Amleth
Specifics, a list
I'll get back to specifics. The following are specifics of why I think Shakespeare knew tarot. I'll give brief quotes from passages in Hamlet, or at least briefly describe the statements in the play, then relate the quotes to the tarot card pics.
First, in Act 1 scene 2, Hamlet speaks of his late father as Hercules. Later, in Act 1 scene 4, when the others try to restrain him from following the Ghost, Hamlet speaks of the Nemean lion.
The Fortitude card of the Visconti-Sforza deck shows Hercules battling the Nemean lion.
That's one, so far.
~~~~~
Second, in Act 1 scene 3, Laertes speaks to Ophelia:
The chariest maid is prodigal enough
If she unmask her beauty to the moon;
(A note is necessary as to the meaning of "chary." It currently means "careful," which is apparently how Laertes uses it, but it has an earlier meaning of "sorrowful.")
The Moon card of the Visconti-Sforza deck does show a maiden with the moon close to her face, in her hand, and her face is unmasked. Beauty is in the eye, etc, but I'd say she's good looking. She does look sorrowful (to me.) The tarot Moon maid is sad, unmasked, and is showing her beauty to the moon, which goes along with what Laertes says.
That's two, so far.
~~~~~~~
Third, in Act 2 scene 1, Ophelia speaks to Polonius about Hamlet:
Ophelia: My Lord, as I was sewing in my closet,
Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced,
No hat upon his head, his stockings fouled,
Ungartered, and down-gyved to his ankle,
Pale as his shirt, his knees knocking each other,
And with a look so piteous in purport
As if he had been loosed out of Hell
To speak of horrors, he comes before me.
On the V-S Fool card, the Fool has his jacket open, which corresponds to having a doublet unbraced. He's wearing no hat. His stockings are down below his knees, although not to his ankles, and they do look "fouled." Whether he looks as if he's seen Hell, I couldn't say, but his expression is odd. One would not expect an exact description of a card in play dialogue, but there's similarity of some significant detail.
That's three, so far.
~~~~~~~
Four, in Act 2 scene 2, Hamlet converses about Fortune with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern:
Hamlet: Then you live about Her waist, or in the middle of Her favors.
The V-S Fortune card (and the Fortune card in other decks) does show two fellows who are "about the waist" level of Fortune, at the sides of the Wheel.
That's four, so far.
~~~~~
Five, also in Act 2 scene 2, Polonius speaks to Claudius about what he told Ophelia:
... thus I did bespeak:
Lord Hamlet is a Prince out of thy star;
The maid on the Star card in the V-S deck is the same as on the Moon card (apparently.) The maid is reaching for the Star, but doesn't quite have it in her grasp.
That's five, so far.
~~~~~
Six, further along in Act 2 scene 2, the following remarks occur between Hamlet and R & G:
Ros: ... there is an aerie of children, little eyases,
AND,
Hamlet: Do the boys carry it away?
Ros: Aye, that they do, my Lord; Hercules and his load, too.
The V-S World card shows two cherubs "carrying away" a castle by the sea, apparently on an island. The cherubs are "boys" with wings, and can be seen as "little eyases." Elsinore Castle, a castle by the sea is Hamlet's "world." The World card "boys" are carrying the castle the way Hercules carried the world when he substituted for Atlas.
That's six, so far.
~~~~~
Seven, still in Act 2 scene 2, the Player's recital includes:
... then senseless Ilium,
Seeming to feel this blow, with flaming top,
Stoops to his base;
("Ilium" in this case means the citadel of Troy. A citadel is a fortress with a commanding height, i.e. a tower. "Stoops" means descends, or falls.)
The original Tower card of V-S is lost, but other Tower cards of the era do show the Tower with a "flaming top" that has broken loose, and is falling to the base of the Tower.
That's seven, so far.
~~~~~
Eight, still in Act 2 scene 2, Hamlet tells Polonius:
Hamlet: It shall to the barber's with your beard.
And, further along in the play, in Act 3, scene 2, Hamlet speaks of a camel to Polonius. Camels are well known for their humps, of course. Hamlet also speaks of a whale, and there is a whale named the Humpback. Polonius is the "old man" in the play.
The Hermit/Old Man card in the V-S deck does show an old man with a hunched ("humped") back, and a very long beard that could use a trip to the barber.
