Shakespeare´s "Hamlet" in Indian Value System

Academic Paper , 2021 , 10 Pages , Grade: 12

English Language and Literature Studies - Comparative Literature

As a writer of the millennium, Shakespeare stands alone, as the most influential and read, most eluded and loved, most copied and screened, most criticised and acclaimed, most novel and unique. Shakespeare sees great and small, righteous and unrighteous, pleasant and unpleasant, in equality. He analyses the pros and cons of life meticulously and draws his reader to peep into his own life. In his four great tragedies, "Hamlet", "Macbeth", "King Lear" and "Othello", he explores the inner workings of human beings. His plays are an illustration of the success and failures of human responses to order or dharma, as discussed in our ancient texts. In the Indian context, Shakespeare, as opined by Indian critic, C.D. Narsimhiah, emerges as a kind of Hiranyagrabha, the primordial creative energy that was before Creation and as going to be the cause of all creation.

The research paper is divided into two sections. The first section discusses some concepts and notions related to human life which are found in some of great Indian scriptures and books. The second section examines and analyses "Hamlet" in the context of great Indian value system.

Projecting Hamlet in Indian Value System

Dr. Jasvant Rathod

Head, Department of English,

Government Arts and Commerce College, Netrang,

Dist-Bharuch, Gujarat, INDIA

For many reasons, Indians must oppose Macaulay but he should be thanked for introducing English education, particularly Shakespeare in India. He created what can be called “the class room Shakespeare”. From the colonial period, Indian students are helped by the Indian editions of Shakespearean plays with notes especially made for them to understand complex world of Shakespeare. In the context of India, he has been utterly absorbed into the Indian imagination. This early development created miracles not only in the academic field but also in Indian cinema, and we are today watching some Indian movies like Ramleela and Haider based on the Shakespearean plays namely Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. The Bollywood embraced the bard of Avon and produced many movies based on the plays of Shakespeare. These movies not only deconstruct the plays but they innovatively indianise Shakespeare.

As a writer of the millennium, Shakespeare stands alone, as the most influential and read, most eluded and loved, most copied and screened, most criticised and acclaimed, most novel and unique. Applying deconstruction theory, it can be stated safely that the reader can renew Shakespeare at every reading. Today, this great author is read from almost all perspectives. The result is we have “political” Shakespeare, “feminist” Shakespeare, “patriarchal” Shakespeare, “Indian” Shakespeare, “marketing and finance guru” Shakespeare, “colonial” Shakespeare, “imperial” Shakespeare and so on. The greatness of Shakespeare lies in the fact that he has become a ghost who can haunt anywhere in any field of knowledge.

Shakespeare is the greatest writer with immense popularity. Many western critics including some famous names from Ben Jonson and Dryden to A.C. Bradley and T.S. Eliot praised him for the universal concepts and ideas he penned down in his work. For the Oriental critics, he is seen as an unshakable monolith of English literature and a preacher who preached human values and morals all over the world. For them, he demonstrated the core values of Western especially Elizabethan culture and tradition. Recently, some post colonial critics including Ania Loomba discover him as an important site of colonialism and imperialism. But it may be an exaggeration to praise Shakespeare much for his universality. As an Indian student, I believe that Shakespeare was not the original creator of the human morals and values and concepts which were already there in the many cultural texts and scriptures of the world. His greatness lies in his art of renewing or modifying some universal concepts. Since India is one of the most ancient cultures and the Indian Scriptures and holy texts had already stated those values and morals which Shakespeare depicted in the 16th century.

It is right that Shakespeare sees great and small, righteous and unrighteous, pleasant and unpleasant, in equality. He analyses the pros and cons of life meticulously and draws his reader to peep into his own life. In his four great tragedies, Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear and Othello, he explores the inner workings of human beings. His plays are an illustration of the success and failures of human responses to order or dharma, as discussed in our ancient texts. In the Indian context, Shakespeare, as opined by C.D. Narsimhiah, emerges as a kind of Hiranyagrabha, the primordial creative energy that was before Creation and as going to be the cause of all creation.*¹

It is true that Shakespeare was a great genius and his plays have not lost their appeal and relevance even today. But it is also a fact to note that the vision of life, presented in every religious and cultural texts of India, is so universal that it can easily transcend the barriers of time, place and even culture. This paper points out some humane and value-oriented concepts which were already there in Indian cultural texts and Holy Scriptures. It attempts to examine how Shakespeare, in his Hamlet reflects some important concepts of Indian value system. Whether Shakespeare was influenced by these Indian texts is a question to be researched but it can be submitted without much doubt that most of the cultures or religions have some common concepts, values and notions about the creator, human being and life on the earth. Here, a humble attempt is made to connect and examine Shakespearean tragedy in the light of cultural, scriptural, philosophical and religious concepts of India. It projects Shakespearean characters, especially Hamlet in the context of these great ideas and notions. Knowing well the great divide between Western and Indian culture, it is an effort to negotiate two cultures by adapting and appropriating Shakespeare in Indian context. The paper is divided into two sections. The first section discusses some concepts and notions related to human life which are found in some of great Indian scriptures and books. The second section examines and analyses Hamlet in the context of great Indian value system.

