Closely Examines Shakespeare's Use of Classical
Allusions to Violent Death in Hamlet
by Lillian Bonar
Essay: Closely Examines Shakespeare's Use of Classical Allusions to Violent Death in Hamlet
Pages: 11
Rating: 3 stars
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One of the most striking classical references in Hamlet is to the fall of Troy and the death of its king, Priam. Hamlet
wishes the player to recite a speech he .".cheifly loved..." and recites the first thirteen lines for him. Within the first
five lines of this speech the audience is bombarded with images of darkness,
."..sable...black...night...ominous...dread...black...dismal..." . Hamlet describes .".Hellish Pyrrhus..." raging through
Troy looking for the King. Pyrrhus is a symbol of brutal revenge. He has become a by word for gratuitous violence
and savage vengeance.
The story of the Fall of Troy is famously told in Book II of Virgil's Aeneid. Hamlet, however, is not quoting from
Virgil. He claims to quote from a play that was only ever acted once, if at all, and was received unfavourably by the
public, .".pleased not the million.." . Thus Shakespeare is able to retell the story in his own way and still make the
player's recognition of the speech plausible. The ferocity of the speech may be seen as a parody of the traditional
epic style. As well as the focus upon dark imagery Hamlet talks of ."..coagulate gore...roasted in wrath and fire.." .
the image of the old king being blown over by the breeze caused by Pyrrhus wafting his sword around is almost
comical. In The Aeneid one feels the pathos generated by an old man watching his son die before him.
Shakespeare focuses upon the violence of the event, Pyrrhus' relentless search for vengeance. This speech is in Act
II of the five act play. So from early on the audience can sense Hamlet's disturbed mind and perhaps a growing
obsession for vengeance and violent death.
F.S Boas, in his 1943 Annual Shakespeare lecture, claimed Book II of the Aeneid .".gives no author...