Worship of Tian, Transgressive Rites, and Judged Ghosts
The Religious Transformation of Hamlet in Peking Opera
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3446132 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jia Xu (0000-0003-1238-1317, Beijing Institute of Technology, corresponding author), Huping Qian (0009-0000-3524-6121, Beijing Institute of Technology) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 1022 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-07 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel16081022 |
| OpenAlex | W4413040687 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 10 |
Peking opera The Revenge of Prince Zi Dan reinterprets Shakespeare's Hamlet by integrating supernatural elements and traditional rituals from Chinese folk religion. The religious transformation is revealed through the reworking of lines, incorporation of ritual traditions, and portrayal of supernatural figures. The divine entity that is invoked in Hamlet's prayers (2.2.169, 5.2.316) and Claudius's repentance (3.3.36-72) is translated as tian 天 (Heaven) in Revenge, thus introducing the concepts of the worship of tian and tianming 天命 (Mandate of Heaven). Revenge also adapts Claudius's command of "give me some light" (3.2.261) by associating it with ancient exorcisms, thereby dramatizing his attempts to conceal the guilt for regicide. Ophelia's "maimed rites" (5.1.208) are depicted as a deviation from Confucian funeral rites in Revenge, reflected in the simplified funeral banners and Hamlet's transgressive mourning. The "sulphurous and tormenting flames" (1.5.3) and the morning cock's crow (1.2.217) are reinterpreted through the introduction of the judicial system of the underworld. These changes are not merely transitions in performing conventions but reflect the deep connection between folk religion and traditional Chinese theater through these prayers, rituals, and supernatural elements, thus creating a specific theatrical "field" in which Chinese folk religion interacts with Western classics
Art · Heaven · Literature · Opera · Repentance · Theology · Tian · Transgressive · Worship · Chinese history and philosophy · History · Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics · Philosophy · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |