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"Hyperion to a satyr"
Context and Language Videos
Act 1,
Scene 2
Lines 136-142

An explanation of the allusion to "Hyperion" and "satyr" in Act 1, Scene 2 of myShakespeare's Hamlet.

myShakespeare | Hamlet 1.2 Mythological Reference: "Hyperion to a satyr"

Hamlet 

That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature
Possess it merely. That it should come to this!
But two months dead – nay, not so much, not two –
So excellent a king, that was to this
Hyperion to a satyr, so loving to my mother
That he might not beteem the winds of heaven
Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth!
Video Transcript: 

RALPH: Well, Sarah, our young prince, besides being handsome, is also well educated, judging by his references to Greek mythology. He compares his father to Hyperion and Claudius to a satyr.

SARAH: So, who was Hyperion?

RALPH: Well, we're all familiar with Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. There's also Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and desire; and my personal favorite, Dionysus, god of wine, pleasure, and partying. According to Greek mythology, these Olympian gods came to power after overthrowing an earlier set of gods called the Titans. Hyperion was one of these Titan gods, known for his wisdom.

SARAH: That makes sense; after all, Hamlet praises his father for being a wise king. Now, here is an image of a satyr, another popular character in Greek mythology. These half-man, half-goat creatures were drinking buddies of Dionysus and famous for their disorderly drunkenness.

RALPH: But in comparing Claudius to a satyr, Hamlet is referring to that other famous characteristic of this mythical beast: its sexual appetite.

SARAH: Ralph!

RALPH: What? It's true! This is Shakespeare, it's not my idea...

SARAH: The point is that Hamlet is opposing his father to Claudius, the first as a wise God, and the second as a drunken, lustful creature.