Edition: HamletHamlet, Folio Modern
1.1
Enter Barnardo and Francisco, two sentinels.1.1.Sp11Barnardo
Enter Horatio and Marcellus.
Exit Francisco.
Well, goodnight.
If you do meet Horatio and Marcellus,
The rivals of my watch, bid them make haste.
1.1.Sp24Marcellus
Horatio says ’tis but our fantasy,
And will not let belief take hold of him,
Touching this dreaded sight twice seen of us.
Therefore I have entreated him along
With us, to watch the minutes of this night,
That if again this apparition come
He may approve our eyes and speak to it.
1.1.Sp26Barnardo
Sit down awhile,
And let us once again assail your ears,
That are so fortified against our story,
What we two nights have seen.
1.1.Sp28Barnardo
Enter the Ghost.
Last night of all,
When yond same star that’s westward from the pole
Had made his course t’illume that part of heaven
Where now it burns, Marcellus and myself,
The bell then beating one—
1.1.Sp36Horatio
Exit the Ghost.
What art thou that usurp’st this time of night,
Together with that fair and warlike form
In which the majesty of buried Denmark
Did sometimes march? By heaven, I charge thee speak!
1.1.Sp41Barnardo
How now, Horatio? You tremble and look pale.
Is not this something more than fantasy?
What think you on’t?
1.1.Sp42Horatio
Before my God, I might not this believe
Without the sensible and true avouch
Of mine own eyes.
1.1.Sp44Horatio
As thou art to thyself.
Such was the very armor he had on
When he th’ambitious Norway combated.
So frowned he once, when in an angry parle
He smote the sledded Polacks on the ice.
’Tis strange.
1.1.Sp45Marcellus
Thus twice before, and just at this dead hour,
With martial stalk hath he gone by our watch.
1.1.Sp46Horatio
In what particular thought to work I know not,
But in the gross and scope of my opinion
This bodes some strange eruption to our state.
1.1.Sp47Marcellus
Good now, sit down, and tell me, he that knows,
Why this same strict and most observant watch
So nightly toils the subject of the land,
And why such daily cast of brazen cannon
And foreign mart for implements of war;
Why such impress of shipwrights, whose sore task
Does not divide the Sunday from the week.
What might be toward, that this sweaty haste
Doth make the night joint-laborer with the day?
Who is’t that can inform me?
1.1.Sp48Horatio
That can I.
At least the whisper goes so: our last King,
Whose image even but now appeared to us,
Was, as you know, by Fortinbras of Norway,
Thereto pricked on by a most emulate pride,
Dared to the combat; in which our valiant Hamlet
(For so this side of our known world esteemed him)
Did slay this Fortinbras, who by a sealed compact
Well ratified by law and heraldry
Did forfeit, with his life, all those his lands
Which he stood seized on, to the conqueror;
Against the which a moiety competent
Was gagèd by our King, which had returned
To the inheritance of Fortinbras
Had he been vanquisher, as, by the same cov’nant
And carriage of the article design
His fell to Hamlet. Now, sir, young Fortinbras,
Of unimprovèd mettle, hot and full,
Hath in the skirts of Norway here and there
Sharked up a list of landless resolutes,
For food and diet, to some enterprise
That hath a stomach in’t, which is no other
(And it doth well appear unto our state)
But to recover of us by strong hand
And terms compulsative those foresaid lands
So by his father lost. And this, I take it,
Is the main motive of our preparations,
The source of this our watch, and the chief head
Of this post-haste and rummage in the land.
Enter Ghost again.But soft, behold: lo, where it comes again!
I’ll cross it, though it blast me.—Stay, illusion!
If thou hast any sound or use of voice,
Speak to me!
If there be any good thing to be done
That may to thee do ease and grace to me,
Speak to me!
If thou art privy to thy country’s fate,
Which happily foreknowing may avoid,
Oh, speak!
Or if thou hast uphoarded in thy life
Extorted treasure in the womb of earth,
For which, they say, you spirits oft walk in death,
Speak of it. Stay and speak!—Stop it, Marcellus!
1.1.Sp53Marcellus
’Tis gone.
(Exit Ghost.)
We do it wrong, being so majestical,
To offer it the show of violence,
For it is as the air, invulnerable,
And our vain blows malicious mockery.
1.1.Sp55Horatio
And then it started, like a guilty thing
Upon a fearful summons. I have heard
The cock, that is the trumpet to the day,
Doth with his lofty and shrill-sounding throat
Awake the god of day, and, at his warning,
Whether in sea or fire, in earth or air,
Th’extravagant and erring spirit hies
To his confine. And of the truth herein
This present object made probation.
1.1.Sp56Marcellus
It faded on the crowing of the cock.
Some says that ever ’gainst that season comes
Wherein our Savior’s birth is celebrated,
The bird of dawning singeth all night long,
And then, they say, no spirit can walk abroad;
The nights are wholesome, then no planets strike,
No fairy talks, nor witch hath power to charm,
So hallowed and so gracious is the time.
1.1.Sp57Horatio
So have I heard, and do in part believe it.
But look, the morn in russet mantle clad
Walks o’er the dew of yon high eastern hill.
Break we our watch up, and by my advice
Let us impart what we have seen tonight
Unto young Hamlet. For, upon my life,
This spirit, dumb to us, will speak to him.
Do you consent we shall acquaint him with it,
As needful in our loves, fitting our duty?
1.1.Sp58Marcellus
Exeunt.
Let’s do’t, I pray, and I this morning know
Where we shall find him most conveniently.
1.2
Enter Claudius, King of Denmark, Gertrude the Queen, Hamlet, Polonius, Laertes, and his sister Ophelia, Lords attendant.1.2.Sp1King
Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death
The memory be green, and that it us befitted
To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom
To be contracted in one brow of woe,
Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature
That we with wisest sorrow think on him
Together with remembrance of ourselves.
Therefore our sometimes sister, now our queen,
Th’imperial jointress of this warlike state,
Have we, as ’twere, with a defeated joy,
With one auspicious and one dropping eye,
With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage,
In equal scale weighing delight and dole,
Taken to wife. Nor have we herein barred
Your better wisdoms, which have freely gone
With this affair along. For all, our thanks.
Now follows, that you know young Fortinbras,
Holding a weak supposal of our worth,
Or thinking by our late dear brother’s death
Our state to be disjoint and out of frame,
Co-leaguèd with the dream of his advantage,
He hath not failed to pester us with message
Importing the surrender of those lands
Lost by his father, with all bonds of law,
To our most valiant brother. So much for him.
(Enter Voltemand and Cornelius.)
Now for ourself, and for this time of meeting,
Thus much the business is: we have here writ
To Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras,
Who, impotent and bed-rid, scarcely hears
Of this his nephew’s purpose, to suppress
His further gait herein, in that the levies,
The lists, and full proportions are all made
Out of his subject; and we here dispatch
You, good Cornelius, and you, Voltemand,
For bearing of this greeting to old Norway,
Giving to you no further personal power
To business with the King more than the scope
Of these dilated articles allow.
Farewell, and let your haste commend your duty.
1.2.Sp3King
We doubt it nothing. Heartily farewell.
Exit Voltemand and Cornelius.And now, Laertes, what’s the news with you?
You told us of some suit. What is’t, Laertes?
You cannot speak of reason to the Dane
And lose your voice. What wouldst thou beg, Laertes,
That shall not be my offer, not thy asking?
The head is not more native to the heart,
The hand more instrumental to the mouth,
Than is the throne of Denmark to thy father.
What wouldst thou have, Laertes?
1.2.Sp4Laertes
Dread my lord,
Your leave and favor to return to France,
From whence though willingly I came to Denmark
To show my duty in your coronation,
Yet now I must confess, that duty done,
My thoughts and wishes bend again towards France
And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon.
1.2.Sp7Claudius
Take thy fair hour, Laertes. Time be thine,
And thy best graces spend it at thy will.
But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son—
1.2.Sp11Queen
Good Hamlet, cast thy nightly color off
And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.
Do not forever with thy vailèd lids
Seek for thy noble father in the dust.
Thou know’st ’tis common: all that lives must die,
Passing through nature to eternity.
1.2.Sp14Hamlet
Seems, madam? Nay, it is. I know not seems.
’Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother,
Nor customary suits of solemn black,
Nor windy suspiration of forced breath,
No, nor the fruitful river in the eye,
Nor the dejected havior of the visage,
Together with all forms, moods, shows of grief
That can denote me truly. These indeed seem,
For they are actions that a man might play.
But I have that within which passeth show;
These but the trappings and the suits of woe.
1.2.Sp15King
’Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet,
To give these mourning duties to your father.
But you must know, your father lost a father,
That father lost, lost his, and the survivor bound
In filial obligation for some term
To do obsequious sorrow. But to persever
In obstinate condolement is a course
Of impious stubbornness. ’Tis unmanly grief.
It shows a will most incorrect to heaven,
A heart unfortified, a mind impatient,
An understanding simple and unschooled;
For what we know must be and is as common
As any the most vulgar thing to sense,
Why should we in our peevish opposition
Take it to heart? Fie, ’tis a fault to heaven,
A fault against the dead, a fault to nature,
To reason most absurd, whose common theme
Is death of fathers, and who still hath cried
From the first corse till he that died today
“This must be so.” We pray you throw to earth
This unprevailing woe, and think of us
As of a father; for let the world take note,
You are the most immediate to our throne,
And with no less nobility of love
Than that which dearest father bears his son
Do I impart towards you. For your intent
In going back to school in Wittenberg,
It is most retrograde to our desire,
And we beseech you, bend you to remain
Here in the cheer and comfort of our eye,
Our chiefest courtier cousin, and our son.
