strathmann - the devil can cite scripture

7/27/2019 Strathmann - The Devil Can Cite Scripture

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George Washington University

The Devil Can Cite ScriptureAuthor(s): Ernest A. StrathmannReviewed work(s):Source: Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Spring, 1964), pp. 17-23Published by: Folger Shakespeare Library in association with George Washington UniversityStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2867866 .

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TheDevilCanCiteScriptureERNEST A. STRATHMANNNTONIO, the merchant f Venice, scornfully ejectsShy-lock's attempt o find n the story f Jacoband the piedlambsustificationor sury.

Markyou his, assanio,The devil ancite criptureor ispurpose.Anevil oulproducingolywitnessIs like villainwith smilingheek,A goodlypple ottenttheheart.0. what goodly utside alsehoodath! I. iii. 98-i03)The admonition o Bassaniohas its origin n Scripture,ts analogues n theethicalphilosophy f theRenaissance, nd its illustrationn othercharactersthan hylock.

ITe devil does citescripturen tempting esus o casthimself own fromthetemple:"For it is written, e shallgive his angelschargeover thee,tokeep thee";' and Jesus xposes thefallacy n the invitation o wilful test ofhis divinity.n Shakespeare's lays, s in the poems of Spenser nd Milton,falsehood as a goodly utsidewhich s not oreadily enetratedyfrailmortals.In broadterms,hedeception s at theheart f thebitter ontrast etween heappearancendthereality hich hocks ndultimatelyestroyshe great ragicheroes.Hamlet'sfirst xtended peech s an outraged ejection f "seeming",and his firstoliloquy xpressesheanguishofdisillusionment;thello s de-ceivedby"honest"ago; Lear isdriven o madness ythecrueltyf thedaugh-terswho flatteredim; Macbethdiscovers,oo late,the equivocationn fairpromises.n thenarrower erms y whichthis ssay s limited,Antonio's rin-cipleis illustratedn the speeches f villainswho give good advice and pro-nounce ounddoctrine. propose o examine,n their ramatic ontext, fewspeeches fwhich tmay be said "tropically"hatthe devil can citescripture.

ITago'sadvice to thedisconsolate oderigo s a simple nd clear llustration

ofthecorrupt pplicationfsounddoctrine. oderigo, aving ostDesdemona,threatenso drownhimself,nd Iago professes imself ppalled at such adeficiencynself-love.Rod.What should do? I confesst is myshame o be so fond, utit s not nmy irtueo mendt.Iago. Virtuel fig!tis nourselveshatwe are thus rthus.Our bodies

lPsalms XCI: 11-12; Luke IV: io-ii. Quotations romShakespearere fromThe CompletePlays ndPoems, d. byW. A. Neilson ndC. J.Hill (Cambridge, ass., 942).


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i8 ERNEST A. STRATHMANNare ourgardens,othewhich urwills regardeners;o that fwe willplantnettlesr sow ettuce,ethyssopndweedup thyme,upply twithonegender fherbs rdistracttwithmany,ither ohave t sterile ithidlenessrmanured ithndustry,hy, hepowerndcorrigibleuthorityofthis ies n ourwills. f thebalance fourliveshadnotonescaleofreason opoise notherfsensuality,heblood ndbasenessfournatureswould onducts tomost reposterousonclusions;utwe havereason ocool ourragingmotions,urcarnal tings,urunbittedusts, (I. iii.319-336)

Had lago stoppedhere,his speech ould standas a brief reatise n thebeliefthatman-made a littleower hantheangels-is manbyvirtue f theexerciseof thedistinctiveift freason. hakespearecceptswithout uestion nd usesfreely heprevalentdea thatreasonsetsman apartfrom he loweranimals.Hamlet tells us that"a beast,thatwantsdiscourse f reason",would havemournedhis father's eathlongerthanhis motherdid. Lady Macbethcandistort he principlento a reproach f her husband'shesitation o murderDuncan.Macbeth. Prithee, eace!I dare o allthatmay ecome man;Whodares o~moresnone.LadyMacbeth. Whatbeastwas t,then,Thatmadeyou reakhis nterpriseome?

