“Vows to the Blackest Devil”: Hamlet and the Evolving Code of Honor in Early Modern England

1999 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 1070-1086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reta A. Terry
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Early Modern England ◽  
The State ◽  
Honor Code ◽  
Honor System ◽  
The Individual ◽  
State Analysis

The Renaissance was a period in which the honor code underwent a significant metamorphosis. The medieval, chivalric code of honor, with its emphasis on lineage, allegiance to one's lord and violence, evolved into an honor code that was both more moral and political in that it began to emphasize the individual conscience and allegience to the state. Analysis of Shakespeare's Hamlet, and in particular its characters' use of promise, provides new and revealing insights into the evolving Renaissance codes of honor, for Shakespeare creates characters in Hamlet that represent various stages in the evolution of a changing honor system.

scholarly journals Worms, worms, everywhere, and not a one to see: The connotative role of worms in Shakespeare’s canon

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Christine Reid
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
The State ◽  
The Body ◽  
Cultural Constructs ◽  
Body And Soul ◽  
The Individual

The study of animals in Shakespeare’s collected works has expanded over the last 30 years. While a number of different animals have been discussed, the importance of the worm in the larger scope of the canon has largely been ignored. By focusing on the perception and presentation of worms in relation to cultural ideas of death, corruption, and consumption, ideas surrounding the body and soul are brought to the forefront. Worms are integral to our understanding of the Early Modern cultural constructs of the body and soul as the presence of worms reveals the state of the individual or the broader environment. Overall, the depiction of worms in Shakespeare’s works serves as a way to understand the metaphysical processes surrounding death and corruption.

15 Legal Conceptions of Statehood

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Biaggini Giovanni
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Early Modern Period ◽  
The State ◽  
Modern Period ◽  
The Individual

This chapter traces the evolution of legal conceptions of the state. In relation to the topic, the chapter discusses the structures and boundaries of various state administrations. It first looks at the changing conceptions and characterizations of the term ‘state’ since its first appearance in writings during the early modern period. The chapter then considers the conceptions of statehood and administration together, and their implications for the Europeanization and internationalization of law. Afterwards, the chapter delves into a more thorough discussion of administration as a multifaceted concept. From here, the chapter provides some concluding remarks on the process of Europeanization as a plurality as a result of the different conditions and conceptions of administration within the individual states.

Friendship, Coercion, and Interest: Debating the Foundations of Justice In Early Modern England

2004 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Social Order ◽  
Early Modern England ◽  
The State ◽  
Human Personality ◽  
Valuable Source ◽  
Economic Theories ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Commutative Justice ◽  
Promise Keeping

AbstractThis essay examines the significance of friendship and the expectations associated with it in the early modern debate about trust and the fulfillment of obligations as that debate unfolded in England. A thorough rethinking about the foundations of society and the mechanisms of social order focused on the motives and justifications that led people to create and fulfill obligations to others, especially in the area of commutative justice. Commutative justice was achieved when contracts were secure, promises kept, exchanges carried through, and debts paid. The growth of the state, new economic theories, and the development of strict contract encouraged reliance on coercion (or punitive measures) and self-interest. While these visions of society triumphed, there was a show of resistance based on the idea that friendship was a more valuable source of justice because it brought into play the virtues of generosity, gratitude, and promise-keeping (or fidelity). At stake was the very de fi nition and scope of human personality and morality.

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