1.2.Sp16Queen
Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet.
I prithee stay with us, go not to Wittenberg.
1.2.Sp18King
Exeunt. Hamlet remains onstage.
Why, ’tis a loving and a fair reply.
Be as ourself in Denmark.—Madam, come.
This gentle and unforced accord of Hamlet
Sits smiling to my heart, in grace whereof
No jocund health that Denmark drinks today
But the great cannon to the clouds shall tell,
And the King’s rouse the heavens shall bruit again,
Respeaking earthly thunder. Come, away!
1.2.Sp19Hamlet
Enter Horatio, Barnardo, and Marcellus.
Oh, that this too too solid flesh would melt,
Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!
Or that the Everlasting had not fixed
His canon ’gainst self-slaughter. O God, O God!
How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable
Seems to me all the uses of this world!
Fie on’t! Oh, fie, fie, ’tis an unweeded garden
That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature
Possess it merely. That it should come to this!
But two months dead—nay, not so much, not two.
So excellent a king, that was to this
Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother
That he might not beteem the winds of heaven
Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth,
Must I remember? Why, she would hang on him
As if increase of appetite had grown
By what it fed on; and yet within a month—
Let me not think on’t. Frailty, thy name is woman!
A little month, or ere those shoes were old
With which she followed my poor father’s body,
Like Niobe, all tears, why, she, even she—
Oh, heaven! a beast that wants discourse of reason
Would have mourned longer!—married with mine uncle,
My father’s brother, but no more like my father
Than I to Hercules. Within a month!
Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears
Had left the flushing of her gallèd eyes,
She married. Oh, most wicked speed, to post
With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!
It is not, nor it cannot come to good,
But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue.
1.2.Sp23Hamlet
Sir, my good friend, I’ll change that name with you.
And what make you from Wittenberg, Horatio?—
Marcellus.
1.2.Sp25Hamlet
I am very glad to see you.
To Barnardo.
Good even, sir.
To Horatio
But what, in faith, make you from Wittenberg?
1.2.Sp27Hamlet
I would not have your enemy say so,
Nor shall you do mine ear that violence
To make it truster of your own report
Against yourself. I know you are no truant.
But what is your affair in Elsinore?
We’ll teach you to drink deep ere you depart.
1.2.Sp29Hamlet
I pray thee do not mock me, fellow student.
I think it was to see my mother’s wedding.
1.2.Sp31Hamlet
Thrift, thrift, Horatio. The funeral baked meats
Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.
Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven
Ere I had ever seen that day, Horatio!
My father—methinks I see my father.
Horatio
Oh, where, my lord?
1.2.Sp39Horatio
Season your admiration for a while
With an attent ear, till I may deliver,
Upon the witness of these gentlemen,
This marvel to you.
1.2.Sp41Horatio
Two nights together had these gentlemen,
Marcellus and Barnardo, on their watch
In the dead waste and middle of the night
Been thus encountered: a figure like your father
Armed at all points exactly, cap-à-pie,
Appears before them, and with solemn march
Goes slow and stately. By them thrice he walked,
By their oppressed and fear-surprisèd eyes,
Within his truncheon’s length, whilst they, bestilled
Almost to jelly with the act of fear,
Stand dumb and speak not to him. This to me
In dreadful secrecy impart they did,
And I with them the third night kept the watch,
Where, as they had delivered, both in time,
Form of the thing, each word made true and good,
The apparition comes. I knew your father.
These hands are not more like.
1.2.Sp45Horatio
My lord, I did,
But answer made it none. Yet once methought
It lifted up it head and did address
Itself to motion, like as it would speak;
But even then the morning cock crew loud,
And at the sound it shrunk in haste away
And vanished from our sight.
1.2.Sp47Horatio
As I do live, my honored lord, ’tis true;
And we did think it writ down in our duty
To let you know of it.
1.2.Sp72Hamlet
Exeunt all but Hamlet.
If it assume my noble father’s person,
I’ll speak to it, though hell itself should gape
And bid me hold my peace. I pray you all,
If you have hitherto concealed this sight,
Let it be treble in your silence still.
And whatsoever else shall hap tonight,
Give it an understanding but no tongue;
I will requite your loves. So, fare ye well.
Upon the platform ’twixt eleven and twelve
I’ll visit you.
1.2.Sp74Hamlet
Exit.
Your love, as mine to you. Farewell.
My father’s spirit in arms! All is not well.
I doubt some foul play. Would the night were come!
Till then, sit still, my soul. Foul deeds will rise,
Though all the earth o’erwhelm them, to men’s eyes.
1.3
Enter Laertes and Ophelia.1.3.Sp1Laertes
My necessaries are imbarked. Farewell.
And sister, as the winds give benefit
And convoy is assistant, do not sleep
But let me hear from you.
1.3.Sp3Laertes
For Hamlet, and the trifling of his favors,
Hold it a fashion and a toy in blood,
A violet in the youth of primy nature,
Froward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting,
The suppliance of a minute? No more.
1.3.Sp5Laertes
Think it no more.
For nature crescent does not grow alone
In thews and bulk, but as his temple waxes
The inward service of the mind and soul
Grows wide withal. Perhaps he loves you now,
And now no soil nor cautel doth besmirch
The virtue of his will; but you must fear,
His greatness weighed, his will is not his own,
For he himself is subject to his birth.
He may not, as unvalued persons do,
Carve for himself, for on his choice depends
The sanctity and health of the whole state,
And therefore must his choice be circumscribed
Unto the voice and yielding of that body
Whereof he is the head. Then if he says he loves you,
It fits your wisdom so far to believe it
As he in his peculiar sect and force
May give his saying deed, which is no further
Than the main voice of Denmark goes withal.
Then weigh what loss your honor may sustain,
If with too credent ear you list his songs,
Or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open
To his unmastered importunity.
Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister,
And keep within the rear of your affection,
Out of the shot and danger of desire.
The chariest maid is prodigal enough
If she unmask her beauty to the moon.
Virtue itself scapes not calumnious strokes.
The canker galls the infants of the spring
Too oft before the buttons be disclosed,
And in the morn and liquid dew of youth
Contagious blastments are most imminent.
Be wary, then; best safety lies in fear.
Youth to itself rebels, though none else near.
1.3.Sp6Ophelia
I shall th’effect of this good lesson keep
As watchmen to my heart. But, good my brother,
Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,
Whilst, like a puffed and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,
And recks not his own rede.
1.3.Sp7Laertes
Oh, fear me not.
Enter Polonius.I stay too long. But here my father comes.
A double blessing, is a double grace;
Occasion smiles upon a second leave.
1.3.Sp8Polonius
Exit Laertes.
Yet here, Laertes? Aboard, aboard, for shame!
The wind sits in the shoulder of your sail,
And you are stayed for there. My blessing with you,
And these few precepts in thy memory
See thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportioned thought his act.
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.
The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel,
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each unhatched, unfledged comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel, but, being in,
Bear’t that th’opposèd may beware of thee.
Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice.
Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgment.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not expressed in fancy—rich, not gaudy,
For the apparel oft proclaims the man,
And they in France of the best rank and station
Are of a most select and generous chief in that.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be,
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all; to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell. My blessing season this in thee!
Ophelia
So please you, something touching the Lord Hamlet.
1.3.Sp15Polonius
Marry, well bethought
’Tis told me he hath very oft of late
Given private time to you, and you yourself
Have of your audience been most free and bounteous.
If it be so—as so ’tis put on me,
And that in way of caution—I must tell you
You do not understand yourself so clearly
As it behooves my daughter and your honor.
What is between you? Give me up the truth.
1.3.Sp17Polonius
Affection? Pooh! You speak like a green girl,
Unsifted in such perilous circumstance.
Do you believe his tenders, as you call them?
1.3.Sp19Polonius
Marry, I’ll teach you. Think yourself a baby,
That you have ta’en his tenders for true pay
Which are not sterling. Tender yourself more dearly,
Or—not to crack the wind of the poor phrase
Roaming it thus—you’ll tender me a fool.
1.3.Sp23Polonius
Exeunt.
Ay, springes to catch woodcocks. I do know
When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul
Gives the tongue vows. These blazes, daughter,
Giving more light than heat, extinct in both
Even in their promise as it is a-making,
You must not take for fire. For this time, daughter,
Be somewhat scanter of your maiden presence.
Set your entreatments at a higher rate
Than a command to parley. For Lord Hamlet,
Believe so much in him that he is young,
And with a larger tether may he walk
Than may be given you. In few, Ophelia,
Do not believe his vows, for they are brokers
Not of the eye which their investments show,
But mere implorators of unholy suits
Breathing like sanctified and pious bonds
The better to beguile. This is for all:
I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth
Have you so slander any moment leisure
As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet.
Look to’t, I charge you. Come your ways.
1.4
Enter Hamlet, Horatio, Marcellus.1.4.Sp6Horatio
Indeed? I heard it not. Then it draws near the season
Wherein the spirit held his wont to walk.
A flourish of trumpets, and two pieces go off.
What does this mean, my lord?
1.4.Sp7Hamlet
The King doth wake tonight, and takes his rouse,
Keeps wassails, and the swaggering upspring reels;
And as he drains his drafts of Rhenish down
The kettledrum and trumpet thus bray out
The triumph of his pledge.
