Another verse in the historical books of the Old Testament which qualifies as a Shakespeare
Diagnostic is I Kings 2.32 -- which states that God will punish a perpetrator of heinous crimes
such as regicide by bringing "his blood upon his own head.” The annotator has closely followed
the episode of I Kings 2, in which Solomon
instructs Benaiah to kill Joab for his past crimes
against David's close allies Abner and Amasa so
Joab’s blood will “fall upon his own head.” He
underlines passages in I Kings 2.28, 29, 30, 31,
and 32 (figure forty-three). The episode illustrates
the principle of Old Testament divine monarchy,
which assimilates the blood feud to the ideal of a
theocratically ordained state in which the
monarch reserves a monopoly over the legitimate
use of force. As the kinless representative of the entire social order, the King cannot avenge the
violent death of allies in his own name without himself becoming subject to death in turn by the
contrary faction. Thus, those who offend against the king's allies commit a higher crime which
will be punished by divine sanction and not by human law. The idea is one which Shakespeare
evidently took to heart. In his three books, Naseeb Shaheen lists a total of nine references to this
idea, two in the tragedies, six in the histories, and one in the comedies, viz.:
Put not another sin upon my head,
By urging me to fury.
(Romeo & Juliet 5.3.62)
Destruction on my head if my bad blame
Light on the man!
(Othello 1.3.177-78)
Figure Forty-three: I Kings 2.31-33 in de
Vere STC 2106.
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