Shakespeare and abortion
William Shakespeare's masterpiece play Hamlet contains implied references to an attempted abortion by taking abortifacients and the subsequently tragic fate of both the mother (Ophelia) and father (Hamlet). Multiple lines in the play are unmistakable in suggesting this,[1] yet liberals never mention this while teaching about Hamlet in public school.
Shakespeare's portrayal of the wealthy, privileged Ophelia and Hamlet as borderline crazy and suicidal may reflect his disapproval of abortion, and his belief that fate is not kind to those who embrace unapologetically that path and outlook. Shakespeare himself was a devout Christian.
Feminists generally identify with Ophelia as being a victim of men, and if she attempted an abortion then that would be lockstep with feminist ideology. But the unnecessarily tragic outcome awaiting Ophelia after making her immoral choices is something feminists tend to be in denial about.
25 comments
Never heard of this before. Not in two years of studying the play, no. Though Andy would no doubt say that that was because I was at a 'public school' (state funded 6th form college).
Here is the article he cites, for anybody who doesn't want to increase Crapedia's web traffic: http://craftyscreenwriting.com/ophelia.html
It's an interesting interpretation but as with everything Andy has to draw a 'liberals are bad conservatives are good' analogy, which suggests that living or working with him must be very tiresome.
Alos, WTFd.
@Pharaoh Bastethotep
This is genius!
So...my degree is in Literature, and I haven't heard the abortion idea before.
Pregnant, yes, and suicidal because of what she goes through, but not the abortion part. The herbs she gathers could be used that way, but they have a lot of other, far more common uses.
Also...abortion means you deserve to go crazy and die? Don't know what I expect, but this is why you're a shitbag
Hey Andy, the bible talks about abortion, how to do it, and when it's appropriate. You should look into it sometime.
Multiple lines in the play are unmistakable in suggesting this,[1] yet liberals never mention this while teaching about Hamlet in public school.
Shakespeare's portrayal of the wealthy, privileged Ophelia and Hamlet as borderline crazy and suicidal may reflect his disapproval of abortion, and his belief that fate is not kind to those who embrace unapologetically that path and outlook. Shakespeare himself was a devout Christian.
I never read abortion into Hamlet and I studied it at a Christian uni. I do know abortion is metioned in the Bible, however, in the vague discussion about the curse of bitter water or even more famously in the passage about a woman being struck so that 'her fruit depart'; if nothing else happens, the responsible party has to pay the husband what he demands (which is a little much if premature birth were the intended interpretation). If the woman dies, the responsible party faces the same fate (Exodus 21:.22-23).
Andy, you've already failed as a commentator on life. (I know, not all your fault, you were not raised in a thinking family.) But what in triple-decker bacon burgers makes you think you have any skills in critiquing English literature?
Crazy liberals don't mention it because, maybe, it's not really there. That stuff in your hands is called straw, Andy.
You have not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon
-Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner), "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country"
The KJV has also been translated into Klingon.
It's said that existing works translated into Klingon gains something in the translation.
Perhaps a certain 'version' of the Bible could do with the same treatment Andy Schaftafly, you petaQ !
@Thinking Allowed
"Hey Andy, the bible talks about abortion, how to do it, and when it's appropriate. You should look into it sometime."
It does? That's news to me. You wouldn't have a reference would you?
We could apply this one to Schlafly:
Madam, I swear I use no art at all.
Hamlet Act II, Scene 2
To paraphrase a line from a different famous Shakespeare play:
Schlafly is a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: Conservapedia is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Hamlet contains implied references to an attempted abortion
...and Lady Macbeth was referring to her dog when she says 'Out, damned Spot! Out, I say!' .
Oh, and don't forget Andy: Hamlet was one of the earliest forms of product placement: for [I]cigars[/I].
@ Thinking AllowedHey Andy, the bible talks about abortion, how to do it, and when it's appropriate. You should look into it sometime.
Better if Phyllis had looked into it. Better yet, Phyllis' mom.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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