1.4.Sp9Hamlet
Enter Ghost.
Ay, marry, is’t,
And to my mind, though I am native here
And to the manner born, it is a custom
More honored in the breach than the observance.
1.4.Sp11Hamlet
Ghost beckons Hamlet.
Angels and ministers of grace defend us!
Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damned,
Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell,
Be thy events wicked or charitable,
Thou com’st in such a questionable shape
That I will speak to thee. I’ll call thee Hamlet,
King, father, royal Dane. Oh, oh, answer me!
Let me not burst in ignorance, but tell
Why thy canonized bones, hearsèd in death,
Have burst their cerements, why the sepulcher
Wherein we saw thee quietly inurned
Hath oped his ponderous and marble jaws
To cast thee up again? What may this mean,
That thou, dead corse, again in compleat steel,
Revisits thus the glimpses of the moon,
Making night hideous, and we fools of nature
So horridly to shake our disposition
With thoughts beyond the reaches of our souls?
Say, why is this? Wherefore? What should we do?
1.4.Sp13Marcellus
Look with what courteous action
It wafts you to a more removèd ground.
But do not go with it.
1.4.Sp17Hamlet
Why, what should be the fear?
I do not set my life at a pin’s fee,
And for my soul, what can it do to that,
Being a thing immortal as itself?
It waves me forth again. I’ll follow it.
1.4.Sp18Horatio
They attempt to restrain him.
What if it tempt you toward the flood, my lord,
Or to the dreadful summit of the cliff
That beetles o’er his base into the sea,
And there assumes some other horrible form
Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason
And draw you into madness? Think of it.
1.4.Sp23Hamlet
Exeunt Ghost and Hamlet.
Exeunt.
My fate cries out
And makes each petty artery in this body
As hardy as the Nemean lion’s nerve.
Still am I called? Unhand me, gentlemen!
By heav’n, I’ll make a ghost of him that lets me.
I say, away!—Go on, I’ll follow thee.
1.5
Enter Ghost and Hamlet.1.5.Sp10Ghost
I am thy father’s spirit,
Doomed for a certain term to walk the night,
And for the day confined to fast in fires,
Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature
Are burnt and purged away. But that I am forbid
To tell the secrets of my prison house,
I could a tale unfold whose lightest word
Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood,
Make thy two eyes like stars start from their spheres,
Thy knotty and combinèd locks to part,
And each particular hair to stand on end
Like quills upon the fretful porpentine.
But this eternal blazon must not be
To ears of flesh and blood. List, Hamlet, oh, list:
If thou didst ever thy dear father love—
1.5.Sp15Hamlet
Haste, haste me to know it, that with wings as swift
As meditation, or the thoughts of love,
May sweep to my revenge.
1.5.Sp16Ghost
I find thee apt,
And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed
That rots itself in ease on Lethe wharf
Wouldst thou not stir in this. Now, Hamlet, hear:
It’s given out that, sleeping in mine orchard,
A serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark
Is by a forgèd process of my death
Rankly abused. But know, thou noble youth,
The serpent that did sting thy father’s life
Now wears his crown.
1.5.Sp18Ghost
Exit.
Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast,
With witchcraft of his wits, with traitorous gifts—
Oh, wicked wit and gifts, that have the power
So to seduce!—won to this shameful lust
The will of my most seeming virtuous queen.
Oh, Hamlet, what a falling off was there!
From me, whose love was of that dignity
That it went hand in hand even with the vow
I made to her in marriage, and to decline
Upon a wretch whose natural gifts were poor
To those of mine. But virtue, as it never will be moved,
Though lewdness court it in a shape of heaven,
So lust, though to a radiant angel linked,
Will sate itself in a celestial bed
And prey on garbage.
But soft, methinks I scent the morning’s air.
Brief let me be. Sleeping within mine orchard,
My custom always in the afternoon,
Upon my secure hour, thy uncle stole
With juice of cursèd hebenon in a vial,
And in the porches of mine ears did pour
The leperous distillment, whose effect
Holds such an enmity with blood of man
That swift as quicksilver it courses through
The natural gates and alleys of the body,
And with a sudden vigor it doth posset
And curd like eager droppings into milk
The thin and wholesome blood; so did it mine,
And a most instant tetter baked about
Most lazarlike with vile and loathsome crust
All my smooth body.
Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother’s hand
Of life, of crown, and queen at once dispatched,
Cut off even in the blossoms of my sin,
Unhousled, disappointed, unaneled,
No reckoning made, but sent to my account
With all my imperfections on my head.
Oh, horrible, oh, horrible, most horrible!
If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not.
Let not the royal bed of Denmark be
A couch for luxury and damnèd incest.
But howsoever thou pursuest this act,
Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive
Against thy mother aught; leave her to heaven
And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge
To prick and sting her. Fare thee well at once.
The glow-worm shows the matin to be near
And ’gins to pale his uneffectual fire.
Adieu, adieu, Hamlet! Remember me.
1.5.Sp19Hamlet
Enter Horatio and Marcellus.
Oh, all you host of heaven! Oh, earth! What else?
And shall I couple hell? Oh, fie! Hold, my heart,
And you, my sinews, grow not instant old,
But bear me stiffly up. Remember thee?
Ay, thou poor ghost, while memory holds a seat
In this distracted globe. Remember thee?
Yea, from the table of my memory
I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records,
All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past
That youth and observation copied there,
And thy commandment all alone shall live
Within the book and volume of my brain,
Unmixed with baser matter. Yes, yes, by heaven.
Oh, most pernicious woman!
Oh, villain, villain, smiling damnèd villain!
My tables, my tables—meet it is I set it down,
That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain.
At least I’m sure it may be so in Denmark.
So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word.
It is “Adieu, adieu, remember me.”
I have sworn’t.
I have sworn’t.
1.5.Sp37Hamlet
Why, right, you are i’th’ right.
And so, without more circumstance at all,
I hold it fit that we shake hands and part:
You as your business and desires shall point you
(For every man has business and desire,
Such as it is), and for mine own poor part,
Look you, I’ll go pray.
1.5.Sp41Hamlet
He holds out his sword.
Ghost cries under the stage.
Yes, by Saint Patrick, but there is, my lord,
And much offense too. Touching this vision here,
It is an honest ghost, that let me tell you.
For your desire to know what is between us,
O’ermaster’t as you may. And now, good friends,
As you are friends, scholars, and soldiers,
Give me one poor request.
1.5.Sp52Hamlet
They swear.
Ah ha, boy, sayest thou so? Art thou there, truepenny?—
Come on, you hear this fellow in the cellarage.
Consent to swear.
1.5.Sp56Hamlet
They swear.
Hic et ubique? Then we’ll shift for ground.
He moves them to another spot.
Come hither, gentlemen,
And lay your hands again upon my sword,
Never to speak of this that you have heard.
Swear by my sword.
1.5.Sp58Hamlet
They move once more.
Well said, old mole. Canst work i’th’ ground so fast?
A worthy pioneer!—Once more remove, good friends.
1.5.Sp60Hamlet
They swear.
And therefore as a stranger give it welcome.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in our philosophy. But come,
Here as before: never, so help you mercy,
How strange or odd soe’er I bear myself
(As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on),
That you at such time seeing me never shall,
With arms encumbered thus, or thus headshake,
Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase
As, “Well, we know,” or “We could an if we would,”
Or “If we list to speak,” or “There be an if there might,”
Or such ambiguous giving out, to note
That you know aught of me. This not to do,
So grace and mercy at your most need help you,
Swear.
1.5.Sp62Hamlet
Exeunt.
Rest, rest, perturbèd spirit. So, gentlemen,
With all my love I do commend me to you,
And what so poor a man as Hamlet is
May do t’express his love and friending to you,
God willing, shall not lack. Let us go in together,
And still your fingers on your lips, I pray.
The time is out of joint. Oh, cursèd spite,
That ever I was born to set it right!
They wait for him to leave first.
Nay, come, let’s go together.
2.1
Enter Polonius and Reynaldo. He gives money and papers.2.1.Sp3Polonius
You shall do marvel’s wisely, good Reynaldo,
Before you visit him you make inquiry
Of his behavior.
2.1.Sp5Polonius
Marry, well said, very well said. Look you, sir,
Inquire me first what Danskers are in Paris,
And how, and who, what means, and where they keep,
What company, at what expense; and finding
By this encompassment and drift of question
That they do know my son, come you more nearer
Than your particular demands will touch it;
Take you as ’twere some distant knowledge of him,
And thus, “I know his father and his friends,
And in part him.” Do you mark this, Reynaldo?
2.1.Sp7Polonius
“And in part him. But,” you may say, “not well,
But if’t be he I mean, he’s very wild,
Addicted so and so,” and there put on him
What forgeries you please—marry, none so rank
As may dishonor him, take heed of that,
But, sir, such wanton, wild, and usual slips
As are companions noted and most known
To youth and liberty.
2.1.Sp11Polonius
Faith, no, as you may season it in the charge.
You must not put another scandal on him
That he is open to incontinency;
That’s not my meaning. But breathe his faults so quaintly
That they may seem the taints of liberty,
The flash and outbreak of a fiery mind,
A savageness in unreclaimèd blood,
Of general assault.
2.1.Sp15Polonius
Marry sir, here’s my drift,
And I believe it is a fetch of warrant.
