Death And His Brother Sleep
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Death And His Brother Sleep

A look at some of Shakespeare's influences.

37
Death And His Brother Sleep
wikipedia

(Reposted)

A couple of months ago, I talked about Hamlet's major soliloquy in Act III, scene i of Hamlet, focusing on the originality of his identification between sleep and death. In my Bardolatrous zeal, I may have overstated this somewhat. Make no mistake; Hamlet does expand upon and develop this idea to near perfection. But, there were hints to this connection long before even the historic Hamlet was born in Medieval Denmark.

The idea that sleep and death could be at least metaphorically connected is first hinted at in Greek mythology (pretty much everything in modern culture is ultimately derived from either Shakespeare or the Greeks and Romans). Specifically, the daemons (supernatural beings higher than humans, but not gods) who represented Sleep (Hypnos) and Death (Thanatos) were twin brothers, children of Night (Nyx) and Primordial Darkness (Erebus). Whilst they don't directly interact with each other in any surviving myths, there is at least one image (an illustration of a scene from Homer's Iliad on a vase) where, significantly, they're working together to carry a fallen hero (Sarpedon) to his final resting place.

Meanwhile, in Roman literature, we have another tantalizing hint at this connection in Virgil's epic, The Aeneid. In Book VI, the Trojan prince and legendary founder of Rome, Aeneas, must venture into the Underworld so that he can get directions from his recently deceased father on where to go next in his journey. When this is done, Aeneas must leave the Underworld by exiting through an odd gate, with one half made from ivory, and the other half out of horn. This is interesting because, in Classical mythology, dreams were said to come to the mortal world through a gate made from horn and ivory. This has lead to several interesting theories that Virgil may be inferring a connection not only between the states of sleep and death, but he also may be hinting that the afterlife is a sort of psychic state.

In an example closer to Shakespeare's era, this idea was also explored by the 14th century Florentine poet, Dante Alighieri (another major source of Everything), in the Inferno section of The Divine Comedy. One of Dante's major innovations was to make the torments of Hell, a region he explores with Virgil, the physical manifestation of the psychic state during the sin being punished. This implies that Hell has a deep connection with our mental states, but Dante, a devout Medieval Catholic, still maintains the objective existence of Hell. Given how much Italian culture influenced Shakespeare's England (several plays of the era, including many of Shakespeare's, take place in Italy), it's very likely that Shakespeare was influenced by Dante. And finally, in Doctor Faustus, Mephistopheles says that Hell is anywhere without God. And the writer of Doctor Faustus was Christopher Marlowe, a contemporary of and major influence on Shakespeare.

Greek myth, Roman literature, and Dante- with these rivers of thought flowing into his mind as raw material, it should be no surprise that Shakespeare was able to create the masterpieces that he did. However, it takes more than just having the right inspirations to create literature on the level that he did- it also requires natural genius.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

55533
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

35805
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

957825
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

186056
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments