John R. Salverda writes to Robert ‘Bowie’ Johnson Jr.:
....
Zeus took over from his father Kronos, who was a
previous Adam figure (destroying his offspring with an act of
"eating"). Kronos had himself, taken the place of his father Ouranos,
the god of Heaven, an even earlier depiction of Adam (the husband of Gaea, an
original mother figure). Eventually Herakles, the son of Zeus by a mortal
woman, would sacrifice himself and be found worthy to wed Hebe (another Eve).
Hesiod informs us, that before marrying Hera (the
queen of heaven) Zeus had several other paramours, including the goddesses
Metis, Themis, Eurynome, Demeter, Mnemosyne, and Leto; "Lastly, he made
Hera his blooming wife : and she was joined in love with the king of gods and
men, and brought forth Hebe and Ares and Eileithyia." (Hesiod, Theogony
921 ff.). Noteworthy in Hesiod's list of Zeus' pre-Hera lovers, as we attempt
to connect him with Adam, is the Goddess called "Metis." She is a
kind of female personification of the clever serpent; "Now the serpent was
more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made."
(Genesis 3:1 KJV) "Now Zeus, king of the gods, made Metis his wife first,
and she was wisest among gods and mortal men. … But Zeus put her into his own
belly first, that the goddess might devise for him both good and evil."
(Hesiod, Theogony 886-900 ff.) thus Zeus eats to acquire his knowledge of good
and evil. "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes
shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." (Genesis
3:5 KJV). It is almost as though motifs from the story of Adam had been
incorporated by design into the biography of Zeus in order to make him more
acceptable to an Israelite constituency.
John R. Salverda writes to Robert 'Bowie' Johnson Jr.:
Here's one for Bob about "Eden in Greek
Myths"
Dear Bob,
I have been critical, and then a bit conciliatory,
but now I will take a more commendatory stance toward your work. Your
recognition of the association between the symbols of the Hesperides and the
symbolisms that appear in the archetypal marriage of Adam and Eve shows
remarkable insight on your part. However, I would like to suggest, that the
scene portrayed in the myth of the marriage of Zeus and Hera, is less a
recollection of the cosmogonic episode in the Book of Genesis, and more in
anticipation of the apocalyptic "Marriage of the Lamb" that we see in
the Book of Revelation.
In as much as the Lamb's marriage is the ultimate
redress to the original sin, it too has it's associations with the symbolisms
of the Hesperides. Receiving the "golden apples" as did Zeus and Hera
at their wedding, is usually predicated upon destroying the dragon; "that
old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth" (Revelations
12:9). Zeus, in his original form was a kind of sacrilegious "messianic"
figure, the promised "son" who would reverse the original rebellion
committed by his father (Kronos) against the god of Heaven (Ouranos): "he
was destined to be overcome by his own son, strong though he was, through the
contriving of great Zeus." (Hesiod, Theogony 453) "There was
delivered to Kronos an oracle regarding the birth of Zeus which stated that the
son who would be born to him would wrest the kingship from him by force"
(Diodorus Siculus, Library of History 5. 70. 1). "Saturnus received this
oracle: ‘Best of kings, you shall be knocked from power by a son.’" (Ovid,
Fasti 4. 197 ff.). "Gaea and Ouranos had given him prophetic warning that
his rule would be overthrown by a son of his own, he took to swallowing his
children at birth." (Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1. 4 - 5). Take note of this
last quote from Apollodorus for comparison with the Scriptural description of
the Messianic birth at Revelations 12:4, where the evil plan was to
"devour her child as soon as it was born." Zeus, in his role at the
celestial wedding and in obtaining the the often sought, heroic quest, of the
golden fruit, is probably a blasphemous representation of the Messiah.
This
being said, as Christ is a kind of Adam in his "Marriage of the
Lamb," so Zeus is depicted at his wedding; "And so it is written, The
first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening
spirit." (1 Corinthians 15:45 KJV). Whenever a god is elevated to the
primary position of Greek theology, he becomes a kind of "Adam." This
is probably because Adam serves as the prototype of all deified humans;
"God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us" (Genesis 3:22
KJV).
Robert 'Bowie' Johnson Jr. writes to John R. Salverda:
....
As to
so-called fallen angels/nephilim in Genesis 6, you must have the concordant
translation. Accurate translations means everything in these passages as it
does in all the rest of Scripture.
“. . .
and taking are they for themselves wives of all whom they choose” (v. 2) refers
to the men in the line of Seth taking women from the line of Cain. The Greeks depicted
this on the south side of the Parthenon and on the west pediment of the temple
of Zeus as Kentaurs (Seth-men) taking the Cain women. The Cain women maintained
their idolatry and corrupted the families of the line of Seth leading to the
Flood. I have a chapter on that in “The Parthenon Code” and some more detail in
the DVD “The Serpent’s Side of Eden.”
Ignoring
the truth of the Scriptures, and exalting their vain reasonings, academics have
concluded that they are descended from reptiles and worms through chance
copying errors in their reproductive genes. They are too dull to even wonder
where the copying originates. Having such an intellectually debased and
spiritually degenerate view of their own origins, why should we expect them to
have any real understanding of ancient art?
We don’t
get to the truth by reasoning, but by God’s revelation.
