Hamlet’s “whale”-shaped cloud is actually a reference to Bruno’s “tranquil cetus” from Lo Spaccio della besta trionfante

1. Hamlet’s “whale” is actually Bruno’s “tranquil
cetus”
“In all things, it is the Beginning and End that are interesting.”
---Yoshida Kenko, from Essays in Idleness (1330-2)
Hamlet: Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing you make of me!
You would play upon me; you would seem to know my stops; you would
pluck out the heart of my mystery; you would sound me from my lowest
note to the top of my compass; and there is much music,
excellent voice, in this little organ, yet cannot you make it
speak. 'Sblood, do you think I am easier to be play'd on than a
pipe? Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me,
you cannot play upon me.
[Enter Polonius.]
God bless you, sir!
Polonius: My lord, the Queen would speak with you, and presently.
Hamlet: Do you see yonder cloud that’s almost in shape of a camel?
Polonius: By th’mass and ‘tis, like a camel indeed.
Hamlet: Methinks it is like a weasel.
Polonius: It is back’d like a weasel.
Hamlet: Or like a whale.
Polonius: Very like a whale.
Hamlet: Then I will come to my mother by and by. [aside] They fool me to the top of my
bent* ---I will come by and by.
Polonius: I will say so. (exit)
Hamlet: 'By-and-by' is easily said.- Leave me, friends.
[Exeunt all but Hamlet.]
'Tis now the very witching time of night,
When churchyards yawn, and hell itself breathes out
Contagion to this world. Now could I drink hot blood
And do such bitter business as the day
Would quake to look on. Soft! now to my mother!
O heart, lose not thy nature; let not ever
The soul of Nero enter this firm bosom.
Let me be cruel, not unnatural;
I will speak daggers to her, but use none.
My tongue and soul in this be hypocrites-
How in my words somever she be shent,
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2. To give them seals never, my soul, consent! (Exit.) (III.ii.363-399)
*Footnote: { They fool me to the top of my bent=”they make me play the fool to the top of
my ability”(from the Riverside Shakespeare)}
First, the Blue Lines…..
It may seem in the blue lines above that Hamlet is just playing with Polonius, or rather,
tormenting him, forcing him to agree that a cloud looks like one animal and then another. But do
not forget that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are standing there too and Hamlet has just (in the
green lines above) rebuked them for trying to “play upon” him and for trying to “pluck out the heart
of his mystery”. (Of course, Hamlet’s mystery isn’t available to the paid spies of Claudius (since
Claudius is propagating fossil fuels and Hamlet is a solar power).
But why does Hamlet start talking about what particular shape a cloud has immediately after
rebuking Rosencrantz and Guildenstern for going about their interpreting all wrong? Moreover, this
puzzling discussion on how to correctly ‘interpret’ the shape of the cloud seems like it may be
somehow related to the green lines (which are also about interpreting a hidden meaning.) But the
blue lines seem so simple and straightforward---like something a child might say--- that they cannot
‘hide’ any clues or hints, or can they?
But, of course, since Shakespeare (as he, hidden behind the mask of Hamlet, admits) is ‘playing
the fool’ (as a writer writing) to the top of his ability (“to the top of my bent”), even simple words
can do amazing wonders. Hamlet’s “whale” is a clever Hermetic reference to the “cetus” in
Giordano Bruno’s The Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast.
Third part of the Third Dialogue
(Continuation of Sophia’s speech)
“Now here is how they offer to set up the third part of heaven,” said the
mighty Thunderer, “the part called austral, called meridional, where first, oh
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3. Nepture, that great and terrible animal of yours presents itself to us.”
“Cetus,” said Momus, “if it is not that monster which served as a galley,
carriage, or tabernacle for the prophet of Nineveh, which served as a meal,
medicine and vomitory, if not the trophy of Perseus’ triumph, if it is not the
protoparent of Ianni de l’Orco, if it is not the terrible beast of Cola
Catanzano, who descended with him to the lower regions, I do not know
what bad omen it may be, although I am one of the great secretaries of the
celestial republic.”
“Let it go, if it so pleases Jove, to Salonica; and let it see whether it can
serve as some beautiful fable to the bewildered nation and people of the
goddess Perdition. And because when this animal is discovered upon the
deep, tempestuous sea, it announces the sea’s future state of tranquility, if
not on the same day, on one of those that is to come later, it seems to me
that it must have been, in its class, a good prototype of the tranquility of the
spirit.”
