Commenting upon Shakespeare today scholars are giving him their own Philistine prudishness and silliness. Feelings are driving to ultimate black holes and shit; the Tragedian does know it and let the virtue on one side. "Measure for measure" is about how believing in virtue and power, under the Devil's sun (see Lucio's wink), is a tragedy -not a comedy- for little kids.
How can scholars forget Hamlet's telling to Ophelia to go to the nunnery? How can they forget what happen to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who are themselves scholars? Fiction is good for the Physiologist or the Christian gasteropod (French R. Girard explaining -what a scoop!- that 'Hamlet' is not about revenge).
It is thus useless to blame Shakespeare for his lack of psychology as some patriotic poet or hired scholar did. For stupid German S. Freud, Hamlet is Oedipus although Claudius is obviously the Tyrant whose power is based on incest as politics in general (says Oedipus' fable). German philosophy is able to condemn everybody to death penalty except the body of law that has nobody: what proves Freud one more time.
How do we have to understand Shakespeare when Shylock is ruling? That is the question.
"Phoenix and Turtle", part of "Loues Martyr" (1601) was translated in French by F.-V. Hugo (son of famous poet) who does not underline the aristotelician physics -or ontology- enough, that the author does apply to the Revelation, especially in the "anthem" part, second one.
But I chose to present last part first before because of its simplicity. Due to the Baroque cancer where we are now in its last phasis, central part of Shakespeare's praise song is more difficult. Thinking out of time is what Baroque cancer prevent. Sole play of time as a murderer along Shakespeare's theater is enough to recognize a christian materialist thinking. Shakespeare is seeing theocracy that was coming as the effect of Lucifer's power in the history, beyond Hercule's columns.
Christian free-mason J. de Maistre was right when he saw Shakespeare and Francis Bacon as ennemies of his turkish idea of christianism, satanic fantasy of a coming back of Louis XIVth bloody kingdom. Maistre is maybe wiser here than Voltaire who did not love Bacon enough and neglected him to much for stupid mathematics of I. Newton.
It is not scientific to ask wether if Shakespeare is catholic or not. For sure on one point he does think as Dante Alighieri or Luther that the marriage of the Church (Gertrude) with civil power (Claudius) is the worst thing. But both English Church and the Catholic one were representing this betraying at this time. It is thus wiser to see a link between Queen Elisabeth and King Claudius than between Queen Elisabeth and Queen Gertrude. Therefore Shakespeare is more 'trinitarian' than recent roman popes themselves are.
LAST PART III:
THRENOS
"BEAUTY, truth, and rarity,
Grace in all simplicity,
Here enclosed in cinders lie.
Death is now the phoenix' nest;
And the turtle's loyal breast
To eternity doth rest,
Leaving no posterity:
'Twas not their infirmity,
It was married chastity.
Truth may seem, but cannot be;
Beauty brag, but 'tis not she;
Truth and beauty buried be.
To this urn let those repair
That are either true or fair;
For these dead birds sigh a prayer."
Glory for the Phoenix, salvation for the Turtle, symbol of christian sionism and holly spirit, can we sum up here. See what glorious warriors of Troy are for Shakespeare ('Troilus and Cressidea': just dummies.)
TO BE CONTINUED