That's eight, so far.
~~~~~~~
Nine, in Act 3 scene 2, Hamlet says to Ophelia:
Hamlet: I could interpret between you and your love
If I could see the puppets dallying.
("Dally" is a rather genral term for recreational activity, and the romantic kind is meant here, of course. "Dally" is difficult to pin down as it was used in those days, but it connoted fun, not work.)
The V-S Love card shows two "puppets dallying," as Cupid pulls the strings.
That's nine, so far.
~~~~~~~
Ten, in Act 4 scene 7, Laertes tells Claudius he bought poison from a Mountebank. Laertes has just returned from France.
According to what I've read, "Mountebank" was another name for the Magician card, particularly in France.
That's ten, so far.
~~~~~~~
Eleven, in the last scene of the play, Ostrick appears, and there is some business with his hat. Hamlet considers Ostrick a "knave." Ostrick is the "valet" for the swords at the fencing match. The Ostrick character is typically played with a large plume on his hat.
The Knave of Swords in the V-S deck has an amazing hat, that appears to consist entirely of one or more large Ostrich plumes.
I'll stop here at eleven.
~~~~~~~
I could list more, which can't be presented so quickly and easily. But another concerns a remark Claudius makes about horsemanship, in relation to the V-S Justice card. The V-S Judgment card is also interesting in relation to a certain point in the Graveyard Scene in Hamlet. There is an extremely interesting spot in the Closet Scene (the scene where Hamlet lectures Gertrude in her closet) in relation to the V-S Sun card. Another tarot card is interesting in relation to the Dumb Show before the 'Mousetrap Play.'
As I gradually encountered all that, there was a point at which I began paying more serious attention. I deny that it's all only personal interpretation. For the most obvious, the "flaming top of Ilium, stooping to its base," is spot on for the Tower card in historical decks (although unfortunately the V-S Tower card is missing. Well, and so on. I said in the first thread post that I might be able to point to a dozen instances in Hamlet, that appear to have some relation to tarot pics, but I find my first estimate was low.
That's why I think Shakespeare knew tarot, and especially the V-S deck. There's too much to ignore.
I'll get back to specifics. The following are specifics of why I think Shakespeare knew tarot. I'll give brief quotes from passages in Hamlet, or at least briefly describe the statements in the play, then relate the quotes to the tarot card pics.
First, in Act 1 scene 2, Hamlet speaks of his late father as Hercules. Later, in Act 1 scene 4, when the others try to restrain him from following the Ghost, Hamlet speaks of the Nemean lion.
The Fortitude card of the Visconti-Sforza deck shows Hercules battling the Nemean lion.
That's one, so far.
~~~~~
Second, in Act 1 scene 3, Laertes speaks to Ophelia:
The chariest maid is prodigal enough
If she unmask her beauty to the moon;
(A note is necessary as to the meaning of "chary." It currently means "careful," which is apparently how Laertes uses it, but it has an earlier meaning of "sorrowful.")
The Moon card of the Visconti-Sforza deck does show a maiden with the moon close to her face, in her hand, and her face is unmasked. Beauty is in the eye, etc, but I'd say she's good looking. She does look sorrowful (to me.) The tarot Moon maid is sad, unmasked, and is showing her beauty to the moon, which goes along with what Laertes says.
That's two, so far.
~~~~~~~
Third, in Act 2 scene 1, Ophelia speaks to Polonius about Hamlet:
Ophelia: My Lord, as I was sewing in my closet,
Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced,
No hat upon his head, his stockings fouled,
Ungartered, and down-gyved to his ankle,
Pale as his shirt, his knees knocking each other,
And with a look so piteous in purport
As if he had been loosed out of Hell
To speak of horrors, he comes before me.
On the V-S Fool card, the Fool has his jacket open, which corresponds to having a doublet unbraced. He's wearing no hat. His stockings are down below his knees, although not to his ankles, and they do look "fouled." Whether he looks as if he's seen Hell, I couldn't say, but his expression is odd. One would not expect an exact description of a card in play dialogue, but there's similarity of some significant detail.
That's three, so far.
~~~~~~~
Four, in Act 2 scene 2, Hamlet converses about Fortune with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern:
Hamlet: Then you live about Her waist, or in the middle of Her favors.