“It is well,” said Jove, “that this sovereign virtue called Tranquility of Mind
should appear in heaven if it is that virtue which strengthens men against
mundane instability, the constant waves, and the insults of Fortune, keeps
them removed from the responsibility of administration, keeps them little
eager for novelties, little troublesome to their friends, and in no way subject
to vainglory, not perplexed because of the variety of misfortunes, not
irresolute in their encounters with death.” (Giordano Bruno, The Expulsion
of the Triumphant Beast, pages 254-5)
Hilary Gatti makes it clear that Horatio is associated most closely with this above “sovereign
virtue called Tranquility of Mind”:
Horatio’s role appears as essentially connected to that of Hamlet himself, not in
terms of a secondary function, but rather as complementary to the efforts of
philosophy to penetrate beyond the appearances of reality into the inner truths of
being.
One of the questions which the play poses is thus that of the ideal nature of this
new narrator-historian. Shakespeare does not avoid the question; rather, he
clarifies it in the extremely specific terms through Hamlet’s praise of Horatio
just before the staging of the inner play. During its performance, significantly,
Horatio becomes something more than the loyal and loved friend, starting a
direct collaboration with Hamlet in the unmasking of the hidden truth. Horatio
appears to Hamlet the ideal figure for this role for characteristics which we
continue to today to appreciate in the historian-narrator: his impartiality, his
balanced independence of judgement, his calm rationality. Hamlet also heavily
underlines the importance of Horatio’s position as an independent observer with
respect to the political intrigues of the Court, considering it an essential part of
his worth as both friend and collaborator that he has kept himself financially
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4. independent of the prevailing power-complex as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern,
for example, the paid spies, have not: ‘no revenue/ hast but thy good spirits/ To
feed and clothe thee---
Dost thou hear?
Since my dear soul was mistress of her choice,
And could of men distinguish her election,
Sh’ath seal’d thee for herself; for thou hast been
As one, in suffering all, that suffers nothing,
A man that Fortune’s buffets and rewards
Hast ta’en with equal thanks; and blest are those
Whose blood and judgement are so well commeddled,
That they are not a pipe for Fortune’s finger
To sound what stop she please. Give me that man
That is not passion’s slave, and I will wear him
In my heart’s core, ay, in my heart of heart,
As I do thee. (III.ii.62-74)
Hamlet’s choice of Horatio as a friend, and later as a recorder of his ‘story’,
relates in in interesting ways to the final section of the Spaccio (The Expulsion
of the Triumphant Beast) where Bruno deals with the merits of what he calls
‘the Calm Spirit’. Bruno too is developing the final stages of his process of
universal reform or ‘renovatio’ which take place in the third part of the
heavens. The precise moment in which Bruno introduces the theme of the
Calm Spirit is when Jupiter consults Neptune as to the correct way of dealing
with constellation known as the Cetus or the Maritime Monster. As usual,
Momus wants to have his say and butts into the discussion to identify the
Maritime Monster as a whale, associating it with the biblical story of Jonah.
Jupiter accepts the connection with the Old Testament fable, and accordingly,
decides to send the Cetus off to Salonicca, a Greek town famous as a
hospitable centre for the Jews and counting a large Jewish community. The
question to be faced then is what kind of virtue to promote to the seat vacated
by the Maritime Monster. It is here that Jupiter summons to the skies the virtue
which he calls the Calm Spirit. The whale itself, Jupiter claims, may be
associated with the idea of rest or calm, for ‘when this animal makes its
appearance above the high waves of a boiling and tempestuous sea, it
announces the arrival of future calm, if not on that same day, at least on an
approaching one’. This episode of the reform thus announces the coming end
of the convulsive working out of the new order. But the virtues of the Calm
Spirit are also considered by Bruno as importance accompanying factors of the
final stages of the reform itself—
It is to be desired—said Jupiter---that this sovereign virtue, called
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5. Calmness of Spirit, appear in the heavens, as it is that which balances
men against the upheavals of the world, renders them constant against
the buffets of fortune, keeps them away from the care of governments,
prevents them from pursuing every novelty, makes then of little
annoyance to enemies and of little trouble to their friends, quite
untouched by pride or conceit, unperplexed by the vagaries of chance,
not irresolute at the prospect of death.
