Anne Rice’s 1982 novel
Cry To Heaven contains references to Shakespeare. The first is to
The Tempest, with Rice having one
character possessing a copy of the book. Rice writes: “He had opened the book
again, and his hand moved over the decaying letters,
The Tempest, written in English and beneath it the twin columns of
print, his voice dropping again into that rhythmic whisper: ‘
Full fathom five thy father lies…’” (p.
95). That is a line from Ariel’s song from Act I Scene ii. Then Anne Rice uses a
phrase that did not originate with Shakespeare, but which Shakespeare made
popular in
The Comedy Of Errors. Rice
writes, “You could almost convince yourself of the rhyme and reason of
heartbreak” (p. 109). In Act II Scene ii of
The
Comedy Of Errors, Dromio of Syracuse says, “Was there ever any man thus
beaten out of season,/When in the why and the wherefore is neither rhyme nor
reason?” There is also a nod to
Hamlet.
The character Tonio enters his mother’s chamber. Rice writes: “‘What will you
do?’ she asked suddenly” (p. 112). When Hamlet enters Gertrude’s chamber in Act
III Scene iv, Gertrude gets nervous and says, “What wilt thou do?” There is
also a short passage that reminds me of Falstaff’s speech in Act V Scene i of
The First Part Of King Henry The Fourth.
Rice writes: “‘Honor, honor.’ Guido turned wearily to face him. ‘If it has no
heart, if it has no wisdom, what is honor? What does it mean? Where is the
dishonor in giving this man what he asks of you when you will not be diminished
in the slightest?’” (p. 357). It is obviously not a direct reference to
Falstaff’s “honor” speech, but it does remind me of it.
Cry To Heaven
was published in 1982. The copy I read was the hardcover Book Club Edition.
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