The V-S Fortune card (and the Fortune card in other decks) does show two fellows who are "about the waist" level of Fortune, at the sides of the Wheel.
That's four, so far.
~~~~~
Five, also in Act 2 scene 2, Polonius speaks to Claudius about what he told Ophelia:
... thus I did bespeak:
Lord Hamlet is a Prince out of thy star;
The maid on the Star card in the V-S deck is the same as on the Moon card (apparently.) The maid is reaching for the Star, but doesn't quite have it in her grasp.
That's five, so far.
~~~~~
Six, further along in Act 2 scene 2, the following remarks occur between Hamlet and R & G:
Ros: ... there is an aerie of children, little eyases,
AND,
Hamlet: Do the boys carry it away?
Ros: Aye, that they do, my Lord; Hercules and his load, too.
The V-S World card shows two cherubs "carrying away" a castle by the sea, apparently on an island. The cherubs are "boys" with wings, and can be seen as "little eyases." Elsinore Castle, a castle by the sea is Hamlet's "world." The World card "boys" are carrying the castle the way Hercules carried the world when he substituted for Atlas.
That's six, so far.
~~~~~
Seven, still in Act 2 scene 2, the Player's recital includes:
... then senseless Ilium,
Seeming to feel this blow, with flaming top,
Stoops to his base;
("Ilium" in this case means the citadel of Troy. A citadel is a fortress with a commanding height, i.e. a tower. "Stoops" means descends, or falls.)
The original Tower card of V-S is lost, but other Tower cards of the era do show the Tower with a "flaming top" that has broken loose, and is falling to the base of the Tower.
That's seven, so far.
~~~~~
Eight, still in Act 2 scene 2, Hamlet tells Polonius:
Hamlet: It shall to the barber's with your beard.
And, further along in the play, in Act 3, scene 2, Hamlet speaks of a camel to Polonius. Camels are well known for their humps, of course. Hamlet also speaks of a whale, and there is a whale named the Humpback. Polonius is the "old man" in the play.
The Hermit/Old Man card in the V-S deck does show an old man with a hunched ("humped") back, and a very long beard that could use a trip to the barber.
That's eight, so far.
~~~~~~~
Nine, in Act 3 scene 2, Hamlet says to Ophelia:
Hamlet: I could interpret between you and your love
If I could see the puppets dallying.
("Dally" is a rather genral term for recreational activity, and the romantic kind is meant here, of course. "Dally" is difficult to pin down as it was used in those days, but it connoted fun, not work.)
The V-S Love card shows two "puppets dallying," as Cupid pulls the strings.
That's nine, so far.
~~~~~~~
Ten, in Act 4 scene 7, Laertes tells Claudius he bought poison from a Mountebank. Laertes has just returned from France.
According to what I've read, "Mountebank" was another name for the Magician card, particularly in France.
That's ten, so far.
~~~~~~~
Eleven, in the last scene of the play, Ostrick appears, and there is some business with his hat. Hamlet considers Ostrick a "knave." Ostrick is the "valet" for the swords at the fencing match. The Ostrick character is typically played with a large plume on his hat.
The Knave of Swords in the V-S deck has an amazing hat, that appears to consist entirely of one or more large Ostrich plumes.
I'll stop here at eleven.
~~~~~~~
I could list more, which can't be presented so quickly and easily. But another concerns a remark Claudius makes about horsemanship, in relation to the V-S Justice card. The V-S Judgment card is also interesting in relation to a certain point in the Graveyard Scene in Hamlet. There is an extremely interesting spot in the Closet Scene (the scene where Hamlet lectures Gertrude in her closet) in relation to the V-S Sun card. Another tarot card is interesting in relation to the Dumb Show before the 'Mousetrap Play.'
As I gradually encountered all that, there was a point at which I began paying more serious attention. I deny that it's all only personal interpretation. For the most obvious, the "flaming top of Ilium, stooping to its base," is spot on for the Tower card in historical decks (although unfortunately the V-S Tower card is missing. Well, and so on. I said in the first thread post that I might be able to point to a dozen instances in Hamlet, that appear to have some relation to tarot pics, but I find my first estimate was low.
That's why I think Shakespeare knew tarot, and especially the V-S deck. There's too much to ignore.