I pray
that every deluded member of academia will receive from our Creator “a spirit
of wisdom and revelation (apo-kalupsis = uncovering) in the realization of God,
the eyes of their heart having been enlightened . . .” (Ephesians 1:17). You
may enjoy http://www.atruergod.com
....
John R. Salverda replies:
Dear Bob,
....
I do like some of your
theories. For instance, you have associated Cain with the Centaurs.
I find this
to be an especially inspired connection, for Cain is like Ixion, in that the
Greeks make Ixion out to be the very first person ever to kill one of his own
relatives; "the hero who, not without guile, was the first to stain mortal
men with kindred blood" (Pindar "Pythian Ode" 2.33). He was said
to have mated with Nephele (Nephilim) and fathered the race of the Centaurs
upon her. This speculation has a lot going for it; the Greek "X"
sounded much like the hard "C" in the name Cain, they each were the
first to murder kin, and the "cloud" Nephele is a lot like the "shades"
Nephilim who engender a mixed race of monsters upon the Earth. So perhaps we
can see eye to eye on some things.
No book has made a greater impact on world literature than the
Bible. "It has colored the talk of the household and the street, as well as
molded the language of the scholars. It has been something more than a 'well of
English undefiled', it has become part of the spiritual atmosphere. We hear the
echoes of its speech everywhere and the music of its familiar phrases haunts all
the fields and groves of our fine literature" (Ackermann 9). Shakespeare's debt
to Scripture is profound; biblical imagery is woven into every play. No writer
has integrated the expressions and themes found in the Bible into his own work
more magnificently than Shakespeare. It would take volumes to examine
comprehensively Shakespeare’s use of biblical imagery, so I will limit the
discussion to one play -- Macbeth. Please note that the
biblical quotes used in this article are taken from the King James Authorized Version,
unless otherwise stated. Shakespeare himself would have been most familiar with
an earlier version of the Bible, possibly the Geneva Bible, the Bishop’s Bible,
or the Great
Bible, because the first edition of the King James Bible (Authorized
Version) did not appear until 1611. I have divided the discussion of biblical
imagery in Macbeth into acts and scenes for easy reference.
Act 1, Scene 2 Sergeant: Except they meant to bathe in reeking
wounds,
Or memorise another Golgotha (1.2.45) Commentary: A reference to Christ's death
upon Mount Calvary, as reported in Matthew 27.33: "And when they were come unto
a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull." According to John
29.34, a Roman soldier pierced Christ's side as he hanged from the cross.
Shakespeare's Sergeant tells King Duncan that the army he has just encountered
is as violent and remorseless as the soldiers who put Christ to death.
Ross: God save the king! (1.2.48) Commentary: Although Shakespeare would have
been familiar with this now commonplace salutation simply by living under
monarchical rule, the saying originated in the Bible. In 1 Samuel 10.24 the
people greet King Saul: "And all the people shouted, and said, God save the
king."
Act 1, Scene 3 First Witch: All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane
of Glamis! (1.3.51) Commentary: "All
hail" is a common greeting in the New Testament, but one use of the phrase
stands out in particular when discussing this passage from Macbeth. In
Matthew 26.49, Judas prepares to betray Jesus to the Sanhedrin and Roman
soldiers. His plan is to identify Jesus by greeting him with a kiss so that the
soldiers will know which man to arrest. Judas approaches Jesus, saying, "Hail
Master." The Witches greet Macbeth in a similar fashion, and, as Judas betrayed
Jesus, so do the Witches betray Macbeth.
Banquo: If you can look into the seeds of
time,
And say which grain will grow and which will not,
Speak then to me
(1.3.60) Commentary: Banquo,
unconvinced that the Witches can forsee the future, makes reference to
Ecclesiastes 11.6: "In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not
thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or
whether they both shall be alike good."
Banquo: And oftentimes, to win us to our
harm,
The instruments of darkness tell us truths, (1.3.123-4) Commentary: Satan using Holy Scripture to
lead us into sin is a common theme throughout the Bible. In Corinthians 11.13-14
we are told, "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming
themselves into the apostles of Christ.
And no marvel; for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light". In Matthew 4.6, Satan attempts to use
Scripture to tempt the Lord: "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for
it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee; and in their
hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a
stone." Jesus replies, "It is written again/Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy
God."
Macbeth: Come what come
may
Time and the hour runs through the roughest day. (1.3.156-7) Commentary: A reference to two passages from
the Bible: John 9.4: "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is
day: the night cometh when no man works"; and Job 7.1,2: "Is there not an
appointed time to man upon the earth? and are not his days as the days of an
hireling. As a servant longeth for the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for
the end of his work."
Act 1, Scene 4 Duncan: There's no art
To find the mind's
construction in the face (1.4.15-6) Commentary:
Note the similarities to Samuel 16.7: "For God seeth not as man
seeth: for man looketh upon the outward appearance, but the Lord beholdeth the
heart".