You laying these slight sullies on my son
As ’twere a thing a little soiled i’th’ working,
Mark you, your party in converse, him you would sound,
Having ever seen in the prenominate crimes
The youth you breathe of guilty, be assured
He closes with you in this consequence:
“Good sir,” or so, or “friend,” or “gentleman,”
According to the phrase and the addition
Of man and country.
2.1.Sp17Polonius
And then, sir, does he this,
He does—what was I about to say?
I was about to say something. Where did I leave?
Reynaldo
At “closes in the consequence,”
At “friend,” or so, and “gentleman.”
2.1.Sp18Polonius
Exit.
Enter Ophelia.
At “closes in the consequence.” Ay, marry,
He closes with you thus: “I know the gentleman,
I saw him yesterday”—or t’other day,
Or then, or then—“with such and such, and as you say,
There was he gaming, there o’ertook in’s rouse,
There falling out at tennis,” or perchance
“I saw him enter such a house of sale,”
Videlicet, a brothel, or so forth. See you now,
Your bait of falsehood takes this carp of truth,
And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,
With windlasses and with assays of bias,
By indirections find directions out;
So by my former lecture and advice
Shall you my son. You have me, have you not?
2.1.Sp29Ophelia
My lord, as I was sewing in my chamber,
Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced,
No hat upon his head, his stockings fouled,
Ungartered, and down-gyvèd to his ankle,
Pale as his shirt, his knees knocking each other,
And with a look so piteous in purport
As if he had been loosèd out of hell
To speak of horrors, he comes before me.
2.1.Sp33Ophelia
He took me by the wrist, and held me hard.
Then goes he to the length of all his arm,
And with his other hand thus o’er his brow
He falls to such perusal of my face
As he would draw it. Long stayed he so.
At last, a little shaking of mine arm,
And thrice his head thus waving up and down,
He raised a sigh so piteous and profound
That it did seem to shatter all his bulk
And end his being. That done, he lets me go,
And with his head over his shoulders turned
He seemed to find his way without his eyes,
For out o’ doors he went without their help,
And to the last bended their light on me.
2.1.Sp34Polonius
Go with me. I will go seek the King.
This is the very ecstasy of love,
Whose violent property fordoes itself
And leads the will to desperate undertakings
As oft as any passion under heaven
That does afflict our natures. I am sorry.
What, have you given him any hard words of late?
2.1.Sp35Ophelia
No, my good lord, but as you did command
I did repel his letters, and denied
His access to me.
2.1.Sp36Polonius
Exeunt.
That hath made him mad.
I am sorry that with better speed and judgment
I had not quoted him. I fear he did but trifle
And meant to wrack thee; but beshrew my jealousy!
It seems it is as proper to our age
To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions
As it is common for the younger sort
To lack discretion. Come, go we to the King.
This must be known, which, being kept close, might move
More grief to hide than hate to utter love.
2.2
Enter King, Queen, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern cum aliis2.2.Sp1King
Welcome, dear Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Moreover that we much did long to see you,
The need we have to use you did provoke
Our hasty sending. Something have you heard
Of Hamlet’s transformation—so I call it,
Since not th’exterior nor the inward man
Resembles that it was. What it should be,
More than his father’s death, that thus hath put him
So much from th’understanding of himself,
I cannot deem of. I entreat you both
That, being of so young days brought up with him,
And since so neighbored to his youth and humor,
That you vouchsafe your rest here in our court
Some little time, so by your companies
To draw him on to pleasures, and to gather
So much as from occasions you may glean
That, opened, lies within our remedy.
2.2.Sp2Queen
Good gentlemen, he hath much talked of you,
And sure I am two men there are not living
To whom he more adheres. If it will please you
To show us so much gentry and good will
As to expend your time with us awhile
For the supply and profit of our hope,
Your visitation shall receive such thanks
As fits a king’s remembrance.
2.2.Sp3Rosencrantz
Both your majesties
Might, by the sovereign power you have of us,
Put your dread pleasures more into command
Than to entreaty.
2.2.Sp4Guildenstern
We both obey,
And here give up ourselves in the full bent
To lay our services freely at your feet
To be commanded.
2.2.Sp6Queen
Exit Guildenstern with Rosencrantz and other Courtiers.
Enter Polonius.
Thanks, Guildenstern, and gentle Rosencrantz.
And I beseech you instantly to visit
My too-much-changèd son.—Go, some of ye,
And bring the gentlemen where Hamlet is.
2.2.Sp11Polonius
Have I, my lord? Assure you, my good liege,
I hold my duty, as I hold my soul,
Both to my God, one to my gracious king;
And I do think, or else this brain of mine
Hunts not the trail of policy so sure
As I have used to do, that I have found
The very cause of Hamlet’s lunacy.
2.2.Sp13Polonius
Give first admittance to th’ambassadors.
My news shall be the fruit to that great feast.
2.2.Sp14King
Enter Polonius, Voltemand, and Cornelius.
Thyself do grace to them, and bring them in.—
Polonius goes to bring in the ambassadors.
He tells me, my sweet Queen, that he hath found
The head and source of all your son’s distemper.
2.2.Sp16King
Well, we shall sift him.—Welcome, good friends.
Say, Voltemand, what from our brother Norway?
2.2.Sp17Voltemand
Most fair return of greetings and desires.
Upon our first, he sent out to suppress
His nephew’s levies, which to him appeared
To be a preparation ’gainst the Polack,
But, better looked into, he truly found
It was against your highness; whereat grieved
That so his sickness, age, and impotence
Was falsely borne in hand, sends out arrests
On Fortinbras, which he (in brief) obeys,
Receives rebuke from Norway, and, in fine,
Makes vow before his uncle never more
To give th’assay of arms against your majesty.
Whereon old Norway, overcome with joy,
Gives him three thousand crowns in annual fee
And his commission to employ those soldiers
So levied, as before, against the Polack,
With an entreaty herein further shown
That it might please you to give quiet pass
Through your dominions for his enterprise
On such regards of safety and allowance
As therein are set down.
2.2.Sp18King
Exit Ambassadors.
It likes us well,
And at our more considered time we’ll read,
Answer, and think upon this business.
Meantime, we thank you for your well-took labor.
Go to your rest. At night we’ll feast together.
Most welcome home!
2.2.Sp19Polonius
This business is very well ended.
My liege and madam, to expostulate
What majesty should be, what duty is,
Why day is day, night, night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time.
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes.
I will be brief. Your noble son is mad.
Mad call I it, for to define true madness,
What is’t but to be nothing else but mad?
But let that go.
2.2.Sp21Polonius
Madam, I swear I use no art at all.
That he is mad, ’tis true, ’tis true ’tis pity,
And pity it is true—a foolish figure,
But farewell it, for I will use no art.
Mad let us grant him, then. And now remains
That we find out the cause of this effect,
Or rather say the cause of this defect,
For this effect defective comes by cause.
Thus it remains, and the remainder thus.
Perpend.
I have a daughter—have whilst she is mine—
Who in her duty and obedience, mark,
Hath given me this. Now gather and surmise.
He reads from the letter.“To the celestial and my soul’s idol, the most beautified Ophelia.” That’s an ill
phrase, a vile phrase; beautified is a vile in phrase. But you shall hear: “These in her excellent white bosom, these.”
2.2.Sp23Polonius
Good madam, stay awhile, I will be faithful.
He reads.
“Doubt thou the stars are fire,
Doubt that the sun doth move,
Doubt truth to be a liar,
But never doubt I love.”
“Oh, dear Ophelia, I am ill at these numbers. I have not art to reckon my groans. But that I love thee best, oh, most best, believe it. Adieu. Thine evermore,
most dear lady, whilst this machine is to him. Hamlet.”
This in obedience hath my daughter showed me,
And, more above, hath his soliciting,
As they fell out, by time, by means, and place,
All given to mine ear.
2.2.Sp27Polonius
I would fain prove so. But what might you think,
When I had seen this hot love on the wing—
As I perceived it (I must tell you that)
Before my daughter told me—what might you,
Or my dear majesty your queen here, think
If I had played the desk or table-book,
Or given my heart a winking, mute and dumb,
Or looked upon this love with idle sight,
What might you think? No, I went round to work,
And my young mistress thus I did bespeak:
“Lord Hamlet is a prince out of thy star.
This must not be.” And then I precepts gave her
That she should lock herself from his resort,
Admit no messengers, receive no tokens.
Which done, she took the fruits of my advice,
And he, repulsèd, a short tale to make,
Fell into a sadness, then into a fast,
Thence to a watch, thence into a weakness,
Thence to a lightness, and by this declension
Into the madness whereon now he raves,
And all we wail for.
2.2.Sp30Polonius
Hath there been such a time—I’d fain know that—
That I have positively said ’tis so
When it proved otherwise?
2.2.Sp32Polonius
Take this from this, if this be otherwise.
If circumstances lead me, I will find
Where truth is hid, though it were hid indeed
Within the center.
2.2.Sp36Polonius
Enter Hamlet reading on a book.
At such a time I’ll loose my daughter to him.
Be you and I behind an arras then;
Mark the encounter. If he love her not,
And be not from his reason fall’n thereon,
Let me be no assistant for a state
And keep a farm and carters.
2.2.Sp39Polonius
Away, I do beseech you, both away.
I’ll board him presently.
(Exit King and Queen.)
Oh, give me leave.—How does my good Lord Hamlet?
2.2.Sp46Hamlet
Ay, sir, to be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of two thousand.
2.2.Sp48Hamlet
For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a good kissing carrion— Have you a daughter?
