"There is special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; it it be not now, yet it will come. The readiness will come."
1) The sparrow- a small bird in a Bible story in which God determines its fate. this is an allusion to Matthew 10: 29-31.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
30 But the very hairs on your head are numbered
31 Fear not therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.
2) "The readiness is all" - an allusion to Matthew 24: 36-44
"No One Knows the Day or Hour"
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My
Father only.
Father only.
37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man
be.
be.
38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark
giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark
39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left
41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.
42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
*Hamlet, in this quote to Horatio, means that God is the controller of everything, even something as little as a sparrow's death. Everything happens for a reason. If something is supposed to happen
now, it will. If it’s supposed to happen later, it won’t happen now. What’s
important is to be prepared. Since nobody knows what the future will hold. Only be ready for whatever comes. I believe that is when Hamlet knows that his time is short.
Not only does Hamlet know his time is short, but it is Shakespeare's way of foreshadowing to the audience and another way to work in some Religious theology. Not only do humans not know their fate and they must be prepared for death, but there is a Being who does know their fate. This should be seen as comforting, as Hamlet sees it, but would this belief be Predestination? In that case, could God have decided that Hamlet goes to Hell, and if so, how does he draw comfort in that?
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