Duncan: I have begun to plant thee, and
will labour
To make thee full of growing. Noble Banquo,
That hast no
less deserved, nor must be known (35)
No less to have done so, let me enfold
thee
And hold thee to my heart. (1.4.34-7) Commentary: The metaphor of growth permeates
the Bible, particularly the Old Testament. Notice Jeremiah 11.16: "For the Lord
called thy name, a green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit; with the noise
of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are
broken."; Jeremiah 12.2: "Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root:
they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far
from their reins."; and Psalms 92.12,13: "The righteous shall flourish like the
palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon/Those that be planted in the
house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God." In the New
Testament, the metaphor appears in Corinthians 3.6,7: "I have planted, Apollos
watered; but God gave the increase/So then neither is he that planteth any
thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase". Shakespeare
is careful to illustrate Duncan's status as divinely appointed king throughout
the play. Duncan's goodness is necessary to enhance Macbeth's feelings of guilt
and remorse. Act 1, Scene 5 Lady Macbeth: Come, thick night,
And
pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,
That my keen knife see not the wound
it makes (1.5.50) Commentary: A
reference to Job 24.13: "These are they that abhor the light: they know not the
ways thereof, nor continue in the paths thereof. The murderer riseth early and
killeth the poor and the needy, and in the night he is as a thief". The
connection between hell and smoke is found in Revelation 14.11: "And the smoke
of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever..."; and in Revelation 18.9: "And
the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously
with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of
her burning". Lady Macbeth here calls upon the darkness to enshroud her in a
veil of smoke so that she may not see the evil deed she desires to commit.
Macbeth: My dearest love, 65
Duncan
comes here to-night. Lady Macbeth: And when
goes hence? Macbeth: To-morrow, as he
purposes. Lady Macbeth: O, never
Shall
sun that morrow see! (1.5.65-70) Commentary:
A thought expressed in James 4.13: "Go to now, ye that say, today or
tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a
little time, and then vanisheth away."
Act 1, Scene 6 Duncan: This castle hath a pleasant seat; the air
Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself
Unto our gentle senses. Banquo: This guest of summer,
The temple-haunting
martlet, does approve (1.6.1) Commentary:
Tradition tells us that the gentle martlet will not build a nest in
or near unjust houses. Notice the irony in Banquo's approval of the castle that
will be the location of Duncan's murder. The reference to the "temple-haunting
martlet" comes from Psalms 84.2,3: "Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house,
and the swallow a nest for her, where she may lay her young: even by thine
altars, O Lord of Hosts". A similar passage can be found in Baruch
6.20: "In the temple the owls, swallows, and birds fly."
Act 1, Scene 7 Macbeth: If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere
well
It were done quickly (1.7.1) Commentary: Within this passage is a clear
reference to the words spoken by Jesus to Judas in John 13.27: "That thou doest,
do quickly." Macbeth is painfully aware of his bond with Judas.
Macbeth: But in these cases
We still
have judgment here; that we but teach
Bloody instructions, which, being
taught, return
To plague the inventor: (1.7.8-11) Commentary: Macbeth's speech reflects the
common biblical theme known best by the passage from Galatians 6.7: "Be not
deceived: God is not mocked: for what so ever a man soeth, that shall he also
reap". The theme is continued in Job 4.8: "They that plow iniquity and sow
wickedness, reap the same"; and in Wisdom of Solomon 11.13: "Wherewith a man
sinneth, by the same also shall he be punished."
Macbeth: I have no spur
To prick the sides of my
intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
(1.7.25-7) Commentary: The "vaulting
ambition" to which Macbeth refers is the pride so condemned in the Bible. In
Matthew 23.12 we read: "For whosoever will exault himself, shall be brought
low"; and in Proverbs 29.23 we read: "The pride of a man shall bring him low".
Proverbs 16.18 tells us that: "Pride goeth before destruction, and a high mind
before the fall."
Act 2, Scene 1 Macbeth: Thou sure and firm-set earth,
Hear not
my steps, which way they walk, for fear
Thy very stones prate of my
whereabout,
And take the present horror from the time (2.1.65-9) Commentary: Macbeth knows that, although
those around him are unaware of his crimes, the earth and the heavens know all.
Notice the similarities to Job 20.27: "The heaven shall declare his wickedness,
and the earth shall rise up against him". Notice also the connection to Habakkuk
2.10,11: "Thou hast consulted shame to thine own house, by destroying many
people, and hast sinned against thine own soule. For the stone shall cry out of
the wall and the beam out of the timber shall answer it, woe unto him that
buildeth a town with blood."
Macbeth: the bell invites me.
Hear it
not, Duncan; for it is a knell
That summons thee to heaven or to hell.
(2.1.72-4) Commentary: Macbeth is
about to send King Duncan to his judgment before God. In Matthew 25.31, we are
told that "When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels
with Him, then He shall sit upon the throne of His glory/And before Him shall be
gathered all nations..." to be judged.
Act 2, Scene 2 Macbeth: I have done the deed (2.2.22) Commentary: Comparable to 1 Corinthians
5.2,3: "And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath
done this deed might be taken away from among you/For I verily, as absent in
body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present,
concerning him that hath done this thing". Macbeth surely knows these words well
and is aware that he has already been judged for his crime.
Lady Macbeth: Go get some water,
And
wash this filthy witness from your hand. (2.2.58) Commentary: The imagery of unclean hands
comes from Matthew 27.24, when Pilate comes before the masses gathered to
witness the trial of Jesus: "When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but
that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the
multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to
it."