Whenyoudurst o t, hen ouwere man;And,to bemore hanwhatyouwere,youwouldBe omuchmoreheman.I.vii. 5-51)But Iago is notspeaking utofcharactern a moral ecture n therationalsoul. His speech oncludes,

... ourunbittedusts,whereof take his hatyou all ove obe a sect r cion.Love is simply n offshootf ust.As a manyoushouldcontrolhis ove (lust)foryourown self-interest.ago manages n thefewwordsof his conclusionnotonly opervertheapplicationfhismoral essonbutto confuseovewithsensuality. is cynicaldegradation f love evokescomparisonwith anotherpronouncementnthe ubject:

Call tnot ove, or ove oheavensfled,Since weatingust nearth surp'd isname;Underwhose impleemblanceehath edUponfresheauty,lottingtwith lame;Which hehot yranttains ndsoon ereaves,Ascaterpillarsothe endereaves.Lovecomfortethike unshinefterain,ButLust's ffectstempestfterun;Love'sgentlepringoth lways reshemain,Lust'swinteromes re ummer alf edone;Love urfeitsot, ust ike gluttonies;Love s all truth,ust full fforgedies. Venus, 1. 93-804)


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THE DEVIL CAN CITE SCRIPTURE 19Or with hemore ophisticatedonnet29:

Th' expense f spiritn a wasteof shameIs lustnaction;..The irony fIago's advice s thathe convinces otonly the gullRoderigo;hehas convincedhimself.More than one commentatorn Othellohas observedthat ago's failure o understandove leadsto his undoing.

IIIn his derisive ejection f judicial astrology dmund is citing he churchfathers,f not scripture. ome commentatorsave not recognized hat theseemingly old skepticismfhis soliloquy s in harmonywithChristian oc-trine.As in Iago's moral ecture, hough ess apparentlyoday, t is not the

philosophyhat swrong, ut ts pplication.The Earl of Gloucesterhas exclaimedupon the controversialncidentsportended ythe late eclipses.Afterhis fathereaves,Edmund remarks on-temptuouslyponhiscredulity.This is theexcellentopperyftheworld, hat,whenwe are sick n for-tune,-oftenhe surfeitsfour ownbehaviour,-wemakeguilty fourdisastershe un, hemoon, nd stars,s ifwe werevillains n necessity,foolsbyheavenlyompulsion,naves, hieves,nd treachersy sphericalpredominance,runkards,iars, ndadulterersyan enforc'dbediencefplanetarynfluence,nd all thatwe are evil n, bya divine hrustingn.An admirablevasion fwhore-masteran, o layhisgoatish ispositiononthe harge fa star!Myfatherompoundedithmymother nder hedragon's ail, ndmynativity as underUrsamajor; o that t follows,I am rough nd lecherous.ut, shouldhavebeenthat am,had themaidenliesttar nthefirmamentwinklednmybastardizing.I. ii. 128-'45)

Edmundis in good companyn rejectinghe nfluencefthestars n thewillof man.One of theethical rgumentsgainst hepractice f udicialastrology-that branchof astrology oncernedwith foretellinghe future-was thatevildoers end to blamethestarsfor theirwrongdoing. n religious roundsjudicial strology as rejecteds implying limitationponGod'somnipotence.An apologist orudicial strology,hristopher eydon,doesnot allowthe tarsan influenceponthewill ofman.An infinite umber f scholars, e writes,

. . . allwith neconsenteachnofurther,han urschoolmennddivinesdo second hem, amelyhat heheavens o incline, ut notenforce,e-causetheyhave no direct oweroverthe will ofmanfromwhence llhumanctions,sfromheir riginal,onaturallylow.2RobertGray, clergyman,s in essential greementwithHeydon:

Tle starsdo sometimesoreshowuch things s happen, ut they renottheenforcingausesof such things s happen.Most impious nd2A DefenCe f judiCialAstrologyCambridge,603), pp. 3, 20-21. For a brief ccountofElizabethan pinions n astrology,ee E. A. Strathmann,ir WalterRalegh:A Study n Eliza-bethan kepticismNew York, 1951), pp. 192-197, and the referenceshere ited,especially .

192, n. 42.


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20 ERNEST A. STRATHMANNblasphemoustis, toascribe hese hings o the nfluencend operationfthe tars: or t s to robGod of his honor, o derogate rom is power, ooverthrowis providence,nd to tie God to secondarynd subordinatecauses, nd in respectfourselves,textinguishethhefear f God in us,ithindersurrepentancend conversionntoGod, tdraws s toatheism,and to flatontemptoth fGod andhis udgments.3

Sir WalterRaleghdenies he direct nfluence fthe stars pon thewill of man,but arguesforan indirect nfluence bymediation f the sensitiveppetite".He quotes the opinionof St. Augustine n languagenot unlikeEdmund'sstrictures.But n thisquestion f fate, hemiddle ourse s to be followed,hatas with heheathen e do notbindGod to his creatures,n this upposednecessityf destiny,o on the ontrary e do notrob those eautifulrea-

