Shakespeare's Judaica and Devices

APRIL 23, 1996 SHAKESPEARE'S JUDAICA AND DEVICES by David Basch In his new book, Shakespeare's Judaica and Devices, David Basch continues the explorations of the peculiarly Judaic content to be found in the works of William Shakespeare and in the "devices," the visual artifacts, that have been associated with him. This Judaic content goes beyond acknowledged biblical influences and includes Judaic literatures barely known to the Gentile world. Basch began this investigations with his 1994 book, The Hidden Shakespeare, in which he documented both apparent and hidden Talmudic and Aggadic (Judaic non-legalistic) elements in the poet's work that reveal purposive, telltale messages of his Jewish origin and his wish to communicate this as a legacy. The pages of this very readable sequel to Basch's earlier book positively pulsate with more revelations about the poet himself. Presented are new in-depth studies of some of the previously investigated works plus an assortment of brief to extensive treatments of additional plays. Of particular note among these are the analyses of two of Shakespeare's major plays, The Tempest and Hamlet. In the full-scale treatment of The Tempest - a play that has been considered one of the poet's most mysterious - Basch finds a substantial presence of Judaic elements that serve as the master keys to the play's meaning. These occur in the imagery of the play, infusing its action and shaping its message. Prior to Basch's analysis, it could not be dreamed that The Tempest could constitute the poet's interpretation of the Jewish concept of sin and repentance, complete with the themes of the Jewish High Holy Days and their scheme for the restoration of man to a state of spiritual purity. In Basch's treatment of Hamlet, his earlier account is much amplified, indicating the many telling indications that this play is, without doubt, the poet's rendering of the Bible's Book of Ecclesiastes. Added to the earlier account is the elucidation of the Talmudic controversies that are imbedded in the play and which are central to its understanding. Far from being peripheral features, mere parochial indulgences, these Talmudic elements enable the unraveling of many of the puzzling aspects of this play and are testaments to the poet's astounding literary mastery, demonstrating his capacity to relate multiple levels of reality describing the doubleness of existence. Thus, this play not only fascinates in its unfolding of complex characters within a gripping story but also as the poet's interpretation and philosophical commentary on the work of the Bible upon which it is patterned. Among the many topics dealt with in the book is the compelling new evidence that Shakespeare was a participant in the writing of the King James Version of the Bible. As Basch shows, it is not without basis that some commentators have found in the majestic cadences of the King James Version signs of a Shakespearean literary influence. Also treated are the indications of Shakespeare's sometime use of the names of his characters for revelatory purposes and the suggestion that some of these characters are meant as portraits of real persons close to him, some bearing on his Jewish self-revelation. Not least of the valuable material in Basch's book are the explorations of the visual artifacts, the "devices," whose creation were certainly brought about by the poet. In shedding light on these, Basch demonstrates how the poet's Coat of Arms - a penned sketch deceptive in its apparent simplicity - is actually a complex vehicle for revelation of the poet's Jewish origin. In deciphering it, Basch calls attention to the work of the late Leslie Hotson of Yale University, who first proposed that certain Elizabethan portrait devices depicted William Shakespeare and the "friend" of the Sonnets. These had been painted by Nicholas Hilliard, the period's master of miniatures. Not only is there a review of Hotson's evidence, but Basch adds considerably to it as he further discloses overlooked revelatory features in these works pertaining to the poet. Basch shows that they indeed give the world a view of the handsome countenances of a red-haired poet and his mysterious friend. It is abundantly clear that with the new dimensions added by Basch's books, we have entered a new era in Shakespearean scholarship. The full impact of this will surely take many years to explore and will necessarily involve the subsequent work of many scholars and commentators. Only a few years ago scholars lamented the ironic fact that the poet, a man who had held a mirror up to nature and revealed through his characters the hidden depths of man, would himself remain forever hidden. Basch's work has now rendered such observations altogether obsolete. ______________________________________________________________________ Shakespeare's Judaica and Devices (ISBN: 1-57087-057-8; ISBN: 1-57087-274-0) Revelatory Press, P.O. Box 1041, Fairfield, CT, 06825 www.davidbasch.net