Macbeth: Whence is that knocking?
How is't with me, when every noise appals me? (2.2.72-3) Commentary: Macbeth, of course, hears
knocking because Macduff has arrived at the castle, and there is great emphasis
placed upon Macduff's knocking since it startles Macbeth and his Lady and forces
them to quickly cover up their involvement in the murder. However, the knocking
can also be seen as symbolic, particularly if we make reference to the Bible. In
Luke 12.36, we are told that the Lord "cometh and knocketh", and in Revelation
3.20, we are told again that Christ will "stand at the door and knock". The fact
that even the smallest noise now unnerves Macbeth also has parallels in the
Bible, particularly in Leviticus 26.36, where we are told that God "will send
even a faintness" into the hearts of sinners, and "the sound of a shaken leaf
shall chase them."
Macbeth: What hands
are here? ha! they pluck out mine eyes. (2.2.74) Commentary: A reference to Matthew 18.8:
"Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from
thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than
having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire."
Act 2, Scene 3 Porter: Here's a knocking indeed! If a
man were
porter of hell-gate, he should have
old turning the key....Who's there, in
the other devil's
name? Faith, here's an equivocator, that could
swear in
both the scales against either scale;
who committed treason enough for God's
sake, 15
yet could not equivocate to heaven: O, come
in, equivocator.
(2.3.1-22) Commentary: Christ first
mentions the "gates of hell" in Matthew 16.18: "And I say unto thee, That thou
art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it". As Thomas Carter points out in his examination of
Shakespeare and Holy Scripture, the Porter's reference to "an equivocator", who
"committed treason enough for God's sake" is possibly related to the English
martyr, Jesuit Henry Garnett, who was executed in 1606.
Lennox: The night has been unruly: where we
lay,
Our chimneys were blown down; and, as they say, (70)
Lamentings heard
i' the air; strange screams of death,
And prophesying with accents terrible
Of dire combustion and confused events
New hatch'd to the woeful time:
the obscure bird
Clamour'd the livelong night: some say, the earth
(75)
Was feverous and did shake. (2.3.69-76) Commentary: Lennox reports events similar to
those found in Matthew 24:6, when Christ tells of the signs of the end of the
world: "And ye shall hear wars and rumours of wars....For nation shall rise
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and
pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places". Moreover, in his attempt to
accent the divine right of King Duncan, Shakespeare draws parallels to the
events surrounding the death of Christ, when "the earth did quake, and the
stones were cloven" (Matthew 27.51). Duncan's death has also brought about a
"feverous" and shaking earth.
Macduff:
Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope
The Lord's anointed temple, and
stole thence
The life o' the building! (2.3.86-8) Commentary: Macbeth has "broke ope/The Lord's
anointed temple" -- he has destroyed the anointed body of the King. 1
Corinthians tells us that human beings are "the temple of God, and that the
Spirit of God dwelleth" in each of us. "If any man destroy the temple of God,
him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which ye are".
Shakespeare's use of the phrase "Lord's anointed temple" to describe Duncan's
body highlights Duncan's status as divinely sanctioned ruler. It also emphasizes
the heinousness of Macbeth's crime against God's consecrated sovereign.
Lady Macbeth: What's the business,
That such a hideous trumpet calls to parley
The sleepers of the house?
(2.3.102-4) Commentary: "Macduff
has spoken of the great Doomsday when the graves shall give up their dead, and
Lady Macbeth takes up the thought and speaks of the Trumpet which shall call the
sleepers to the Judgment." (Carter 421) The sounding of a trumpet occurs several
times in the Bible. Note Matthew 24.31: "And He shall send his Angels with a
great sound of a trumpet"; and 1 Corinthians 15.52: "In a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet: for the trumpet shall blow and the dead
shall be raised."
Donalbain: There's
daggers in men's smiles: the near in blood,
The nearer bloody
(2.3.74-5) Commentary: A possible
reference to Psalms 62.4: "They delight in lies: they bless with their mouth,
but they curse inwardly". Also a possible reference to Psalms 28.3: "Draw me not
away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to
their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts."
Act 2, Scene 4 Ross: Ah, good father,
Thou seest, the heavens,
as troubled with man's act,
Threaten his bloody stage: by the clock, 'tis
day,
And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp:
Is't night's
predominance, or the day's shame,
That darkness does the face of earth
entomb,
When living light should kiss it? (2.4.6-11) Commentary: A reference to the events
surrounding the Crucifixion, as reported in Matthew 27.45,51: "Now from the
sixth hour was there darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour...And,
behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and
the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened."
Old Man: God's benison go with you; and
with those
That would make good of bad, and friends of foes!
(2.4.52-3) Commentary: An echo of
one of the fundamental teachings of Christ, told in Matthew 5.9: "Blessed are
the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God; and also in
Matthew 5.44: "But I say unto you, love your enemies; bless them that curse you:
do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you."
Act 3, Scene 1 Macbeth: For Banquo's issue have I fil'd my
mind;
For them the gracious Duncan have I murder'd;
Put rancours in the
vessel of my peace
Only for them; and mine eternal jewel
Given to the
common enemy of man,
To make them kings, the seed of Banquo
kings!(3.1.69-74) Commentary:
Macbeth's selfish lamentation reflects the words found in Mark 8.36:
"For what shall it profit a man, though he win the world if he lose his soul. Or
what exchange shall a man give for his soul". Note that "mine eternal jewel"
means Macbeth's "immortal soul", and echoes Christ's analogy of the soul to a
pearl, found in Matthew 13.45: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a
merchant man, seeking goodly pearls."
Macbeth: Do you find Your patience so
predominant in your nature
That you can let this go? Are you so
gospell'd
To pray for this good man and for his issue,
Whose heavy hand
hath bow'd you to the grave (3.1.93-8) Commentary: A reference to Luke 6.28: "Love
your enemies: do well to them which hate you. Bless them that curse you, and
pray for them which despitefully use you". Also a reference to Matthew 5.44,
which is very similar to Luke 6.28.
Macbeth: every one
According to the gift which
bounteous nature
Hath in him closed; (3.1.105-07) Commentary: Here Shakespeare alludes to
Matthew 25.15, in which Christ recites the parable of the talents: "And unto one
he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according
to his several ability; and straightway took his journey".
Act 3, Scene 2 Lady Macbeth: Nought's had, all's spent,
Where
our desire is got without content (3.2.7-8) Commentary: Lady Macbeth's desires have been
fulfilled, but she is nonetheless miserable. This reflects a common motif in the
Bible, particularly in Ecclesiastes 4.6: "Better is an handful with quietness,
then both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit". Also note the
similarities between Lady Macbeth's words and the warning issued in Proverbs
13.7: "There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing"; and in Psalms
106.15: "But He gave them their request: but sent leanness into their soul."
Macbeth: Light thickens; and the crow
Makes wing to the rooky wood:
Good things of day begin to droop and
drowse;
While night's black agents to their preys do rouse.
(3.2.57-60) Commentary: Compare to
Psalms 104.20: "Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of
the forest do creep forth."
Act 3, Scene 4 Macbeth: It will have blood; they say, blood will
have blood: (3.4.147) Commentary: A
possible reference to Genesis 9.6: "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his
blood be shed". Also a reference to Genesis 4.10: "The voice of thy brother's
blood cryeth unto Me from the earth, therefore thou art cursed from the earth."
Act 3, Scene 5 Hecate: And you all know, security
Is mortals'
chiefest enemy. (3.5.33-4) Commentary:
Security is a caveat discussed in Ecclus. 5.7: "Make no
tarrying to turn unto the Lord, and put not off from day to day: for suddenly
shall the wrath of the Lord break forth and in thy security thou shalt be
destroyed"; and also in 1 Corinthians 10.12: "Wherefore let him that thinketh he
standeth, take heed lest he fall."
Act 4, Scene 1 Macbeth: Let this pernicious hour
Stand aye
accursed in the calendar! (4.1.148-9) Commentary: Macbeth borrows Job's curse,
found in 3.5: "Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it: let the cloud
remain upon it, and let them make it fearful as a bitter day. Let darkness
possess that night, let it not be joined unto the days of the year, nor let it
come into the count of months."
Macbeth: No boasting like a fool;
This
deed I'll do before this purpose cool. (4.1.71-2) Commentary: A reference to 2 Corinthians
11.16: "I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool
receive me, that I may also boast myself a little."
Act 4, Scene 2 Lady Macduff: All is the fear and nothing is the
love; (4.2.15) Commentary: Lady
Macduff's extended complaint over her husband's absence contains this direct
reference to 1 John 4.18: "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth
out fear: because fear hath torment."
Act 4, Scene 3 Malcolm: Let us seek out some desolate shade, and
there
Weep our sad bosoms empty. (4.3.15) Commentary: These lines are related to
imagery found in Psalms 87.1: "By the rivers of Babel we sat, and there we wept,
when we remembered Zion". For Malcolm, forced to flee his native Scotland and
watch its destruction from afar, it is wholly appropriate to echo Psalms 87.1.
Malcolm: Angels are bright still, though
the brightest fell; (4.3.28) Commentary:
A reference to the fall of Lucifer, reported in various books of the
Bible, including Luke 10.18: "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven";
Isaiah 14.12: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning";
and 2 Peter 2.4: "For if God spared not the Angels that sinned, but cast them
down into hell."
Malcolm: When I shall
tread upon the tyrant's head. (4.3.55) Commentary: Imagery directly linked to Psalms
108.13: "Through God we shall do valiantly; for he shall tread down our
enemies."
Macduff: Not in the
legions
Of horrid hell can come a devil more damn'd
In evils to top
Macbeth. (4.3.67-9) Commentary: In
Luke 8.30, Jesus asks an insane man, "What is thy name? And he said, Legion:
because many devils were entered into him."
Macduff: the queen that bore thee,
Oftener upon
her knees than on her feet,
Died every day she lived (4.3.127-9) Commentary: A reference to 1 Corinthians
15.31: "I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die
daily."
Malcolm: But God above
Deal
between thee and me! (4.3.139-40) Commentary:
A common expression of covenant making in the Old Testament, found in
1 Samuel 20.23: "The Lord be between thee and me for ever"; and Genesis 21.23:
"Thou shalt deal with me"; and Genesis 31.49: "The Lord look between me and
thee."
