Idols and the Pursuit of Truth

Francis Bacon is known for his development of the Baconian method that is designed to allowing individuals to create philosophy, proceeding from fact to law, all while avoiding any "idols" of the individuals' minds. In his "Idols of the Mind," Francis Bacon elaborates on "the causes and secret motions of things," or obstacles found in an individual's thought process keeping him or her from the truth. William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Hamlet is a very intricate play where the main character's actions are affected by the idols that Bacon vividly describes in this writings. Henry James's The Turn of the Screw is a complex, yet vague, story with multiple interpretations. Similar to The Tragedy of Hamlet, the governess in The Turn of the Screw illustrates some of the idols found in Bacon's "Idols of the Mind." Both of these works suggest that Truth itself may be impossible to acquire, especially when taking Francis Bacon's "Idols of the Mind" into account. The idols that Francis Bacon detailed on in his "Idols of the Mind" are evident in many classical pieces of literature, including Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Hamlet and Henry James's The Turn of the Screw.

Throughout William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince Hamlet of Denmark makes multiple mistakes that tend to drag the play to its drastic ending. The main root of all action in The Tragedy of Hamlet revolves around Prince Hamlet's understanding that Claudius murdered King Hamlet. However, this understanding is a clear example of Francis Bacon's "Idols of the Tribe." The Prince's verification that Claudius is indeed his father's murderer is based merely on a reaction to a play. While it may seem probable that Claudius's disturbed reaction to the play's imitation of King Hamlet's murder is unmistakable evidence that Claudius is indeed the culprit, there is no undisputable, solid proof. It is merely an assumption; it is an unverified assumption that supports Prince Hamlet's personal belief. Similarly, Hamlet soon afterwards violently murders Polonius in Queen Gertrude's room. The catalyst for this aggressive action is yet again another example of relying on unverified assumptions, as opposed to proven facts or true knowledge. When Hamlet hears Polonius behind the curtain, he immediately assumes it is Claudius. He shouts "How now? A rat? Dead for a ducat, dead!" and stabs away (Shakespeare 88). However, as Francis Bacon would argue, Prince Hamlet should have pulled the curtains aside in order to verify who was hiding behind them, instead of questioning whether "is it the king?" after the deed is done (Shakespeare 88). Francis Bacon would see these two instances as the "Idols of the Tribe" in action within Prince Hamlet. However, there are other events in The Tragedy of Hamlet that portray Bacon's "Idols of the Theatre."

When Prince Hamlet first meets his father's ghost, he is unable to turn away from King Hamlet's claims that Claudius has murdered him. Prince Hamlet doesn't immediately refuse to accept the ghost's claim, but he cannot ignore such an authoritative figure's word. As a matter of fact, he looks back upon Claudius and Gertrude's questionable abruptness to marry each other and begins to believe his father's ghost, although there is no guaranteed way to prove his claim. Prince Hamlet's tendency to accept the ideals supported by such an important figure, the prior king of Denmark, falls right under Francis Bacon's descriptions of the "Idols of the Theatre." The "Idols of the Theatre" also describe the tendency to support ideals supported by large organizations, like various religions. Following his play, Prince Hamlet actually stumbles upon Claudius, giving him the perfect opportunity to slay him. However, because Claudius is in prayer, Prince Hamlet believes that the murder will send Claudius "to heaven," and that "this is hire and salary, not revenge," (Shakespeare 86). As Francis Bacon would see it, this is an ideal that is believed primarily for its support from such a large and powerful organization, the Church. Since there is no way to completely validate the claim that Claudius would be sent to Heaven, this is yet another example of Bacon's "Idols of the Theatre."

Francis Bacon's "Idols of the Tribe" are also evident in Henry James's The Turn of the Screw. As soon as the governess begins her work at Bly, she receives a letter from Miles's school stating his expulsion. The lack of any further description within the letter kind of forces the governess to assume that Miles is a misbehaving young man. Without having met the boy, or having heard anything of him, the only way to judge Miles at this instance is through the letter of expulsion, which is typically a result of something very bad. This immediate assumption is a typical behavior among individuals, and is an example of the "Idols of the Tribe." Another example of "reading a book by its cover" involves Miles's sister, Flora. When the governess first meets Flora, she is stunned by her charming qualities and instantly adores her. Flora "appeared to [the governess] on the spot a creature so charming as to make it a great fortune to have to do with her" (James 291). This illustration of optimistic thinking is another example Francis Bacon's "Idols of the Tribe." As The Turn of the Screw progresses, it becomes clear that the governess is affected by many more idols.

As the daughter of a country parson, the governess may have a simple view on life and views things from a religious perspective. Coming from the countryside, her stay at Bly is a unique and interesting one. Of course, she is probably a little intimidated and nervous at her new job, dealing with a very secretive man and his two young children. With so many emotions and feelings, the witnessing of Peter Quint and Miss Jessel have a huge impact upon the governess. The governess is frightened and, because of her religious background, relates what she believes are ghosts to evil. The storyline is very vague and can be interpreted in many ways, but the fact that her environment, history, and interests heavily impact the governess's thoughts remains constant. This is a result of Francis Bacon's "Idols of the Cave." These idols describe the tendencies that form in an individual's mind.

Both literary works, William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Hamlet and Henry James's The Turn of the Screw, suggest that the truth is not always worth having or knowing. Although curiosity is a natural trait among mankind, the quest for true knowledge may actually lead to more problems than what existed beforehand. In addition, obtaining Truth may actually be an impossible feat. Taking Francis Bacon's "Idols of the Mind" into account, mankind may never reach or discover Truth. The idols represent mental blocks and obstacles that keep an individual from factual information, and in order to avoid falling by them, one must know each and every idol. This would be impossible. In other words, there are always idols which are unknown and unaccounted for. So, the pursuit of Truth is really a never-ending quest, and it may result in digging a deeper hole of confusion, loss, and even pain, as witnessed in both The Tragedy of Hamlet and The Turn of the Screw.

Francis Bacon made a giant leap for the scientific field with his development of the Baconian method. In his Novum Organum, Bacon describes the various intellectual faults of man, or idols, in the pursuit of knowledge. These faults can be witnessed in every individual, yet they are very vividly illustrated in Prince Hamlet and the governess. If Francis Bacon were to read William Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Hamlet, he would note his "Idols of the Tribe" and "Idols of the Theatre" in work within Prince Hamlet and his actions. Similarly, Bacon would see the "Idols of the Tribe" and the "Idols of the Cave" in the governess from The Turn of the Screw. Both of these characters portray these idols in their actions and decisions. In addition, the drastic endings for both plots seem to suggest that Truth is something not worth pursuing. Considering any and all of the unknown idols, the quest for true knowledge does not have a finish line, but may leave an individual hanging in a horribly worse situation, as both Prince Hamlet and the governess soon discovers.

Works Cited

James, Henry. The Turn of the Screw and Other Short Novels. New York: Penguin Group,

2007. Print.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. A. R. Braunmuller. New York: Penguin Group, 2001.

Print.