2.2.Sp50Hamlet
Let her not walk i’th’ sun. Conception is a blessing, but not as your daughter may conceive. Friend, look to’t.
2.2.Sp51Polonius
Aside
How say you by that? Still harping on my daughter. Yet he knew me not at first. He said I was a fishmonger. He is far gone, far gone. And truly, in my youth I suffered much extremity for love, very near this. I’ll
speak to him again.—What do you read, my lord?
2.2.Sp56Hamlet
Slanders sir; for the satirical slave says here
that old men have gray beards, that their faces are
wrinkled, their eyes purging thick amber or plumtree
gum, and that they have a plentiful lack of wit,
together with weak hams—all which, sir, though I
most powerfully and potently believe, yet I hold it
not honesty to have it thus set down; for you
yourself, sir, should be old as I am, if, like a crab, you could
go backward.
2.2.Sp57Polonius
Aside
Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t.—Will you walk out of the air, my
lord?
2.2.Sp59Polonius
Aside
Indeed, that is out o’th’air.
How pregnant sometimes his replies are!
A happiness
that often madness hits on,
which reason and sanity could not
so prosperously be delivered of.
I will leave him,
and suddenly contrive the means of meeting
between him and my daughter.—
My honorable lord, I will most humbly
take my leave of you.
2.2.Sp60Hamlet
You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will more willingly part withal—except my life, my life.
2.2.Sp63Polonius
Enter Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Exit Polonius.
To Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, as they enter
You go to seek my Lord Hamlet? There he is.
2.2.Sp67Hamlet
My excellent good friends! How dost thou, Guildenstern? Oh, Rosencrantz! Good lads, how do ye
both?
2.2.Sp69Guildenstern
Happy in that we are not over-happy. On Fortune’s cap we are not the very button.
2.2.Sp76Hamlet
Then is doomsday near. But your news is not true. Let me question more in particular. What have you, my good friends, deserved at the
hands of Fortune that she sends you to prison hither?
2.2.Sp80Hamlet
A goodly one, in which there are many confines, wards, and dungeons, Denmark being one o’th’ worst.
2.2.Sp82Hamlet
Why, then ’tis none to you, for there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes
it so. To me it is a prison.
2.2.Sp84Hamlet
Oh, God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space,
were it not that I have bad dreams.
2.2.Sp85Guildenstern
Which dreams indeed are ambition, for the very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream.
2.2.Sp87Rosencrantz
Truly, and I hold ambition of so airy and light a quality that it is but a shadow’s
shadow.
2.2.Sp88Hamlet
Then are our beggars bodies, and our monarchs and outstretched heroes the beggars’
shadows. Shall we to th’court? For, by my fay, I cannot reason.
2.2.Sp90Hamlet
No such matter. I will not sort you with the rest of my servants, for, to speak to you like an honest man, I am most
dreadfully attended. But, in the beaten way of friendship, what make you at Elsinore?
2.2.Sp92Hamlet
Beggar that I am, I am even poor in thanks, but I thank you; and sure, dear friends, my thanks are too dear a halfpenny. Were you not sent for? Is it your own inclining? Is it a free visitation? Come, deal justly with me. Come, come, nay, speak.
2.2.Sp94Hamlet
Why, anything. But to the purpose: you were sent for, and there is a kind of confession in your looks, which your modesties have craft enough to color. I know the good King and Queen have sent for you.
2.2.Sp96Hamlet
That you must teach me. But let me conjure you, by the rights of our fellowship, by the consonancy of our youth, by the obligation of our ever-preserved love, and by what more dear a better proposer could charge you withal, be even and direct with me whether you were sent for or no.
2.2.Sp100Hamlet
I will tell you why; so shall my anticipation
prevent your discovery, and your secrecy to the King and
Queen molt no feather. I have of late, but wherefore
I know not, lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of
exercise; and indeed it goes so heavily with my
disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a
sterile promontory. This most excellent canopy the air,
look you, this brave o’erhanging, this majestical roof
fretted with golden fire, why, it appears no other thing
to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of
vapors. What a piece of work is a man! How noble in
reason! How infinite in faculty! In form and moving
how express and admirable! In action, how like an
angel! In apprehension, how like a god! The beauty of the
world, the paragon of animals. And yet to me what is
this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me, no,
nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem
to say so.
2.2.Sp103Rosencrantz
To think, my lord, if you delight not in man, what lenten entertainment the players shall receive from you. We coted them on the way, and hither are they coming to offer you service.
2.2.Sp104Hamlet
He that plays the King shall be welcome; his
majesty shall have tribute of me. The Adventurous
Knight shall use his foil and target, the Lover shall
not sigh gratis, the Humorous Man shall end his part in
peace, the Clown shall make those laugh whose lungs
are tickled o’th’sear, and the Lady shall say her mind
freely, or the blank verse shall halt for’t. What players
are they?
2.2.Sp106Hamlet
How chances it they travel? Their
residence both in reputation and profit was better both
ways.
2.2.Sp108Hamlet
Do they hold the same estimation they did when I was in the city? Are they so followed?
2.2.Sp111Rosencrantz
Nay, their endeavor keeps in the wonted
pace. But there is, sir, an eyrie of children, little
eyases, that cry out on the top of question, and
are most tyrannically clapped for’t. These are now the
fashion, and so berattle the common stages—so they
call them—that many wearing rapiers are afraid of
goose quills and dare scarce come thither.
2.2.Sp112Hamlet
What, are they children? Who maintains ’em?
How are they escoted? Will they pursue the quality no
longer than they can sing? Will they not say afterwards,
if they should grow themselves to common players—as
it is most like if their means are not better—their
writers do them wrong to make them exclaim against their
own succession?
2.2.Sp113Rosencrantz
Faith, there has been much to-do on both sides,
and the nation holds it no sin to tarre them to
controversy. There was for a while no money bid for
argument unless the poet and the player went to cuffs in
the question.
2.2.Sp118Hamlet
Flourish for the players.
It is not strange, for mine uncle is King of
Denmark, and those that would make mows at him
while my father lived give twenty, forty, an hundred
ducats apiece for his picture in little. There is
something in this more than natural, if philosophy could
find it out.
2.2.Sp120Hamlet
Gentlemen, you are welcome to Elsinore. Your
hands, come. The appurtenance of welcome is fashion
and ceremony. Let me comply with you in the garb,
lest my extent to the players, which, I tell you, must show
fairly outward, should more appear like entertainment
than yours. You are welcome. But my uncle-father
and aunt-mother are deceived.
2.2.Sp122Hamlet
Enter Polonius.
I am but mad north-north-west; when the
wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.
2.2.Sp124Hamlet
Hark you, Guildenstern, and you too, at each
ear a hearer: that great baby you see there is not yet
out of his swathing clouts.
2.2.Sp125Rosencrantz
Happily he’s the second time come to them, for
they say an old man is twice a child.
2.2.Sp126Hamlet
I will prophesy: he comes to tell me of the
players. Mark it.—You say right, sir, for o’Monday
morning, ’twas so indeed.
2.2.Sp133Polonius
The best actors in the world, either for
tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral,
pastoral-comical-historical-pastoral, tragical-historical,
tragical-comical-historical-pastoral, scene individable, or
poem unlimited. Seneca cannot be too heavy, nor Plautus
too light for the law of writ and the liberty. These are
the only men.
2.2.Sp142Hamlet
Why,
“
As by lot,
God wot,”
and then you know,
“
It came to pass,
As most like it was.”
The first row of the
pious chanson will show you more, for look where my
abridgments come.
(Enter four or five Players.)
Y’are welcome, masters, welcome all.—I am glad to see
thee well. Welcome, good friends.—Oh, my old friend!
Thy face is valiant since I saw thee last. Com’st thou to
beard me in Denmark?—What, my young lady and
mistress! By’r Lady, your ladyship is nearer heaven than when
I saw you last, by the altitude of a chopine. Pray God
your voice, like a piece of uncurrent gold, be not cracked
within the ring.—Masters, you are all welcome. We’ll e’en
to’t, like French falconers: fly at anything we see. We’ll
have a speech straight. Come, give us a taste of your
quality. Come, a passionate speech.
2.2.Sp144Hamlet
I heard thee speak me a speech once, but it was
never acted, or if it was, not above once; for the play, I
remember, pleased not the million, ’twas caviary to the
general. But it was, as I received it, and others whose
judgment in such matters cried in the top of mine, an
excellent play, well digested in the scenes, set down
with as much modesty as cunning. I remember one said
there was no sallets in the lines, to make the matter
savory, nor no matter in the phrase that might indict the
author of affectation, but called it an honest method. One
chief speech in it I chiefly loved: ’twas Aeneas’ tale
to Dido, and thereabout of it especially where he speaks
of Priam’s slaughter. If it live in your memory, begin at
this line—let me see, let me see—
The rugged Pyrrhus, like
th’Hyrcanian beast—
It is not so, it begins with Pyrrhus.
The rugged Pyrrhus, he whose sable arms,
Black as his purpose, did the night resemble
When he lay couchèd in the ominous horse,
Hath now this dread and black complexion smeared
With heraldry more dismal. Head to foot
Now is he total gules, horridly tricked
With blood of fathers, mothers, daughters, sons,
Baked and empasted with the parching streets
That lend a tyrannous and damnèd light
To their vile murders. Roasted in wrath and fire,
And thus o’ersizèd with coagulate gore,
With eyes like carbuncles, the hellish Pyrrhus
Old grandsire Priam seeks.