To analyse these tragedies in the light of Indian cultural system, it becomes necessary to introduce some of the important value-oriented concepts stated in many religious and cultural texts, scriptures, folk literature and stories. India is a great democratic country because it accepts and embraces all other cultures, faiths and beliefs. It is most important here to think Hinduism as not a specific religion but a way of life. Its greatness lies in its elasticity and flexibility which provides it significance as well as universal popularity in the world. As the eternal tradition or religion, many believe the origin of Hinduism or Indian culture lie beyond human history. Its truths have been divinely revealed (Shruti) and passed down through the ages. Acceptability, elasticity, tolerance and embracing human values at large are the unique characteristics of Hinduism. The above-cited observation cannot be seen as an exaggeration because a Western scholar has similar view to express regarding Hinduism. Providing modern view on Hinduism in his Preface to Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction, Kim Knott opines:

But Hinduism extends beyond culture into other spheres- into social structure and social life of Hindus, ethical issues and the politics of equality and nationalism. Contemporary Hinduism and its traditional stories, teachings and rituals affect so many aspects of the lives of Hindus in and beyond the subcontinent and we begin to wonder how to define it. Is it appropriate to call it a religion? Is it like Christianity or Islam? In what way does it differ? Does it, in fact, challenge our notion of what a religion is? 1

The genius of Hinduism is assimilative. It includes all and excludes none. It avoids a kind of rigidness of norms and strictness of its applicability or implementation. For example, we can pray at any time or on any day or we can avoid praying daily. It is greatness of Indian value system that it provides a kind of space to the individual to think or apply the values or concepts in a specific way. With a view to connect and analyse the Shakespearean tragedies in the light of Indian cultural system, the concepts of Dharma, Karma and Moksha are elaborated here. These concepts are mentioned and illustrated not only in the Vedas, Upanishads, Shastras, the great epics like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana but they are also discussed and cited in many cultural texts and folk literature. Therefore, they have their multi-dimensional nature and can be defined in many ways. The universality and greatness of the Mahabharata is declared by following statement:

What is here is found elsewhere

What is not here is no where. 2

Dharma is a Sanskrit word which does not have any direct translation into English. It means righteousness in thought, word and action. Etymologically, it is derived from Sanskrit word, Dhr which means to uphold, sustain or uplift. Dharayati iti Dharmaha – means that which upholds, sustains and even uplifts is Dharma. Here it is interpreted as the collection of natural and universal laws that upholds, sustains or uplifts. According to Hindupedia, it includes “Law of being; law of nature; individual nature; prescribed duty; social and personal duties; moral code; civil law; code of conduct; morality; way of life; practice; observance; justice; righteousness; religion; religiosity; harmony.” 3.

As elaborated in Parashara Smriti, Dharma sustains and ensures progress and welfare of all in this world and eternal Bliss in the other world. Dharma is promulgated in the form of commands (positive and negative vidhi and nishedha). Embracing every type of righteous conduct, it covers every aspect of life essential for the sustenance and welfare of the individual and society. It is an umbrella term which includes the rules which guide and enable those who believe in God and heaven to attain moksha, the fourth aim of human life. The ancient Vedic idea of Ritam implies dharma as a kind of cosmic order which governs the universe. The Hindupedia mentions that dharma includes “many dynamic sub-orders, each represented by powers and forces of great intensity and magnitude, each governed by their own dharma or internal law of being and working- each interacting upon one another, within the boundaries of that law, sustaining, maintaining and upholding all things material and phenomenal in this Universe”. 4

In Karna Parva of the Mahabharata, Lord Krishna states that Dharma sustains society, maintains social order and ensures wellbeing and progress of society. The unique characteristic of it is its elasticity. It can be defined and demonstrated in many ways and can be conceived and implied for any specific or general rule for the progress of society at large. Since it has many facets and it includes all possible values, it prevents anyone to use it in a specifically narrow-minded or selfish purpose. Moreover, it is significant here to note that it cannot be defined by any individual or religious tradition at any historical point of time. In the context of the Mahabharata, Gurchhanran Das writes in his recent book titled The Difficulty of Being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma , Dharma, the word at the heart of the epic, is in fact untranslatable. Duty, goodness, justice, law and custom all have something to do with it, but they all fall short. Dharma refers to ‘balance’-both moral balance and cosmic balance. It is the order and balance within each human being which is also reflected in the order of the cosmos. 5