Malcolm: Scarcely have coveted
what was mine own,
At no time broke my faith, (4.3.146-7) Commentary: Here Malcolm assures Macduff that
he has never broken God's tenth commandment, given in Exodus 20.17: "Thou shalt
not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor
his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, not anything that
is thy neighbour's."
Malcolm: And
sundry blessings hang about his throne, That speak him full of grace.
(4.3.179-80) Commentary: "Full of
grace" is a common phrase to describe Jesus and the Virgin Mary, as seen in John
1.14: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we behold his
glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
truth"; and in the prayer "The Hail Mary", which begins, "Hail Mary, full of
grace, the Lord is with thee."
Macduff: Did heaven look on,
And would not take
their part?
Sinful Macduff,
They were all struck for
thee!(4.3.264-7) Commentary: Here we
find echoes of two biblical themes. The first is the theme of heaven watching
over earth, as seen in Proverbs 15.3: "The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
beholding the evil and the good"; and 2 Chronicles 16.9: "For the eyes of the
Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth". The second is the theme of the
sins of the father visited upon the children. Macduff believes that his family
has died because of his sinful behaviour. Compare this to Exodus 20.5:
"Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children"; and Ezekiel 18.2: "The
fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge."
Malcolm: Macbeth
Is ripe for
shaking, and the powers above
Put on their instruments. (4.3.279-81) Commentary: Macbeth, and thus his stronghold,
is "ripe for shaking". Compare Malcolm's words to Nahum 3.12: "All thy
strongholds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken,
they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater."
Act 5, Scene 1 Gentlewoman: Neither to you nor any one; having no
witness to
confirm my speech. (5.1.16-7) Commentary: Comparable to Matthew
18.16: "But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that
in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established."
Lady Macbeth: Here's the smell of the blood
still: all the
perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand
(5.1.46-7) Commentary: As seen in
Act 2, the imagery of unclean hands is derived from Matthew 27.24: "When Pilate
saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took
water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the
blood of this just person: see ye to it". However, now that Lady Macbeth feels
the full impact of her crimes, we recall other biblical passages, including
Isaiah 59.2,3: "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and
your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear/For your hands are
defiled with blood and you fingers with iniquity; you lips have spoken lies,
your tongue hath muttered perverseness."
Act 5, Scene 3 Macbeth:This push
Will cheer me ever, or disseat
me now. (5.3.25-6) Commentary:
Compare to Daniel 11.40: "And at the end of the time shall the king
of the South push at him." Macbeth welcomes the attack or "push" by Macduff and
his army.
Macbeth: I have lived long enough: my way
of life
Is fall'n into the sear, the yellow leaf;
And that which should
accompany old age, (5.3.27-9) Commentary:
A reference to to Isaiah 1.30: "For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf
fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water."
Act 5, Scene 5 Macbeth: To-morrow, and to-morrow, and
to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable
of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to
dusty death (5.5.23-7) Commentary:
Macbeth's profound final soliloquy is rich with biblical imagery. The
following are the most significant relevant passages from Scripture:
2 Corinthians 6.2: "Behold now, the accepted time: behold now
the day of salvation." Isiah 45.6: "Seek ye the Lord while He may be
found, call ye upon Him while He is near." Psalms 22.15: "Thou hast
brought me into the dust of death." Job 18.5-6: "The light of the
wicked shall be quenched...and his candle shall be out out with him." Job
8.9: "We are but of yesterday and are ignorant: for our days upon earth are
but a shadow." Wisdom of Solomon 2.4: Our life shall pass away as the
trace of a cloud, and come to nought as the mist that is driven away with the
beams of the sun. For our time is as a shadow that passeth away and after our
end there is no returning." Wisdom of Solomon 5.9: "Passed away like
a shadow, and as a post that passeth by." Psalms 52.11: "My days are
like a shadow that fadeth, and I am withered like grass."
Macbeth: I pull in resolution, and begin
To doubt
the equivocation of the fiend
That lies like truth: (5.5.48-50) Commentary: In Scripture, Satan is the great
equivocator, lying "like truth" to confound the hearts of men. The temptation of
Eve in the Garden of Eden is one example, and another comes from the New
Testament, in John 8.44: "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your
father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the
truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of
his own: for he is a liar and the father of it."
Act 5, Scene 7 Macbeth: But get thee back; my soul is too much
charged
With blood of thine already.(5.7.7-8) Commentary: An echo of Genesis 9.5,6: "And
surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will
I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I
require the life of man/Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be
shed."
How to cite this article:
Mabillard, Amanda.
Biblical Imagery in Macbeth. Shakespeare Online. 20 Nov. 2001.
(date when you accessed the information) <
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/macbeth/bibimagery.html
>.
References Ackerman, Carl. The Bible in
Shakespeare. Columbus: Lutheran Book Concern, 1950. Carter, Thomas.
Shakespeare and Holy Scripture. New Haven: AMS Press, 1970. Milward,
Peter, S. J. Biblical Influences on Shakespeare's Great Tragedies.
Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1968. Wordsworth, Charles. Shakespeare's
Knowledge and Use of the Bible. London: Smith and Elder, 1864.
Amazing! Incredible! Unbelievable! William Shakespeare left his mark on the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. At least that is the rumor going around. According to a host of Websites and books, William Shakespeare was called upon to add his artistic touch to the English translation of the Bible done at the behest of King James, which was finished in 1611. As proof for this idea, proponents point to Psalm 46, and allege that Shakespeare slipped his name into the text. Here is how the story goes. Since Shakespeare was born in the year 1564, then he would have been 46 years old during 1610 when the finishing touches were being put on the KJV. In the King James Version, if you count down 46 words from the top (not counting the title) you read the word “shake,” then, if you omit the word “selah” and count 46 words from the bottom you find the word “spear.” Voilà ! Shakespeare must have tinkered with the text and subtly added his signature. How else could one account for all of these 46s to work out so well? To top it all off, William Shakespeare is an anagram of “Here was I, like a psalm.”
.... isn't it funny how we never seem to associate Atlas with Atlantis (even though he was said to have been its first king, and the place was named for him). The two stories, as separate accounts, don't seem to ring a bell with people. Atlantis was just an ancient idealized civilization that had a series of ten kings before it was washed away in a massive aqueous cataclysm; it is seldom compared with the Scriptural pre-flood civilization. While Atlas was just an ancient gardener who, in Greek myths, had a wife after whom the garden was named; there was a special tree with "golden" fruits; people who weren't supposed to pick from the tree did so; there was an expulsion and a serpent was placed to guard the way to the tree. Also, in a story that is apparently unrelated to the garden story, Atlas rebelled against god (Zeus) and was punished by becoming the mountain that keeps Heaven away from the Earth. However, taken together the two accounts do seem to weave a very much more familiar story.
Once we recognize Atlas as Adam, we can use this same recognition when we look at the whole series of myths, having to do with the characters who are related to him, in the mythic genealogies. The mythic motifs of Prometheus, the brother of Atlas, are full of possible references to the writings of Moses, Exodus (the wandering Io) as well as Genesis (the creation of man from clay). Epimetheus, another brother of Atlas, was the husband of the world's first woman, Pandora who introduced evil into the world by disobeying an order she was given. And Iapetus, the father of Atlas, Prometheus, and Epimetheus, is recognizable as Japheth.
Furthermore, just because we may see Atlas and Atlantis as Adam and the antediluvian world, doesn't necessarily relegate our theory about its location to the Atlantic Ocean only. The western emplacement of Atlantis seems to be a more recent convention. The father and brother of Atlas, Iapetus and Prometheus for instance, are associated more with Cappadocia and the Caucasus respectively. And Atlas, as Mount Sinai would certainly tend to preclude his supposed Western Africa location.
What do Jesus, Napoleon and the prophet Muhammad all have in common? They are the top three most significant historical figures, according to new analysis of online encyclopedia Wikipedia’s three million pages. Computer scientists Steven Skiena and Charles B Ward have studied the Wiki pages of more than 800,000 people to come up with a list of the world’s most important figures. Jesus is the most famous person in history according to a software programme that scours the internet to rank people’s importance+5 Jesus is the most famous person in history according to a software programme that scours the internet to rank people’s importance Using a ‘ranking algorithm’, the pair looked at the length of a person’s Wikipedia page, how many times it was read and the number of links from the pages of other major figures. Jesus came out at number one, while French Emperor was ranked at number two and the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, was at number three. The rankings are also compared against public opinion polls, Hall of Fame voting records, sports statistics, and the prices of paintings and autographs. William Shakespeare was in fourth place+5 Napoleon Bonaparte was in second place+5 Lasting impression: William Shakespeare was in fourth place while Napoleon was deemed the second most important person in history Other figures who ranked among the top ten include William Shakespeare, Adolf Hitler and Aristotle. The list appears in a new book called ‘Who’s Bigger: Where Historical Figures Really Rank’ and also includes separate rankings for artists and literary figures. The top pre-20th century artist is Leonardo da Vinci, with Michelangelo at number two and Raphael at number three. Vincent van Gogh topped the list for the modern-era artists with Picasso second and Monet third. The highest ranked literary figure is Shakespeare, followed by Charles Dickens and then Mark Twain.
.... Then there was the story of that previous civilization on the Earth, from which our modern culture sprang, which was destroyed, engulfed, in a great aqueous catastrophe. This previous civilization, called, "Atlantis," was named after Atlas, he was said to be their first king, and the flood which engulfed the place, is still known as the "Atlantic" Ocean. We learn the story of Atlantis from the Greek Plato, who explains why these ancient People were drowned away back then. He says that at first, their race was pure, but they earned their destruction because they had a racial fall, and had degenerated through mortal admixture. And that was that for Plato’s Atlantean civilization. So it was much like the Bible’s antediluvian civilization, where Adam’s daughters, bred with the giants, and this caused racial impurities, (His Spirit could not "strive with men indefinitely,") precursing the intolerable state which lead to Yahweh’s flood.
