The Bhagavad Gita and Hamlet...Together Again

When I found out we were supposed to be reading the Gita and Hamlet together, I was perplexed at first--at face value, the texts seem to have little in common. Here's the Gita, one of the most important religious texts of all time, and then Hamlet...an important Shakespearian play, but I always explored it from the analysis of the human condition, not from the religious angle.

And yet...there is one (well-known) quote from Hamlet that entered my brain, connecting the texts before I even started reading:

"There are more things on heaven and earth, Horatio,

Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." (1.5)

While Hamlet was, for me, a surprising foray into God and religion, the Gita was full of inspirational ideas on faith:

Out of compassion I destroy the darkness of their ignorance. From within them I light the lamp of wisdom and dispel all darkness from their lives

For those who have attained the summit of union with the Lord, the path is stillness and peace.

Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is.

Setting aside all noble deeds, just surrender completely to the will of God. I shall liberate you from all sins. Do not grieve.

Finally, a quote from Hamlet to round it out:

"Sure, he that made us with such large discourse,
Looking before and after, gave us not
That capability and godlike reason
To fust in us unused." (4.4)

Hamlet and the Gita, as we discussed in class, are surprising counterparts. Man is made by his

belief...he is given these gifts of reason to be used, to find God. Look forward to further exploration of themes found in both the Hamlet and the Gita, themes enhancing this humanistic idea.