2.2.Sp146FirstPlayer
Anon he finds him,
Striking too short at Greeks. His anticke sword,
Rebellious to his arm, lies where it falls,
Repugnant to command. Unequal match!
Pyrrhus at Priam drives, in rage strikes wide,
But with the whiff and wind of his fell sword
Th’unnervèd father falls. Then senseless Ilium,
Seeming to feel his blow, with flaming top
Stoops to his base, and with a hideous crash
Takes prisoner Pyrrhus’ ear; for lo! his sword,
Which was declining on the milky head
Of reverend Priam, seemed i’th’ air to stick.
So as a painted tyrant Pyrrhus stood,
And, like a neutral to his will and matter,
Did nothing.
But as we often see against some storm
A silence in the heavens, the rack stand still,
The bold winds speechless, and the orb below
As hush as death, anon the dreadful thunder
Doth rend the region, so, after Pyrrhus’ pause,
A rousèd vengeance sets him new a-work,
And never did the Cyclops’ hammers fall
On Mars his armor, forged for proof eterne,
With less remorse than Pyrrhus’ bleeding sword
Now falls on Priam.
Out, out, thou strumpet Fortune! All you gods
In general synod take away her power,
Break all the spokes and fellies from her wheel,
And bowl the round nave down the hill of heaven
As low as to the fiends!
2.2.Sp148Hamlet
It shall to th’ barber’s with your beard.—
Prithee, say on. He’s for a jig, or a tale of bawdry, or he
sleeps. Say on. Come to Hecuba.
2.2.Sp152FirstPlayer
Run barefoot up and down, threat’ning the flame
With bisson rheum, a clout about that head
Where late the diadem stood, and, for a robe,
About her lank and all o’er-teemèd loins
A blanket in th’alarum of fear caught up—
Who this had seen, with tongue in venom steeped
’Gainst Fortune’s state would treason have pronounced!
But if the gods themselves did see her then,
When she saw Pyrrhus make malicious sport
In mincing with his sword her husband’s limbs,
The instant burst of clamor that she made
(Unless things mortal move them not at all)
Would have made milch the burning eyes of heaven
And passion in the gods.
2.2.Sp153Polonius
Look where he has not turned his color, and
has tears in’s eyes.—Pray you, no more.
2.2.Sp154Hamlet
’Tis well. I’ll have thee speak out the rest soon.
To Polonius
Good my lord, will you see the players well
bestowed? Do ye hear, let them be well used, for they are
the abstracts and brief chronicles of the time. After
your death you were better have a bad epitaph than
their ill report while you lived.
2.2.Sp156Hamlet
Exit Polonius.
God’s bodykins, man, better. Use every man
after his desert and who should scape whipping? Use
them after your own honor and dignity; the less they
deserve, the more merit is in your bounty. Take them
in.
2.2.Sp158Hamlet
Follow him, friends. We’ll hear a play tomorrow.
Aside to the First Player
Dost thou hear me, old friend, can you play The
Murder of Gonzago?
2.2.Sp160Hamlet
We’ll ha’t tomorrow night. You could for a
need study a speech of some dozen or sixteen lines, which
I would set down and insert in’t, could ye not?
2.2.Sp162Hamlet
Exeunt. Manet Hamlet.
Very well. Follow that lord, and look you
mock him not.—My good friends, I’ll leave you till night. You are welcome to Elsinore.
2.2.Sp164Hamlet
Exit.
Ay, so, God buy ye.—Now I am alone.
Oh, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!
Is it not monstrous that this player here,
But in a fiction, in a dream of passion,
Could force his soul so to his whole conceit
That from her working all his visage warmed,
Tears in his eyes, distraction in’s aspect,
A broken voice, and his whole function suiting
With forms to his conceit? And all for nothing?
For Hecuba?
What’s Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba,
That he should weep for her? What would he do
Had he the motive and the cue for passion
That I have? He would drown the stage with tears
And cleave the general ear with horrid speech,
Make mad the guilty, and appal the free,
Confound the ignorant, and amaze indeed
The very faculty of eyes and ears. Yet I,
A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak
Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,
And can say nothing; no, not for a king
Upon whose property and most dear life
A damned defeat was made. Am I a coward?
Who calls me villain? Breaks my pate across?
Plucks off my beard and blows it in my face?
Tweaks me by th’ nose? Gives me the lie i’th’ throat
As deep as to the lungs? Who does me this?
Ha? Why, I should take it; for it cannot be
But I am pigeon-livered, and lack gall
To make oppression bitter, or ere this
I should have fatted all the region kites
With this slave’s offal, bloody, a bawdy villain,
Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!
Oh, vengeance!
Who? What an ass am I! Ay, sure, this is most brave,
That I, the son of the dear murderèd,
Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,
Must like a whore unpack my heart with words,
And fall a-cursing like a very drab,
A scullion? Fie upon’t, foh! About, my brain!
I have heard that guilty creatures sitting at a play
Have by the very cunning of the scene
Been struck so to the soul that presently
They have proclaimed their malefactions;
For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak
With most miraculous organ. I’ll have these players
Play something like the murder of my father
Before mine uncle. I’ll observe his looks;
I’ll tent him to the quick. If he but blench
I know my course. The spirit that I have seen
May be the devil, and the devil hath power
T’assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps,
Out of my weakness and my melancholy,
As he is very potent with such spirits,
Abuses me to damn me. I’ll have grounds
More relative than this. The play’s the thing
Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King.
3.1
Enter King, Queen, Polonius, Ophelia,Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Lords.3.1.Sp1King
And can you by no drift of circumstance
Get from him why he puts on this confusion,
Grating so harshly all his days of quiet
With turbulent and dangerous lunacy?
3.1.Sp2Rosencrantz
He does confess he feels himself distracted,
But from what cause he will by no means speak.
3.1.Sp3Guildenstern
Nor do we find him forward to be sounded,
But with a crafty madness keeps aloof
When we would bring him on to some confession
Of his true state.
3.1.Sp9Rosencrantz
Madam, it so fell out that certain players
We o’erraught on the way. Of these we told him,
And there did seem in him a kind of joy
To hear of it. They are about the court,
And, as I think, they have already order
This night to play before him.
3.1.Sp10Polonius
’Tis most true,
And he beseeched me to entreat your majesties
To hear and see the matter.
3.1.Sp11King
Exeunt Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and Lords.
With all my heart, and it doth much content me
To hear him so inclined. Good gentlemen,
Give him a further edge, and drive his purpose on
To these delights.
3.1.Sp13King
Sweet Gertrude, leave us too,
For we have closely sent for Hamlet hither,
That he, as ’twere by accident, may there
Affront Ophelia. Her father and myself, lawful espials,
Will so bestow our selves that, seeing unseen,
We may of their encounter frankly judge,
And gather by him, as he is behaved,
If’t be th’affliction of his love or no
That thus he suffers for.
3.1.Sp14Queen
Exit Queen.
I shall obey you.
And for your part, Ophelia, I do wish
That your good beauties be the happy cause
Of Hamlet’s wildness. So shall I hope your virtues
Will bring him to his wonted way again,
To both your honors.
3.1.Sp16Polonius
Ophelia, walk you here.—Gracious, so please ye,
We will bestow ourselves.
To Ophelia
Read on this book,
That show of such an exercise may color
Your loneliness. We are oft too blame in this,
’Tis too much proved, that with devotion’s visage
And pious action we do sugar o’er
The devil himself.
3.1.Sp17King
Exeunt the King and Polonius, as they conceal themselves.
Enter Hamlet.
Aside
Oh, ’tis true!
How smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience!
The harlot’s cheek, beautied with plast’ring art,
Is not more ugly to the thing that helps it
Than is my deed to my most painted word.
Oh, heavy burden!
3.1.Sp19Hamlet
To be, or not to be, that is the question,
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep—
No more—and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to? ’Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there’s the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil
Must give us pause. There’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor’s wrong, the poor man’s contumely,
The pangs of disprized love, the law’s delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would these fardels bear
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country from whose bourn
No traveler returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of.
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn away
And lose the name of action. Soft you now,
The fair Ophelia!—Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remembered.
3.1.Sp22Ophelia
My lord, I have remembrances of yours
That I have longèd long to redeliver.
I pray you now receive them.
3.1.Sp24Ophelia
She offers Hamlet the remembrances.
My honored lord, I know right well you did,
And with them words of so sweet breath composed
As made the things more rich. Then, perfume left,
Take these again, for to the noble mind
Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind,
There, my lord. "
3.1.Sp29Hamlet
That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty.
3.1.Sp31Hamlet
Ay, truly, for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to
a bawd than the
force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness.
This was sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it
proof. I did love you once.
3.1.Sp33Hamlet
You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I loved you not.
3.1.Sp35Hamlet
Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou
be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest,
but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were
better my mother had not borne me: I am very proud,
revengeful, ambitious, with more offenses at my beck
than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give
them shape, or time to act them in. What should such
fellows as I do crawling between heaven and earth?
We are arrant knaves, all; believe none of us. Go thy
ways to a nunnery. Where’s your father?
3.1.Sp37Hamlet
Let the doors be shut upon him, that he may play the fool no way but in’s own house. Farewell.
3.1.Sp39Hamlet
If thou dost marry, I’ll give thee this plague
for thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow,
thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery.
Go, farewell. Or if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool,
for wise men know well enough what monsters you
make of them. To a nunnery go, and quickly too.
Farewell.