It is implied generally in the Indian scriptures, holy texts and moral stories that an individual is destined to follow certain matrix of value-oriented norms which contributes into the sustenance, maintenance and upliftment of social order. In this sense, the term Dharma implies duties and responsibilities for an individual. In a broad sense, it can be said as any action committed to pursue the greater good to the nation or community can be called dharma. Such Karma or action avoids selfish intentions or self-centred approach. It is mentioned in “Hindupedia”, Dharmic life is a life of self-less service, of sacrifice and contribution. It is the lifestyle that has been held in India from time immemorial as an ideal life, a life worth emulating, a life that one aspires towards. Making a difference in society at large, somehow honours and fulfils the human spirit, and brings to life the true possibility and potential of hum an existence. Every Purana thus extols Dharma. In the Ramayana this idea is personified in Lord Rama– who is widely called Vigrahavaan Dharma – the embodiment of Dharma. 6

The term, Dharma, is explained in many ways in our cultural texts. It also makes it a complicated one. In some texts, it is also seen as a complimentary to Karma. Like an onion, it has many layers like Sva-Dharma, Raj Dharma, Rashtra Dharma etc. It can be roughly translated as a religious or moral or social or ethical or cultural or national duty. It is also implied as self-expression. Dharma is also meant as a way to act (Karma), gain prosperity (Artha) and to attain salvation (Moksha) in these Indian texts. In practical terms, dharma refers to leading a righteous life in harmony with natural laws as defined in scripture.

In Indian religious and cultural texts, the law of karma is implied as the process of transmigration of the soul. The term Karma, literally means "action," but it is more often referred to the accumulated reactions to activities. It is not surprising to state the law of Karma may be the root of Newton’s scientific law of action and reaction. Thus, an individual can act or do "good karma" or "bad karma”. Here it links to Dharma. The actions of an individual determine his destiny. Moreover, this self-determination and accountability is specific in nature and it provides a human being a kind of free choice of action or Karma. These texts also mention that (a) it is a universal law which determines each soul’s unique destiny, (b) it is generated in human life only and (c) it is generated from past lives. The Bhagvad Gita categorises three kinds of Karma: (1) Karma, a right kind of action which elevates a human being, (2) Vikrama, a kind of action which degrades him or her and (3) Akarma, those actions which creates neither good nor bad reactions and thus lead to liberation. It is written in the Bhagvad Purana that, “In proportion to the extent of one's religious or irreligious actions in this life, one must enjoy or suffer the corresponding reactions of his karma in the next”. 7

The concept of Karma emphasises the moral order of the universe. For a human being who believes in this Indian concept, the universe is neither a blind unconscious force nor a chance world but it is a moral theatre for the art of soul making. Each individual has a free choice. Unlike Greek belief, no external force or power determines his fate. Like Shakespearean tragedies, man is the architect of his own fortune. His karma determines his destiny. P. Nagaraja Rao writes:

The doctrine of Karma inculcates in us faith in the absolute justice, that we experience and an attitude of wise, uncomplaining acceptance of the inequalities of life. In the Indian view of life there is the marked absence of bitterness when misfortune befalls them. There is no shouting against injustice, no railing against God. Karma induces in us a mood of acceptance and understanding as we know that there is no dark fate that governs us. We move by our deeds. 8

Shakespeare’s work echoes some important concepts of Indian value system. He emphasizes the basic Indian thoughts and concepts that human life is imperfect and the world is a stage. C.D. Narsinhaih poits out that “the emphasis in Indian thought is not on the Good but on how to attain Vidya Knowledge as the goal of all earthly endeavour. Shakespeare toowas wrestling all his life to attain that kind of knowledge.” 9 He paints such characters who attain vidya through suffering. This realisation of self and human life is a key concept both in Shakespeare and in Indian cultural texts. For example, Shakespeare writes in first scene of Act- IV in The Tempest,

We are such stuff,

As dreams are made on: and our little life

Is rounded with a sleep. 10

Shankara, the interpreter of Vedanta expressed that the world is like a dream, an illusion or maya. It is true that Shakespeare did not know Indian philosophy yet one can find many similarities of the concepts in the work of Shakespeare and those mentioned in ancient Indian cultural texts at philosophical level. Hamlet is no exception. Many Indian scholars as well as some Western scholars including Dr. Arthr Pfungst believe that there are many similarities in the characters of Arjuna of the Mahabharata and Hamlet. Both of them are princes and both of them have same questions of human existence and life. Dr. Arthr Pfungst is of the view that “Shakespeare cannot make his hero rise above empirical existence and so his fate becomes a tragedy” 11.