tures ftheir owers nd offices.or had any of these econd ausesde-spoiledGod ofhis prerogative,r hadGod himselfonstrainedhe mindandwillofmanto impious cts by anycelestialnforcements,hen urethe mpious xcuse fsomewere ustifiable;fwhomSt. Augustine . ."Wherewe reprehendhem fevildeeds, hey gainwithwicked erverse-nessurgethat ather he Author nd Creator f the stars, han he doerof he vil stobeaccused."Butthat he tars ndother elestial odies ncline hewillbymediationofthe ensitiveppetite, hich s also stirredy theconstitutionnd com-plexion,tcannot e doubted.4In brief, dmund'sderisive ttack n judicial astrology as reputable up-port, othethical nd religious; ut, s in Iago's advicetoRoderigo, he essonis misapplied. dmund does not concludethatman mustdisciplinehis willand fear God. Both critics f judicial astrologynd its apologists greedthatsoundeducationndreligious urture ould counteracthe imited nd indirectinfluence f the stars.But Edmundhas rejectedmoralresponsibilitynd re-ligious duty along with udicial astrology.n his first peech n scene ii heinvokesnature s hisgoddess, nd in denying he nfluencef the starshe hassimultaneouslyeclared his freedom rom the laws of man and God. Thespeechon astrologys preceded yEdmund'sseemingly eluctantnsinuations

againstEdgar.The speech nds,whenEdgar enters, ithEdmundpretendinga beliefnthe strology hichhe has ustdenounced.III

Unlike Iago and Edmund,Claudius does not disclosehis villainy t thebeginning f theplay.Not until thebeginning f Act III of Hamlet do wehear fromClaudius.himself n acknowledgmentf wrongdoing. olonius,having rderedOpheliato"read on thisbook"as a pretended ccupationwhilesheawaitsHamlet, omments:Weareoft oblamenthis,-'Tis toomuchprov'd-thatwithdevotion'sisageAndpious ctionwedosugar 'erThe devil imself.III. i. 46-49)

8 An Alarum o England i609), sigs.C it-C2'.4History f the World i614), bk. , ch. I, sec.xi, p. 15.


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THE DEVIL CAN CITE SCRIPTURE 2IThe words atch he conscience f theKing,who confessesn an aside:

0. 'tis rue![Aside.]How smart lash that peech othgivemyconscience!Theharlot'sheek, eautied ith last'ringrt,Is notmore gly othe hing hat elps tThan smy eed omymost ainted ord.0 heavyurden!III. i. 49-54)

In Act I we knownothing f this.As the second ceneof Hamletopensweare awareofsomething miss, incea ghost n the semblance fKing Hamlethas appeared;but we have notyetbeen toldemphaticallyhat Somethingsrottenn the state fDenmark", nd we areyetto hear Hamlet'ssoliloquy nthe deep-seated auses of his griefand melancholy. he good advice thatClaudiusgivesHamletconcerning rief,herefore,resents contrast etweenwords nd motiveshat s lesssharply pparent,tthetime, han n thespeechesof ago and Edmund.If we can encompass he featofwatching cene i unfold s ifforthefirsttime,we find urselveswitnessing formal ourt cene n which mild-spokenkingseems obe in judicious ontrol f events. rue,we are shocked o learnthatthisking, n succeedinghis brother, as promptlymarriedhis brother'swidow; but thecourthas acquiescedand theonlydiscordant lement s thesilent rinceHamlet,clad in black. The king s alert n counteringhe threatfromNorway,gracious n granting aertes eave to departforFrance, andkindly-uneasy erhaps?-in addressing amlet. Gertrude'solicitous ntreatyto Hamlethas culminatedn an unhappy hrase. f death s common, Whyseems t so particular iththee?" n Hamlet's view, therehas been too muchof eeming, nd hisretortspassionate:Seems,madam!Nay, t s; I know ot seems."'Tisnot lonemynky loak, oodmother,Norcustomaryuits f olemn lack,

Norwindyuspirationfforc'd reath,No,nor he ruitfulivernthe ye,Northe ejectedaviour f he isage,Together ith llforms, oods, hows fgrief,That andenotemetruly. hese ndeed eem,Fortheyre ctionshat manmight lay,But have hatwithin hich assethhow,Thesebut he rappingsnd the uits fwoe. I. ii.76-86)It is in reply o thisoutburst hatClaudius givesthe Prince dviceof which

noChristianmoralist oulddisapprove.'Tis sweet ndcommendablen yournature, amlet,To give hesemourninguties oyour ather.But,youmust now, our atherost father;Thatfatherost,osthis; nd he urvivoroundInfilial bligationor ome ermTo do obsequiousorrow. ut operseverInobstinateondolementsa courseOf mpioustubbornness;tisunmanlyrief;


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22 ERNEST A. STRATHMANNItshows willmost ncorrectoheaven,Aheart nfortified,mindmpatient,Anunderstandingimple ndunschool'd;Forwhatwe knowmust e, nd sas commonAsany hemost ulgar hing o ense,Why houldwe nourpeevish ppositionTake ttoheart? ie! tis fault oheaven,Afault gainst he ead, fault onature,To reasonmost bsurd, hose ommonhemeIsdeath ffathers,ndwho till ath ried,From he irstorse ill e that ied oday,"Thismust e o." I. ii. 7-i06)

Intemperancengriefs an affrontoheaven; ven part rom hristianuty heintemperances a moralfault. he first ncounter fSirGuyonwith ntemper-ancemay erve s an analogue. n BookTwo of The FaerieQueene, briefndrighteous isplay fanger,nducedbyArchimago's lander fthe Red CrosseKnight, s dispelledbymutualrecognition.hen Guyonand thePalmer, ntheir irst dventure,meetAmavia,who, n the ntemperancefgrief ver thedeathof herhusband, asgivenherself mortalwound.FirstGuyonand thenthePalmermoralize ponthe cene.

