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John Dover Wilson puzzles over Hamlet, Act 3, where Claudius is apparently unaffected by the dumb show that re-enacts his murder of Hamlet, Sr. Dover Wilson concludes that Claudius must have been distracted during the dumb show, and missed it. Dramatically, that may work. Thematically, the inefficacy of the dumb show prepares for the efficacy of the spoken speeches that follow.
In the Elizabethan world: Dumb show = late medieval Mass, performed as a spectacle with mumble-jumbled Latin. Speeches = Protestant preaching. And the latter catches the conscience of a king.
Ergo, Shakespeare was a Protestant.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Saturday, February 04, 2006 at 04:21 PM
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