There is no doubt that Shakespeare was influenced by the medieval morality plays which showed the characters as personifications of virtue and vice (in the Indian sense, they can be called dharma and adharma). The king was considered the divine pillar of society by the Elizabethans including Shakespeare. It is also significant here to note that the king was considered as a divine creation in ancient Indian texts, especially in the Yajurveda. The beginning of Hamlet clearly shows that all is not well in Denmark. The beginning of Shakespeare’s Hamlet states it clearly “something is rotten in the state of Denmark” 12 suggesting that the divine pillar of the state is fallen and a morally or ethically corrupt man is replaced as a king. Like the Mahabharata, the cosmic order or dharma represented by the king is violated and Hamlet cries: whether I am born to set it right. 13

Both Hamlet and Arjuna are men of reason in quest of truth. Both the Mahabharata and Hamlet can be interpreted as texts questioning the essence of human life spiritually and philosophically. Structurally, the Mahabharata is an epic but philosophically it can be called a tragedy. Like Arjuna, Hamlet has to fight against his keens. Like Hamlet, Arjuna is reluctant to fight against his keens and kiths. In the Indian epic, Arjuna, the protagonist also does not know the right course of action. He asks Lord Krishna:

Nor do we know which for us is better

Whether we conquer them or they conquer us. 14

Realising the tragic consequences of the war, Arjuna puts forth his arguments. He discusses about unnecessary bloodshed, the sin of killing the relatives, annihilation of cultural values, destruction of family units, moral decadence etc. Since, the Gita is in dialogue form, we have an active communication between Lord Krishna and Arjuna. It is proudly declared by the Indian hero that he would not slay his cousins and other relatives even for the sake of triloka. He tells it painfully: “Better indeed in this world to eat even the bread of ‘beggary’ than to slay the most noble of teachers. But, if I kill them, even in this world, all my enjoyments of wealth and desires will be stained with blood.” 15 Here Arjuna’s reluctance is an outcome of thinking too much about his righteous duty or dharma in the sense of his earthly relations. It is believed by some critics that Hamlet’s reluctance is due to his rational and sceptical mindset and that is why his reluctance is different from Arjuna. These critics believe that Arjuna thinks philosophically and argues with Lord Krishna while Hamlet thinks rationally to find out the fact of his father’s murder. Some of them are of the view that the war of Mahbharata has wider consequences while in the case of Hamlet, it is a personal war. But they are partly right because Hamlet is also a student of philosophy in the University of Wittenberg and his intellectual and moral vision inspires him to philosophize his search and internal conflict. He connects a simple personal act of revenge into broader spheres of his sva dharma and raj dharma. His soliloquies including the famous “to be or not to be” explore his communication with his self and inquire into mystical realms of human existence. Thus, both Arjuna and Hamlet have to find out their righteous duty, i.e. dharma. Hamlet, though he is declared by his uncle the person near to the throne wallows in some kind of slush. His display of personal pain also consists of an internal conflict between the Dharma and Adharma. The following soliloquy reflects Hamlet’s mental conflict regarding the cosmic disorder or Adharma in the world which reduced his state to the plight of a garden full of weeds which chocked the healthy growth of plants:

O that this too too sullied flesh would melt,

Thaw and resolve itself into a dew,

Of that the everlasting had not fix’d

His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter, O God! O God!

How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable

Seem to me all the uses of this world!

Fie on it, ah fie, ‘tis an unweeded garden

That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature

Possess it merely. 16

The same longing for death is expressed by Arjuna. He expresses painfully, “Alas! We are engaged in a heinous sin, seeing that we are making efforts for killing our kinsman out of greed of the pleasures of sovereignty. If the sons of Dhritarashtra, weapon in hand, should kill me in battle, me weaponless, and not defending (myself), that would be better for me” 17 The clash between Hamlet and Caludius or Arjuna and Kauravas can be interpreted as a universal conflict between Dharma and Adhrama. The aim of both Arjuna and Hamlet is to establish a kind of cosmic order or dharma in their respective nations. It can be interpreted that the central conflict, in both Hamlet and the Bhagavad Gita, is the same eternal conflict between good and evil. The evil in either case is not only powerful but also intertwined in relationships with the good. Hamlet is pitted against his uncle, his own mother, his childhood friends and even his beloved Ophelia whom her father uses as a ploy against Hamlet. Similarly, Arjuna has to fight his own kith and kin, his cousins and uncles and even his own gurus.Luckily, Arjuna is helped by a divine guru in the form of Krishna who makes him realise his rajdharma or samajdharma. In the case of Hamlet, he has first to organise a play to find out the true conscience of the king. The prince of Denmark has to pretend madness to bring out some hidden truths. Though Hamlet is a revenge tragedy, the protagonist, in the process of finding out the truth, realises his sva-dharma and raj dharma. He realises that,

Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,

And the native hue of resolution

Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,

And enterprises of great pitch and moment

With this regard their currents turn awry

And lose the name of action. 18

In the case of Arjuna, his queries regarding ‘papa’ or sins and personal prosperity or pleasures are solved by his mentor Krishna by suggesting the path of disengagement. He teaches him to perform his duty or karma without any worldly achievement. He also states that a true path of gaining moksha is to perform karma without thinking about its outcome or fruit. He teaches him that his dharma is just to perform right kind of karma which can contribute to the welfare of the nation. In contrast, Hamlet realises this facet of dharma by the way of self-assessment. He thinks a lot about his predicament and his moral thinking leads him to detach from worldly relations. Though he loves Ophelia, he tries to ignore her deliberately which leads to the tragic death of her beloved. One can also find some parallels between the Gita’s philosophy of the immortality of the soul and Hamlet’s insights into death and immortality of human soul. Both of them utter painfully 19:

Abbildung in dieser Leseprobe nicht enthalten

In the gravedigger’s scene, Shakespeare epitomises Hamlet’s encounter with death. Hamlet learns the vanities and futilities of life. His speech on Alexander, “Alexander dies, Alexander was buried, Alexander returned to the dust, the dust is earth” 20 echoes some great Indian sages and saints. It also reflects the Indian concepts relating to life and death. The end of the play is tragic. Fortinbras’s order to arrange the royal burial for Hamlet also suggests the latter’s success in balancing the cosmic order of the state by wiping out moral corruption prevalent in it.

To sum up, Shakespeare in this greatest work reflects the paths of dharma, karma and knowledge. The suffering of Hamlet and his quest for truth also brings self-realisation and self-emancipation. His character grows continually and he realises that he is destined to bring a cosmic balance in the state of Denmark. The play represents his journey from rajas to satva. He offers his life to achieve cosmic balance or order in the state for the welfare of people. Therefore, from the personal desire to avenge his father’s wrongful murder, he aims to establish a kind of dharma in the state.

References:

1. Knott, Kim. Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction. London: Oxford UP, 2016.

2. Nadkarni, M.V. The Bhagavad-Gita for the Modern Reader: History, interpretations and philosophy. UK: Routledge, 2016.

3. http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Dharma

4. Ibid

5. Das, Gurcharan. The Difficulty of Being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma. New Delhi: Oxford UP, 2010.

6. http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Dharma

7. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, A.C. Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sixth Canto: Prescribed Duties for Mankind. Mumbai: The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1975.

8. Nagaraja Rao, P. The Heritage of Vedanta. University of Michigan: Jothi Nilayam, 1968

9. Narsimhiah, C.D. “Shakespeare, the Hiranyagarbha”. Shakespeare in Indian Languages. Ed. D.S. Shankar. Shimla: Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, 1999.

10. Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Delhi: Pearson Education India, 2009.

11. http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2118&context=ocj

12. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New Delhi: Oxford UP, 2008.

13. Ibid.

14. Saxena, Vijay Kumar. Feel the Bhagawad Gita: A New Interpretation. USA: Archway Publishing, 2016.

15. Chinmayananda, Swami. Sreemad Bhagawad Geeta: Chapter 1. 3-A. Mumbai: Chinmaya Publications Trust, 1971.

16. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New Delhi: Oxford UP, 2008.

17. The Bhagawadgita. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers and Distributors, 1998.

18. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New Delhi: Oxford UP, 2008.

19. https://melodiesinmymemory.blogspot.in/2015/02/jaun-kahan-bata-ae-dil.html

20. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New Delhi: Oxford UP, 2008.

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¹ Narsimhiah, C.D. “Shakespeare, the Hiranyagarbha”. Shakespeare in Indian Languages. Ed. D.S. Shankar. Shimla: Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, 1999, p.2.

• Grade: 12
• Author: Dr. Jasvant Rathod (Author)
• Publication Year: 2021
• Pages: 10
• Catalog Number: V1160394
• ISBN (PDF): 9783346572141
• Language: English
• Tags: shakespeare´s, hamlet, indian, value, system