The Mind's Eye

In act one scene two, Hamlet is speaking with Horatio and says, "Thrift, thrift, Horatio, the funeral bak'd-meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables. Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven or ever I had seen that day, Horatio! My father--methinks I see my father." After asked where, Hamlet says: "In my mind's eye, Horatio." I believe this to be relateable to the "gods" eye the Krishna endows to Arjuna. We mentioned in class the importance of the line "remember me" as a kind of "dharma" to a higher power, and in order for the divine to truly convince their loved disciples they give the gift of knowledge. Both Arjuna and Hamlet are told of "life after death", but differently. Arjuna's belief is that of re-incarnation and Hamlet is informed that hell does exist as well as heaven. They are also both charged with completing a violent task. The mind's eye then, is the convincing power to remain steadfast and follow through with their task at hand no matter how morally difficult it may be.

Moving on to the realm of epiphanies one could understand the mind's eye as a means of remembrance. In the Wind and the Willows, when something epiphanic happens the characters have a hard time remembering the divine or "eye-opening" experience, but they can almost picture it or hear it lingering in their heads. This vague ability to recall these ineffable moments is T.S. Elliot is getting at when he says "we had the experience, but missed the meaning". Like something we saw but can't quite recall until we have a 'similar experience to revive the meaning'. The power of this majestic "third eye"though, whether through practice of memory or with the divine help of God, might be how people are able to understand and be true to their dharma.