Shakespearean Allusions
Brave New World
HAMLET
Shakespeare
Nay, but to live
In the rank sweat of an
enseamed bed,
Stew’d in corruption,
honeying and making
love
Over the nasty sty…”
Act 2 Scene IV
Context
Hamlet is sickened by his
recently widowed mother’s
marriage to his uncle. In
Hamlet’s day, marrying your
former brother-in-law was
considered to be akin to
incest. He is also angry that
the marriage takes place so
quickly after the death of
his father because he feels
his mother is dishonoring
his father’s memory.
Discussion Questions
 A major theme of Hamlet concerns a young man’s
inability to come to terms with his mother’s failings. In
particular, the belief that his mother has had a lapse in
morality. How is this theme mirrored in Brave New
World?
 In Hamlet a son must protect the memory of his lost
father. John has never known his father, yet his mother
has built up expectations in her son. How has she done
this? Why might the reader worry that John will be
disappointed?
HAMLET
Shakespeare
“When he is drunk
asleep, or in his rage
Or in the incestuous
pleasure of his bed…”
Hamlet Act III Scene 3
Context
Hamlet has a chance to kill
his uncle, but decides against
it because he believes his
uncle is praying for
forgiveness. To kill his uncle
while in the act of confession
would mean his uncle would
go to heaven. Therefore, as
the quote indicates he will
wait to kill him when he is
involved in an activity that is
sinful, thereby damning his
uncle to hell.
Discussion Questions
 Hamlet hates his uncle because he blames him for the
moral downfall of his mother. Which characters in Brave
New World mirror this dynamic?
 Hamlet seeks to avenge the defilement of his once
morally pure mother. John sees himself as the son of a
mother wronged. As a reader, we should be able to see
the irony of this situation. Explain.
HAMLET
Shakespeare
I should have fatted all
the region’s kites
With this slave's offal.
Bloody, bawdy villain!
Remorseless,
treacherous, lecherous,
kindless villain!
O, vengeance!
Hamlet Act II Scene ii
Context
This is a quote from a
soliloquy in which Hamlet
scolds himself for his lack of
momentum. He knows he
needs to take action against
his uncle, but he keeps
second-guessing himself. He
rages at his perceived
cowardice and lack of ability
to save his mother from her
sins and defend the
memory of his father.
Discussion Questions
 John says Shakespeare gave him the words to express
his hatred of Popé. Why didn’t John have the words to
do so before reading Shakespeare?
 Look back over the three quotes from Hamlet. What
emotion(s) are reflected by these quotes?
Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare
If I profane with my
unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the
gentler sin is this:
My lips, two pilgrims,
ready stand
To smooth that rough
touch with a tender kiss.
Romeo and Juliet
Act I Scene V
Context
This line is from a portion of
the play called: The Lovers’
Sonnet. Romeo is
comparing kissing Juliet to
having a religious
experience. The word play
between the two is spirited,
romantic, and bittersweet
since we know from the
beginning of the play that
these young lovers are
doomed to a tragic end.
Discussion Questions
 Foreshadowing is a technique writers use to hint about
events to come later in a novel or play. What do you
think Aldous Huxley might be foreshadowing by having
John quote Romeo and Juliet upon first seeing Lenina?
 Situational irony occurs when a reader knows more
about what is happening in a scene than does a
character. What is ironic about John (Romeo) comparing
Lenina (Juliet) to a saint?
Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare
“Is there no pity sitting in the
clouds,
That sees into the bottom of my
grief?
O sweet my mother, cast me not
away:
Delay this marriage for a month, a
week;
Or, if you do not, make the bridal
bed
In that dim monument where
Tybalt lies…”
Romeo and Juliet
Act III Scene V
Context
In this heartbreaking scene,
Juliet pleads with her
mother not to force her into
marriage with the much
older Paris. Her mother is
unaware that Juliet is
secretly married to Romeo;
therefore, she attributes her
daughter’s misgivings to
bridal jitters. Had she been
able to forestall the
marriage, Juliet might have
avoided her untimely death.
Discussion Questions
 This quote from Romeo and Juliet is used in Chapter 13
of Brave New World. John is sharing Shakespeare with
Helmholtz. Of all of the citizens in the World Society,
John has the most in common with Helmholtz Watson.
What traits do both of these men share?
 Helmholtz finds beauty in the words of Shakespeare, but
scoffs at the situations related to emotional attachments
as ludicrous. Why might John view Helmholtz’s criticism
of Shakespeare to be a personal rejection?
The Tempest
Shakespeare
“How many goodly
creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind
is!
O, brave new world, that
has such people in’t!”
The Tempest
Context
In The Tempest, the
character Miranda has lived
most of her life on a
magical island. She has only
her father for a companion.
The island is inhabited by
half-human beasts. One day
a handsome sailor washes
ashore after being
shipwrecked. He delights
Miranda with stories of his
land. It is in this context
that the lines are spoken.
Discussion Questions
 The first time John quotes Miranda’s lines from The
Tempest is after meeting Bernard and Lenina. He has a
child-like expectation of the World Society. What
expectations do you think he has about this unseen
world?
 The second time John quotes Miranda is when he is
raging at the World Society. “How many goodly
creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind
is! O, brave new world, that has such people in’t!”
If you were John, which words would you emphasize in
order to convey your disappointment and sarcasm?