Atlas was cursed, just as Adam, to expect a certain "son" who could be described as nothing less than "messianic." Here's Ovid on the subject; "There dwelt huge Atlas, vaster than the race of man: son of Iapetus, his lordly sway extended over those extreme domains, ... Aglint with gold bright leaves adorn the trees,—boughs golden-wrought bear apples of pure gold. ... But Atlas, mindful of an oracle since by Themis, the Parnassian, told, recalled these words, “O Atlas! mark the day a son of Jupiter shall come to spoil; for when thy trees been stripped of golden fruit, the glory shall be his.” Fearful of this, Atlas had built solid walls around his orchard, and secured a dragon, huge, that kept perpetual guard, and thence expelled all strangers from his land." (Ovid, "Metmorhoses" Book 4. 8. 631-661 ff.). A "son of god" (Herakles) did come and in order to pluck from the tree he had to destroy the serpent.
The wife of Atlas "Hesperus" was named after the sun setting, the "Evening," or as we know it better by its common clipped form the "Eve" (The origin for this English term in defining the sun setting is lost to dim antiquity and I personally do not think that it is a mere coincidence.). Actually, according to Diodorus, the land was named after his wife, not the daughters; "Now Hesperos (Evening) begat a daughter named Hesperis (Evening), who he gave in marriage to his brother (Atlas) and after whom the land was given the name Hesperitis; and Atlas begat by her seven daughters, who were named after their father Atlantides, and after their mother Hesperides." (Diodorus Siculus, "Library of History" 4. 26. 2). Why were the daughters of Hesperus often the ones who were blamed for picking the fruit? I'm not sure, but perhaps it was a way to show the generational consequences for the act of committing the Original Sin. The term "Hesperides" may have carried an original meaning that was equivalent to the term "Daughters of Eve" indicating womankind in general.
John R. Salverda, how do square calling Atlas Adam and then go on to refer to “Iapetus, the father of Atlas, Prometheus, and Epimetheus, … recognizable as Japheth [the son of Noah!]“?
John Replies
Dear Michael,
I'm sorry but I have no explanation that can make this obvious inconsistency conform to the rest of the story. There are many places where the Greek myths coincide with the Scriptures, but there are even more differences between them. You may just as well ask; How could Atlas be Adam if he had a brother (Prometheus) who created mankind out of clay, and another brother (Epimetheus) who was married to the first woman? Or; Why is Atlas never referred to as the first man? Occasionally the differences can tell us more than the similarities do (the Greeks still thought that men and women were created separately, first a man and then a woman, and it was she who introduced evil into the world). It is evident that the Greek myths do not accurately recount the Scriptural narrative. I think that it is fair to say that some degree of accuracy was lost to the Greeks in trying to fit all of the varied, mainly Eastern, stories into its one big system of mythology (they seem to require that everyone be related in one way or another).
Now, as to why I consider Iapetus to be recognizable as Japheth (The similarity between the names is noteworthy, but it's not just the likeness between the names). Noah preached the God of Heaven; thus, Noah being deified, it was as this God. The Greeks called him "Ouranos," and Iapetus was one of his sons. Scripturally, Japheth is portrayed as the progenitor of the Caucasian races. While Iapetus was the father of, the first, and arguably, the most famous, “Caucasian” who ever lived! Prometheus. It is difficult indeed, to picture Prometheus as the creator of all mankind but, perhaps it was true, that he was (merely) the "procreator," of a certain, "race," of mankind, the Caucasians, who, once again, can be traced back to his father, the Greek Iapetus. Why are White folks named after the well known mountain of Prometheus, Mount Caucasia?
Furthermore, there was a group of People who were known to the Greeks as the, "Leucosyri," or the "White Syrians," they lived in the land, that the Persians called "Cappadocia." Once again, White People are associated with, this time the Persian form of the name, Japheth. (The Hebrews say, "Japheth," the Latins say, "Gepetto," and the Persians, "Cappado") Given the Biblical list in the family of nations at Gen. 10, and compare this with the location of these nations in the Assyrian inscriptions, one wonders why Cappadocia isn’t immediately recognized as being named after Japheth. Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, Ashkenaz, and Togarmah, (if Togarmah truly is Armenia,) are all contiguous with Cappadocia. The Greek form, Iapetus, is most like the Hebrew in pronunciation, and as the father of Caucasians these two at least must be identified.
Now Michael, I will offer a theory, purely speculative on my part, as to why these particular stories, with highly suspicious, apparently Scriptural motifs (the Adamic Atlas, the Messianic Prometheus, and the Eve-like Pandora) have been appended onto the family of Iapetus. Perhaps the Greeks saw their Iapetus in much the same way that the Hebrews saw Japheth, as some kind of geographical, or ethnic/linguistic, classification (ie. Armenian, Caucasian, or Indo-European). And they simply saw these specific myths as related, as all coming from the same place or group, and therefore categorized (as we do when we say "Japhetic") by making them to be "sons" of Iapetus. As to why these, usually thought to be Semitic, Hebrew stories, should be classified as "Japhetic" by the Greeks, I hesitate to speculate. Perhaps it is because Noah and his family were associated with Ararat (Armenia), or because Joppa (a main point of departure for Greek immigration and the main seaport for Jerusalem) was supposed to be founded by and named after Japheth, or just a general association between Japhetics and Semites (as in Genesis 9:27), I'm really not prepared to say.
Anyway, thanks for the question and interest in my work. -John R. Salverda