Then urningohisPalmer aid,OldsyreBehold hemage fmortalitiesAndfeeble atureloth'd ith leshlyyre,When aging assion ith ierceyrannieRobsreason fherdue regalitie,Andmakes t eruantoher asest art:Thestrongtweakens ithnfirmitiesAndwith old uriermesheweakestart;The stronghroughleasureoonestalles,heweake hroughmart.Buttemperancesaidhe) with oldenquireBetwixthem oth anmeasureut meane,Neitheromelt npleasures hot esire,Norfrynhartlesseriefenddolefulleene.Thrisehappieman,whofareshem oth tweene: . .5

The brief ermon yClaudius on the sin of immoderateriefdeserves heapprobationfthe earned nd godly.The speech oncludeswith an invitationto Hamlettoregard heking shisfather, ith hepronouncementhatHamletis next n line of succession-andwith a refusal f permissiono return oWittenberg,he kind ofpermissionust granted oLaertes. f a ghostly isitorand an uncanonicalmarriage aveputus on thealert,we just possiblymaybesuspicious f thisrefusal fpermissiono travel.Although hepassagedoesnotpresent n immediatelypparent ontrast etween fairterms nd a villain'smind" (in Bassanio'sapt phrase),we hear in a soliloquy hatbeginsonlyadozen ines aterHamlet's ondemnationfthemoralizing ing.And thatnightHamlet s mpelled o setdown nhistables Thatonemay mile,ndsmile, ndbe a villain!"5 F. Q., II. i. 57-58. For some othercounsels on temperancen grief, ee L. B. Campbell,Shakespeare'sragicHeroes Cambridge,930), pp. 11 -11 7.


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THE DEVIL CAN CITE SCRIPTURE 23IV

FromthedeceptionsracticedySpenser's rchimagondDuessatothetemptationfEvebyMilton'satan, vilpresenteds a "fair ppearingood"isa recurrenthemefElizabethano'ets,ramatists,ndtellersftales.Wheneven nangel annot enetratealse-seeming,sUriel tfirstails orecognizethe isguisedatan,mallwonderhat wisemansensnared.Forneitheran orAngelandiscernHypocrisy,he nlyvil hat alksInvisible,xceptoGod lone.P.L., II. 682-684)

The threepeechesponwhich haveconcentratedyattention erelyepitomizeproblemithin hich hakespeareramedismajor ramaticon-flicts.wo ofthe peeches,hose y agoand Edmund, ave ometimeseenmisunderstood,o theextenthat ago'sspeechhas been consideredotallyimmoralndEdmund's otallyrreligious.n fact,ll three peecheserve oisolatehe isparityetweenordsnddeeds, etweenretensendreality.nanagewhich aveprimacyothe idacticunctionf iterature,oodwordsmeantlittlenless hey roducedooddeeds. ortia, alfmockingly,ells ermaid:

Iftodowere s easy s toknowwhatwere ood o do,chapelsadbeen hurchesndpoormen'sottagesrinces'alaces.t s a gooddivinethat ollowsis wnnstructions;can asiereachwentyhatwere oodtobedone,han obeoneofthe wentyo followmine wnteaching.(I. ii.13-i8)In a more omberein, nd nlanguageloseroourtext,irWalter aleghlamentshathe ntellectualraspf heprincipleoesnot ssurehepracticefthe irtue,hathe evilsremoreearnedndivinityhanmen.Foralthougheligionndthe ruthhereofeineveryman'smouth... whatsitotherhann universalissimulation?eprofesshatweknowGod,butbyworks e deny im. orbeatitudeothnot onsistin the nowledgefdivinehings,utna divineife; orhe evilsnow

them etterhanmen.... Weareall (in effect)ecomeomediansnreligion:ndwhileweact n gesturendvoice ivine irtues,nallthecoursefour iveswerenounceurpersonsnd he arts eplay.6Inbrief,he evil an ite criptureor ispurpose.ntonio'sebuke-ofhylockhas a largerontexthan he toryfthebond,argerven han he onflictsfthe reatragedies.Pomona ollege

8 History ftheWorld i614), Preface,ig.C 2z.

strathmann - the devil can cite scripture

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