William Shakespeare, who was one of the world’s prolific playwright and poet’s; living in the late 1500s and early 1600’s, he wrote tremendously about the human condition (how people think and behave), this then is translated into his works.  Act IV scene V, is one of my favorite scenes where his passion for human condition overtakes his work creating a very deep connection between reader and author.  Here the connection between the health of a state and the moral legitimacy of its ruler really stand in the foreground as well as many other plays on human condition.

Claudius is rotten, and as a result, Denmark is rotten too.  At the beginning of Act IV, scene v, things have palpably darkened for the nation: Hamlet is gone, Polonius is dead and has been buried in secret, Ophelia is raving mad, and, as Claudius tells us, the common people are disturbed and murmuring among themselves. This ominous turn of events leads to the truncated, miniature rebellion that accompanies Laertes’ return to Denmark.

This is where the reader can really come to grasp Shakespeare’s obsession with human condition. What Shakespeare juxtaposes as thematic elements are various dualities of life such as image and reality, god-like and bestial, remembrance and oblivion, resolution (thought) and action, blood and judgment, nobility of war and savagery of revenge. Hamlet’s youthful idealism runs into this duplicitous world of adults and the hi-jinx ensue’s.  This mastery of themes which incorporates his own interests created by Shakespeare goes many times undetected because of the skill and sheer brilliance of him, but as we peel back the layers we can begin to truly appreciate Shakespeare’s use of themes as a way for the reader to become closer with him.  Outside of the deep thoughts that were generated during Hamlet’s most famous scene it is through this act and scene that my appreciation of Shakespeare as a person was peaked.

The topic of religion usually produces strongly opinionated statements about each others, now coming from myself who wouldn’t be considered religious but couldn’t be called non religious either, the past few weeks of reading excerpts from each of the three major religious books have been quite enjoyable. The Qur’an has to be one of the most inspiring yet confusing pieces of literature that i have read.  While Islam, judaism, and Christianity all share the idea that God revealed himself to Abraham it is the variations  of each that have sparked my interest.  I love the islamic infatuation with the idea of being just one God.  It makes a lot of sense if someone is all powerful and all knowing and basically can control all facets of life why should we focus our energy away from that one individual?

Now my favorite word in the entire Qur’an CORRUPTION!!!  What a debatable word and one to me i think will forever remain in the grey.  When we look at the words, “if any kills a person-unless in retribution for murder or spreading corruption in the land” (76.37-38..).  The penalty for corruption is death, but what is corruption?  In a time where stealing was punishable by getting your hands cutoff, why was corruption seen as a crime equal to that of murder?  While it can be seen in the meaning of corruption being anything that is to be different then that of the teaching of God, does all religious beliefs other then islamic equate to a punishment of death?  The real major question that derives from this thinking is, why does any individual have the authority to enforce God’s work?  This is something that i cannot seem to grasp, especially when in the verse of Jonah it states “Your Lord knows best those who cause corruption… say, ‘I act for myself, and you for yourselves'”(85.4-6..).  It seems to really contradict the earlier saying of corruption is punishable by death because it seems as if the only one who can and shall judge corruption is God himself.  I believe both sides of supporters and non supporters  of the notion of corruption being punishable by death are simply looking too deep into the words and a true understanding of the definition of the word corruption given the context will never be known, so to all don’t take words too literally.