There are striking similarities between this speech of Jupiter’s in praise of the
Calm Spirit and Hamlet’s praise of Horatio. (Hilary Gatti, The Renaissance
Drama of Knowledge, pages 155-6)
If we look again at the lines that Hamlet uses to praise Horatio, especially these (in
brown, below) do seem to echo the lines from The Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast
(“constant against the buffets of fortune..”):
for thou hast been
As one, in suffering all, that suffers nothing,
A man that Fortune’s buffets and rewards
Hast ta’en with equal thanks; and blest are those
Whose blood and judgement are so well commeddled,
That they are not a pipe for Fortune’s finger
To sound what stop she please. Give me that man
That is not passion’s slave…
Moreover, the phrase “that they are not a pipe for Fortune’s finger/ To sound what stop she
please” above certainly seems to echo the passage (in green) I quote at the beginning of this paper
where Hamlet angrily accuses Rosencrantz and Guildenstern:
…you would sound me from my lowest note to the top of my compass; and there is much
music, excellent voice, in this little organ, yet cannot you make it speak. 'Sblood, do you think I am
easier to be play'd on than a pipe? Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me,
you cannot play upon me.
Later, as Hamlet is dying from Laertes’ poisoned sword, he begs Horatio to “Report me and my
cause aright to the unsatisfied” (V.ii.338) and a few lines later tells Horatio again “Absent thee from
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6. felicity a while/ And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain/ To tell my story” (V.ii.346-8) and
finally Hamlet pleads to Horatio “So tell him, with th’ occurrents more and less/ Which have
solicited---the rest is silence.”(V.ii.357-8) Horatio, associated with the Calm Spirit, is to be trusted
to report Hamlet’s story, but not Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, associated with Claudius, though
they have tried to “pluck out the heart” of Hamlet’s “mystery”.
Hamlet’s cloud “whale”, like Jupiter’s Maritime Monster constellation, appears in the sky. It is
amusing to see Polonius, who has no idea what Hamlet is talking about, quote him verbatim and
respectfully (“very like a whale”) which echoes the situation whereby only a select few would
understand what Shakespeare was trying to say (using Bruno’s basic philosophy) about fossil fuels
and the sun with his artful allegories. The majority, like Polonius, would simply be at a loss when
presented with Hamlet (or Shakespeare’s other solar allegories) and the “whale” might as well be a
“camel” or a “weasel” for all they would know or care or understand. Hamlet underscores that the
puzzle-aspect of his play is intentional with his line “they fool me to the top of my bent”.
Finally, the Red Lines……
Looking at the red lines quoted at the beginning of this paper:
'Tis now the very witching time of night,
When churchyards yawn, and hell itself breathes out
Contagion to this world. Now could I drink hot blood
And do such bitter business as the day
Would quake to look on. Soft! now to my mother!
O heart, lose not thy nature; let not ever
The soul of Nero enter this firm bosom.
Let me be cruel, not unnatural;
I will speak daggers to her, but use none.
My tongue and soul in this be hypocrites-
How in my words somever she be shent,
To give them seals never, my soul, consent! (Exit.) (III.ii.363-399)
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7. Since the Queen is Shakespeare’s audience or the English society, we can see here Shakespeare
divulging his methods a bit. He “will speak daggers to her, but use none”. In other words, his ideas
are somewhat controversial or would be at odds with prevailing ideas and would be seen as such.
But, interestingly, he keeps reaffirming that he will only use words and not deeds. In other words,
he could be claiming that he means to be trying to protect her.
It may be strange but the only analogy I can think of readily is the way some J-pop singers
often use the phrase “mamoru” (“I’ll protect (you)”) in their lyrics and, by the way, J-pop singers
also often sing about shining things, the moon the sky, the rain and the snow, etc. In fact, they sing
about these planetary things—associated with the sky (like Hamlet’s “whale”-shaped cloud)--- way
more often than western pop singers do.
But it’s surely very vague---and even, ‘cloudy’-- to end like this. But maybe that’s appropriate,
since the discussion was clouds at the start.
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