisoned, corruption spreads like a weed: bitter roots sinking deep, twisting, curling, cracking the very foundation of the nation. The people are afraid; they know not what is to be done. They ignore the poison, the corruption. They put on painted faces and make merriment. Soon, no one can be trusted and appearance and reality are at odds with one another. Was there not a one who could have swayed the plot from its inevitable path? Was there not a one with the power to say “Enough!” and put an end to the madness?

Dear Hamlet listens to the Player in awe — the wheels within wheels within his mind turn the plot towards a plan with which he may catch the King and, by avenging his father, avenge Denmark. Polonius feigns incomprehension and boredom, but he knows, oh yes, he knows! Surely he knows how far the Danes have fallen? Surely he knows this is why Young Fortinbras seeks the crown of Denmark? As for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, fah! They care nothing for the kingdom herself! See? They work for the very one who overthrew Denmark's glory! None of these who witness the Player weep for Hecuba had the power to change tragedy to triumph. Such a one didst live in the castle and not an act did she perform and not a word did she speak, merely a painted face did she display. Had the Player given utterance of Hecuba in her hearing, she surely would have clamped her hands over her ears and run in terror to her bedchamber! How could he see to the very depths of her soul? The Novice doubts Queen Gertrude e're rested easy in her grave.

As queen, Gertrude very likely held the throne of Denmark after the passing of King Hamlet, but she chooses to ignore the responsibility of office; she becomes more concerned with the drama surrounding her household than with the current state of the kingdom. Gertrude has the power to change her circumstance; the power to raise Hecuba out of poverty into prosperity; the power to be the formerly exalted Hecuba. Instead, she chooses to become the stricken and forsaken Hecuba: her king dead, her city burning and crumbling around her, her crown missing, her robes dishevelled. Dear Queen Gertrude, supposedly blind, deaf and dumb to all that went on around her. Only in her private chambers do we catch a glimpse of acknowledgement, for at all other times she assumes ignorance and bliss. How well she knows the truth yet does nothing to change her situation. Look here, the Queen did poorly when she chose to marry Claudius. She traded strength, courage and nobility for a drunken fool! King and country are inseparable: the country will always take on the attributes of its king. Thus Denmark flourished under King Hamlet and lamented under King Claudius. Hamlet begs Gertrude to first look upon a likeness of King Hamlet and secondly a likeness of King Claudius, but she refuses to make the comparison of what was to what is. If King Hamlet symbolizes Denmark's former glory, is it any wonder that Gertrude is willingly blind to his ghost when even a lowly guardsmen can see it? She knows full well the truth of the matter, but pretends the problem does not exist. Hamlet — her own son! — is forced to play Jiminy Cricket to Gertrude's Pinocchio and, just like the wooden puppet, she refuses to listen to her conscience:

Oh, Hamlet, speak no more!
Thou turn'st mine eyes into my very soul,
And there I see such black and grainèd spots
As will not leave their tinct . . .
Oh, speak to me no more!
These words like daggers enter my ears.
No more, sweet Hamlet (3.4, 90-93, 97-99)!

Gertrude turns a deaf ear to her son's words time and time again. Her inaction drives Hamlet to melancholy and madness and murder. Her inaction is ultimately responsible for the fate of the castle's inhabitants. With Denmark poised on shaky ground, the lady has only romance on her mind: for shame, for shame.

Death. The Master crafts the plot to frightening ends. The heart bursts, blood paints Elsinore's halls. Fortinbras, come to rescue wretched Denmark, sits upon the throne. The poison has run its course, the corruption has been weeded out, the schemers and plotters — reluctant Queen Gertrude included — are in their graves. Glorious Denmark shall rise again like the Phoenix from the ashes. Hecuba is restored: the crown replaced upon her noble brow, the royal robes envelop her graceful form again and yet, so much loss, so much inaction, so much tragedy to arrive to this point! Will humanity never learn?

The symbol of Hecuba; the plot of poison, corruption, false appearance, death; the character of Queen Gertrude. As Hecuba is to Denmark, so Denmark is to Gertrude, so Gertrude is to Hecuba. The Master's crafting is complete and certainly he knew precisely what he was intimating. Did he not also write, “All the world's a stage,/ And all the men and women merely players” (2.7, 142-43)?

Like Hecuba, humans may fall from grace and fortune and may be restored to former or improved status.

Like Denmark, humans may suffer from literal or figurative poison in body, mind and soul; they may be corrupted; they may put on false faces and masks and pretend to be what they are not; they may meet untimely and tragic deaths.

Like Queen Gertrude, humans may completely ignore what is going on around them even if they have the power to change everything around them.

The experience of being human and living human lives is the human condition and the Master knew it well. He crafted his tale exquisitely, leaving a legacy for all of humanity to unravel. The Novice can only hope to summarize the lessons of Hamlet adequately and would have the Player speak them thus:

Live well. Be well.
May the kingdom of thy heart not be poisoned,
Nor corrupted, nor fall to ruin,
Nor be overtaken by an enemy.
May a fool not sit upon its throne,
May ye not wear false masks,
That cover the truth from thyself or others.
May Death not visit until ye are old and grey,
With many well-lived years behind,
And this above all: to thine own self be true (1.3, 78)!

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. “Hamlet”. Living Literature. Ed. John C. Brereton.
New York, NY: Pearson Education, 2008. 1443-1554. Print.

Shakespeare, William. “As You Like It”. The Play's the Thing. Ed. John Bosak.
N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2010
http://www.eamesharlan.org/tptt/as_you27.html


(c)2010 - R. Mark Stratton