3.1.Sp41Hamlet
Exit Hamlet.
I have heard of your pratlings too well enough.
God has given you one pace, and you make yourself
another. You jig, you amble, and you lisp, and nickname
God’s creatures, and make your wantonness your
ignorance. Go to, I’ll no more on’t; it hath made me mad.
I say we will have no more marriages. Those that are
married already, all but one, shall live; the rest shall keep
as they are. To a nunnery, go.
3.1.Sp42Ophelia
Enter King and Polonius stepping forward from concealment.
Oh, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown!
The courtier’s, soldier’s, scholar’s, eye, tongue, sword,
Th’expectancy and rose of the fair state,
The glass of fashion and the mold of form,
Th’observed of all observers, quite, quite down.
And I, of ladies most deject and wretched,
That sucked the honey of his music vows,
Now see that noble and most sovereign reason,
Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune, and harsh,
That unmatched form and feature of blown youth
Blasted with ecstasy. Oh, woe is me
T’have seen what I have seen, see what I see!
3.1.Sp43King
Love? His affections do not that way tend,
Nor what he spake, though it lacked form a little,
Was not like madness. There’s something in his soul
O’er which his melancholy sits on brood,
And I do doubt the hatch and the disclose
Will be some danger; which to prevent,
I have in quick determination
Thus set it down: he shall with speed to England
For the demand of our neglected tribute.
Haply the seas, and countries different,
With variable objects, shall expel
This something-settled matter in his heart,
Whereon his brains still beating puts him thus
From fashion of himself. What think you on’t?
3.1.Sp44Polonius
Exeunt.
It shall do well. But yet do I believe
The origin and commencement of this grief
Sprung from neglected love.—How now, Ophelia?
You need not tell us what Lord Hamlet said,
We heard it all.—My lord, do as you please,
But if you hold it fit, after the play
Let his queen-mother all alone entreat him
To show his griefs. Let her be round with him,
And I’ll be placed so, please you, in the ear
Of all their conference. If she find him not,
To England send him, or confine him where
Your wisdom best shall think.
3.2
Enter Hamlet, and two or three of the Players.3.2.Sp1Hamlet
Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced
it to you, trippingly on the tongue; but if you mouth it,
as many of your players do, I had as lief the town crier
had spoke my lines. Nor do not saw the air too much—
your hand thus—but use all gently; for in the very
torrent, tempest, and, as I may say, the whirlwind of
passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance that
may give it smoothness. Oh, it offends me to the soul
to see a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a
passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the
groundlings, who, for the most part, are capable of
nothing but inexplicable dumb shows and noise. I could
have such a fellow whipped for o’erdoing Termagant. It
out-Herods Herod. Pray you avoid it.
3.2.Sp3Hamlet
Be not too tame, neither, but let your own
discretion be your tutor. Suit the action to the word,
the word to the action, with this special observance:
that you o’erstep not the modesty of nature. For
anything so overdone is from the purpose of playing, whose
end, both at the first and now, was and is to hold as ’twere
the mirror up to nature, to show virtue her own
feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and
body of the time his form and pressure. Now, this
overdone, or come tardy off, though it make the
unskillful laugh, cannot but make the judicious grieve, the
censure of the which one must in your allowance
o’erweigh a whole theater of others. Oh, there be players
that I have seen play, and heard others praise, and that
highly, not to speak it profanely, that, neither having
the accent of Christians nor the gait of Christian, pagan,
or Norman, have so strutted and bellowed that I have
thought some of nature’s journeymen had made men,
and not made them well, they imitated humanity so
abhominably.
3.2.Sp5Hamlet
Exeunt Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Enter Horatio.
Oh, reform it altogether. And let those that
play your clowns speak no more than is set down for
them; for there be of them that will themselves laugh,
to set on some quantity of barren spectators to laugh
too, though in the meantime some necessary question
of the play be then to be considered. That’s villainous, and
shows a most pitiful ambition in the fool that uses
it. Go make you ready.
(Exeunt Players.)
(Enter Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern.)
To Polonius
How now, my lord,
will the King hear this piece of work?
3.2.Sp13Hamlet
Nay, do not think I flatter,
For what advancement may I hope from thee
That no revenue hast but thy good spirits
To feed and clothe thee? Why should the poor be flattered?
No, let the candied tongue lick absurd pomp
And crook the pregnant hinges of the knee
Where thrift may follow feigning. Dost thou hear?
Since my dear soul was mistress of my choice
And could of men distinguish, her election
Hath sealed thee for herself. For thou hast been
As one in suffering all that suffers nothing,
A man that Fortune’s buffets and rewards
Hath ta’en with equal thanks. And blest are those
Whose blood and judgment are so well commingled
That they are not a pipe for Fortune’s finger
To sound what stop she please. Give me that man
That is not passion’s slave, and I will wear him
In my heart’s core, ay, in my heart of heart,
As I do thee.—Something too much of this.—
There is a play tonight before the King.
One scene of it comes near the circumstance
Which I have told thee, of my father’s death.
I prithee, when thou see’st that act afoot,
Even with the very comment of my soul
Observe mine uncle. If his occulted guilt
Do not itself unkennel in one speech,
It is a damnèd ghost that we have seen,
And my imaginations are as foul
As Vulcan’s stithy. Give him needful note,
For I mine eyes will rivet to his face,
And after we will both our judgments join
To censure of his seeming.
3.2.Sp14Horatio
Enter King, Queen, Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and other Lords attendant,
with his Guard carrying torches. Danish march. Sound a flourish.
Well, my lord,
If he steal aught the whilst this play is playing
And scape detecting, I will pay the theft.
3.2.Sp17Hamlet
Excellent, i’faith, of the chameleon’s dish; I eat
the air, promise-crammed. You cannot feed capons so.
3.2.Sp40Hamlet
Oh, God, your only jig-maker. What should
a man do but be merry? For look you how
cheerfully my mother looks, and my father died within’s two
hours.
3.2.Sp42Hamlet
Hautboys play. The dumb-show enters.
Enter Players as a King and Queen very lovingly; the Queen
embracing him. She kneels and makes show of protestation unto
him. He takes her up, and declines his head upon her neck.
Lays him down upon a bank of flowers. She, seeing him
asleep, leaves him. Anon comes in a fellow, takes off his
crown, kisses it, pours poison in the King’s ears, and
exits. The Queen returns, finds the King dead, and
makes passionate action. The Poisoner, with some two or
three mutes, comes in again, seeming to lament with her.
The dead body is carried away. The Poisoner woos the
Queen with gifts. She seems loath and unwilling awhile,
but in the end accepts his love.
Exeunt Players.
So long? Nay, then, let the devil wear black,
for I’ll have suit of sables. Oh, heavens! Die two
months ago, and not forgotten yet? Then there’s hope a
great man’s memory may outlive his life half a year.
But, by’r Lady, he must build churches then, or else shall
he suffer not thinking on, with the hobby-horse, whose
epitaph is, "For oh, for oh, the hobby-horse is forgot."
3.2.Sp48Hamlet
Enter Prologue.
Ay, or any show that you’ll show him. Be not you ashamed to show, he’ll not shame to tell you what it means.
3.2.Sp50
Prologue
Exit.
Enter two Players as King and his Queen Baptista.
For us and for our tragedy,
Here stooping to your clemency,
We beg your hearing patiently.
3.2.Sp54King
Full thirty times hath Phoebus’ cart gone round
Neptune’s salt wash and Tellus’ orbèd ground,
And thirty dozen moons with borrowed sheen
About the world have times twelve thirties been
Since love our hearts and Hymen did our hands
Unite commutual in most sacred bands.
3.2.Sp55Baptista
So many journeys may the sun and moon
Make us again count o’er, ere love be done!
But woe is me, you are so sick of late,
So far from cheer and from your former state,
That I distrust you. Yet though I distrust,
Discomfort you, my lord, it nothing must.
For women’s fear and love hold quantity;
In neither aught, or in extremity.
Now what my love is, proof hath made you know,
And as my love is sized, my fear is so.
3.2.Sp56King
Faith, I must leave thee, love, and shortly too;
My operant powers my functions leave to do.
And thou shalt live in this fair world behind,
Honored, beloved; and haply one as kind
For husband shalt thou—
3.2.Sp57Baptista
Oh, confound the rest!
Such love must needs be treason in my breast.
In second husband let me be accurst!
None wed the second but who killed the first.
3.2.Sp59Baptista
The instances that second marriage move
Are base respects of thrift, but none of love.
A second time I kill my husband dead
When second husband kisses me in bed.
3.2.Sp60King
I do believe you think what now you speak,
But what we do determine, oft we break.
Purpose is but the slave to memory,
Of violent birth, but poor validity,
Which now like fruit unripe sticks on the tree,
But fall unshaken when they mellow be.
Most necessary ’tis that we forget
To pay ourselves what to ourselves is debt.
What to ourselves in passion we propose,
The passion ending, doth the purpose lose.
The violence of either grief or joy
Their own enactors with themselves destroy.
Where joy most revels, grief doth most lament;
Grief joys, joy grieves, on slender accident.
This world is not for aye, nor ’tis not strange
That even our loves should with our fortunes change;
For ’tis a question left us yet to prove
Whether love lead fortune, or else fortune love.
The great man down, you mark his favorites flies;
The poor advanced makes friends of enemies;
And hitherto doth love on fortune tend,
For who not needs shall never lack a friend,
And who in want a hollow friend doth try
Directly seasons him his enemy.
