TEXT:
Second Clown
But is this law?
First Clown
Ay, marry, is't; crowner's quest law.
Second Clown
Will you ha' the truth on't? If this had not been
a gentlewoman, she should have been buried out o'
Christian burial.
First Clown
Why, there thou say'st: and the more pity that
great folk should have countenance in this world to
drown or hang themselves, more than their even
Christian. Come, my spade. There is no ancient
gentleman but gardeners, ditchers, and grave-makers:
they hold up Adam's profession.
Second Clown
Was he a gentleman?
First Clown
He was the first that ever bore arms.
Second Clown
Why, he had none.
First Clown
What, art a heathen? How dost thou understand the
Scripture? The Scripture says 'Adam digged:'
could he dig without arms? I'll put another
question to thee: if thou answerest me not to the
purpose, confess thyself…
Second Clown
Go to.
First Clown
What is he that builds stronger than either the
mason, the shipwright, or the carpenter?
Second Clown
The gallows-maker; for that frame outlives a
thousand tenants.
NOTES:
Suicide
There is much discussion of suicide in this play. This first of Hamlet's soliloquies starts with his wish to end his life, and the theme will of course be picked up in the more famous 'to be or not to be' soliloquy later in the play. Later in the play it is debated whether or not Ophelia can have a full Christian burial because her death might have been a suicide too - and so the issue haunts the entire play.
Arms
Shakespeare had pursued his own coat of arms in the 1590s. For more detail about how this was discussed earlier in the podcast (and the play!) go back to Episode 19 - Foul Play.
The Peasants’ Revolt
The Peasants' Revolt happened in May 1381. There were multiple causes in play - a deeply unpopular poll tax (to help finance King Richard’s troublesome wars in France) and the economic discomfort of the aftermath of the Black Death, the plague that had ravished Europe. The peasants, whipped up by the preachings of John Ball, demanded loudly that all men should be treated equally, eager for a fairer distribution of wealth.
The King James Bible
The King James Bible would not appear until about a decade after Hamlet was written, but this scene of the play does speak to why the book was increasingly necessary. The Grave Digger jokes about the literacy of his colleague, unable to quote the Bible. (But, as mentioned he himself is misquoting it!)
Adam
The Book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, does not have any reference to Adam doing the digging. In Genesis, it’s Cain that does the digging!