“Blake’s Hebrew Calligraphy,” an article by Abraham Samuel Shiff, a student in the MALS program, has been accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed journal Blake/An Illustrated Quarterly for publication in the last quarter of 2012.
William Blake (1757-1827) studied Hebrew to be able to read the Old Testament, and incorporated Hebrew words in several of his works. The paper offers a judgment of his competence in Hebrew by analyzing the characters he drew, and interprets the words they form.
The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York (2001.73), reproduced with the permission of The Morgan Library & Museum.
This example is a watercolor drawing entitled Jobs’ Evil Dreams, one of a series drawings and engravings Blake created to illustrate The Book of Job. Portrayed is Job’s nightmare. Hovering above the tormented sleeping Job is Satan in the guise of the “Angel of Light,” who points to the tablets of the Ten Commandments. Three of the Hebrew words are not part of the biblical commandments. A new interpretation is offered to explain the message that Blake cleverly hid in the representation of the Ten Commandments.
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An essay entitled “Transition from Corambis to Polonius: The Forgotten Pun on a Diplomatic Scandal in a Hamlet Q2 Stage Direction” by Abraham Samuel Shiff, has been published by the peer-reviewed on-line site Hamlet Works.
Shakespeare introduced a pun into the Hamlet second quarto (Q2) of 1604/5 to mock the ambassador who insulted the majesty of Queen Elizabeth, a scandal famous in its day. The passage of time and a compositor’s error in the first folio (F1) edition of 1623 obscured the reference to the 1597 diplomatic scandal. This essay explains the incident, the pun that it generated, and the consequence of the printer’s error.
The essay is available through the Hamlet Works home page: www.hamletworks.org. From the menu on the left side, select “Hamlet Criticism,” to access the page with the link to the essay “Transition from Corambis to Polonius.”
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“Blake’s Priestly Blessing: God Blesses Job.” Forthcoming in the peer-reviewed journal:
Blake/An Illustrated Quarterly.
Illustration by permission of The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York. PML 30214. Gift of Phillip Hofer, 1934.
William Blake’s mature creative genius is expressed in the series of engravings known as the Illustrations for the Book of Job. In engraving number 17, Blake portrays his interpretation of the biblical sentences Job 42:5 and 42:12. This essay argues that Blake used as his model the Orthodox Jewish synagogue ritual for the priestly blessing. The ritual is explained, the iconography is analyzed, and reasons are offered as to why Blake, a visionary Protestant, relies upon this Jewish religious practice.