On Sat, Sep 08, 2001 at 07:46:03PM +0200, Natasa Tucev wrote:
Some time ago, Dana suggested a parallel between Hamlet-Claudius and Blake-Travis dynamics.
[snip] Great analysis, Natasa!
Some more traditional interpretations of Hamlet also emphasize the religious aspect of his dilemma, the fact that the vengeance in Shakespeare's time was considered a deadly sin (since God said, 'Vengeance is mine'), and the avenger was condemned to Hell. Given that all sorts of religion were banned within the Federation, I wonder if Blake's refusal to kill Travis could also be related with some remnant of those forgotten teachings. We know that Blake was interested in history and it's possible that he also studied various ethical systems of the past, trying to establish the principles upon which post-Federation world might be organised. His own feeling of morality is often at odds with his age, and although I like to think it is innate, it may have been acquired by studying as well.
I don't really think Blake has studied religion at all seriously... he's a man of his time in that respect, absorbing Federation attitudes unconciously. Why do I say that? While Blake does know what a "church" is (and Gan doesn't)
Gan: What is this place? Blake: A church. Gan: A church? Blake: Place of religious assembly. Gan: Must be ancient. Blake: The Federation had them all destroyed at the beginning of the New Calendar. (Blake's 7: Pressure Point [B5])
he doesn't seem to be a religious person... well, one of the most telling remarks I remember is this one:
Blake: I told him I teleported here. He didn't believe me. Bellfriar: Well, Gambrill's like that, I'm afraid. Lacks faith. Blake: Defined as the capacity to believe what you know isn't true? (Blake's 7: Killer [B7])
Though it's a bit hard to know what the Federation's educational stance is on religion -- yes, religion is illegal in the Federation, but religion, being at its heart an idea, is impossible to stamp out, so they've got to be fighting it somehow. Now, would they be fighting it with censorship (e.g. Gan not knowing what a church was) or with anti-religious propaganda? (e.g. "faith is the capacity to believe what you know isn't true") Or both?
Kathryn Andersen -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Vila: Oh yeah? Well, if you had one it might have occurred to you this could be a Federation trap. Avon: Well, of course, it's occurred to me. Why do you think I'm sending Tarrant? (Blake's 7: Orbit [D11])