But orderly to end where I begun,
Our wills and fates do so contrary run
That our devices still are overthrown;
Our thoughts are ours, their ends none of our own.
So, think thou wilt no second husband wed,
But die thy thoughts when thy first lord is dead.
3.2.Sp61Baptista
Nor earth to give me food, nor heaven light,
Sport and repose lock from me day and night,
Each opposite that blanks the face of joy
Meet what I would have well, and it destroy!
Both here and hence pursue me lasting strife,
If once a widow, ever I be wife!
3.2.Sp63King
Exit Player Queen.
’Tis deeply sworn.Sweet, leave me here awhile.
My spirits grow dull, and fain I would beguile
The tedious day with sleep.
3.2.Sp71Hamlet
The Mousetrap. Marry, how? Tropically.
This play is the image of a murder done in Vienna.
Gonzago is the Duke’s name, his wife Baptista. You shall see
anon. ’Tis a knavish piece of work, but what o’ that?
Your majesty and we that have free souls, it touches
us not. Let the galled jade winch; our withers are unwrung.
(Enter Lucianus.)
This is one Lucianus, nephew to the King.
3.2.Sp77Hamlet
So you mistake husbands.—
Begin, murderer. Pox, leave thy damnable faces and
begin. Come, the croaking raven doth bellow for
revenge.
3.2.Sp78Lucianus
Pours the poison in his ears. Exit.
Thoughts black, hands apt, drugs fit, and time agreeing,
Confederate season, else no creature seeing,
Thou mixture rank, of midnight weeds collected,
With Hecate’s ban thrice blasted, thrice infected,
Thy natural magic and dire property
On wholesome life usurp immediately.
3.2.Sp79Hamlet
Exeunt. Hamlet and Horatio remain on stage.
He poisons him i’th’ garden for’s estate. His
name’s Gonzago. The story is extant, and writ in choice
Italian. You shall see anon how the murderer gets the
love of Gonzago’s wife.
3.2.Sp86Hamlet
“Why, let the strucken deer go weep,
The heart ungallèd play,
For some must watch while some must sleep;
So runs the world away.”
Would not this, sir, and a forest of feathers—if the rest of
my fortunes turn Turk with me—with two provincial
roses on my razed shoes, get me a fellowship in a cry
of players, sir?
3.2.Sp88Hamlet
Enter Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
A whole one, I.
For thou dost know, O Damon dear,
This realm dismantled was of Jove himself,
And now reigns here
A very, very pajock.
3.2.Sp94Hamlet
Oh, ha! Come, some music! Come, the recorders.
For if the King like not the comedy,
Why, then belike he likes it not, perdie.
Come, some music.
3.2.Sp102Hamlet
Your wisdom should show itself more
richer to signify this to his doctor, for, for me to put him
to his purgation would perhaps plunge him into far
more choler.
3.2.Sp103Guildenstern
Good my lord, put your discourse into some
frame, and start not so wildly from my affair.
3.2.Sp105Guildenstern
The Queen your mother, in most great affliction of spirit, hath sent me to you.
3.2.Sp107Guildenstern
Nay, good my lord, this courtesy is not of
the right breed. If it shall please you to make me a
wholesome answer, I will do your mother’s commandment.
If not, your pardon and my return shall be the end of
my business.
3.2.Sp110Hamlet
Make you a wholesome answer; my wit’s
diseased. But, sir, such answers as I can make, you shall
command, or rather, you say, my mother. Therefore no more
but to the matter. My mother, you say.
3.2.Sp111Rosencrantz
Then thus she says: your behavior hath struck
her into amazement and admiration.
3.2.Sp112Hamlet
Oh, wonderful son, that can so astonish a
mother! But is there no sequel at the heels of this
mother’s admiration?
3.2.Sp117Rosencrantz
Good my lord, what is your cause of
distemper? You do freely bar the door of your own
liberty if you deny your griefs to your friend.
3.2.Sp119Rosencrantz
How can that be, when you have the voice of the King himself for your succession in
Denmark?
3.2.Sp120Hamlet
Ay, but "while the grass grows"— the proverb is
something musty.
(Enter one with a recorder.)
Oh, the recorder. Let me see.
He takes the recorder.
To withdraw with you, why
do you go about to recover the wind of me, as if you
would drive me into a toil?
3.2.Sp128Hamlet
’Tis as easy as lying. Govern these ventages
with your finger and thumb, give it breath with your
mouth, and it will discourse most excellent music.
Look you, these are the stops.
3.2.Sp130Hamlet
Enter Polonius.
Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing
you make of me! You would play upon me, you would
seem to know my stops, you would pluck out the heart
of my mystery, you would sound me from my lowest
note to the top of my compass, and there is much
music, excellent voice, in this little organ, yet cannot
you make it. Why, do you think that I am easier to be
played on than a pipe? Call me what instrument you will,
though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me.
To Polonius, as he enters
God bless you, sir.
3.2.Sp138Hamlet
Then will I come to my mother by and by.
Aside
They fool me to the top of my bent.
Aloud
I will come by and by.
3.2.Sp139Polonius
Exit.
I will say so.
(Exit.)
"By and by" is easily said.—Leave me, friends.
Exeunt all but Hamlet.
’Tis now the very witching time of night,
When churchyards yawn, and hell itself breathes out
Contagion to this world. Now could I drink hot blood,
And do such bitter business as the day
Would quake to look on. Soft now, to my mother.
O heart, loose not thy nature! Let not ever
The soul of Nero enter this firm bosom.
Let me be cruel, not unnatural;
I will speak daggers to her, but use none.
My tongue and soul in this be hypocrites:
How in my words somever she be shent,
To give them seals, never my soul consent!
3.3
Enter King, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern.3.3.Sp1King
I like him not, nor stands it safe with us
To let his madness range. Therefore prepare you.
I your commission will forthwith dispatch,
And he to England shall along with you.
The terms of our estate may not endure
Hazard so dangerous as doth hourly grow
Out of his lunacies.
3.3.Sp2Guildenstern
We will ourselves provide.
Most holy and religious fear it is
To keep those many many bodies safe
That live and feed upon your majesty.
3.3.Sp3Rosencrantz
The single and peculiar life is bound
With all the strength and armor of the mind
To keep itself from noyance, but much more
That spirit upon whose spirit depends and rests
The lives of many. The cease of majesty
Dies not alone, but like a gulf doth draw
What’s near it with it. It is a massy wheel
Fixed on the summit of the highest mount,
To whose huge spokes ten thousand lesser things
Are mortised and adjoined, which, when it falls,
Each small annexment, petty consequence,
Attends the boist’rous ruin. Never alone
Did the king sigh, but with a general groan.
3.3.Sp4King
Exeunt gentlemen Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Enter Polonius.
Arm you, I pray you, to this speedy voyage,
For we will fetters put upon this fear,
Which now goes too free-footed.
3.3.Sp6Polonius
My lord, he’s going to his mother’s closet.
Behind the arras I’ll convey myself
To hear the process. I’ll warrant she’ll tax him home,
And, as you said—and wisely was it said—
’Tis meet that some more audience then a mother,
Since nature makes them partial, should o’erhear
The speech of vantage. Fare you well, my liege.
I’ll call upon you ere you go to bed,
And tell you what I know.
3.3.Sp7King
He kneels.
Enter Hamlet.
Thanks, dear my lord.
Exit Polonius.
Oh, my offense is rank! It smells to heaven.
It hath the primal eldest curse upon’t,
A brother’s murder. Pray can I not,
Though inclination be as sharp as will;
My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent,
And like a man to double business bound
I stand in pause where I shall first begin,
And both neglect. What if this cursèd hand
Were thicker than itself with brother’s blood,
Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens
To wash it white as snow? Whereto serves mercy
But to confront the visage of offense?
And what’s in prayer but this twofold force,
To be forestallèd ere we come to fall,
Or pardoned being down? Then I’ll look up;
My fault is past. But, oh, what form of prayer
Can serve my turn? "Forgive me my foul murder"?
That cannot be, since I am still possessed
Of those effects for which I did the murder:
My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.
May one be pardoned and retain th’offense?
In the corrupted currents of this world,
Offense’s gilded hand may shove by justice,
And oft ’tis seen the wicked prize itself
Buys out the law. But ’tis not so above:
There is no shuffling, there the action lies
In his true nature, and we ourselves compelled,
Even to the teeth and forehead of our faults,
To give in evidence. What then? What rests?
Try what repentance can. What can it not?
Yet what can it, when one cannot repent?
O wretched state! O bosom black as death!
O limèd soul, that, struggling to be free,
Art more engaged! Help, angels! Make assay.
Bow, stubborn knees, and heart with strings of steel,
Be soft as sinews of the newborn babe!
All may be well.
3.3.Sp8Hamlet
Exit.
Exit.
Now might I do it pat, now he is praying,
And now I’ll do’t.
He draws his sword.
And so he goes to heaven,
And so am I revenged. That would be scanned:
A villain kills my father, and for that,
I, his foul son, do this same villain send
To heaven.
Oh, this is hire and salary, not revenge.
He took my father grossly, full of bread,
With all his crimes broad blown, as fresh as May,
And how his audit stands, who knows, save heaven?
But in our circumstance and course of thought
’Tis heavy with him. And am I then revenged,
To take him in the purging of his soul,
When he is fit and seasoned for his passage? No.
He sheathes his sword.
Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent
When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage,
Or in th’incestuous pleasure of his bed,
At gaming, swearing, or about some act
That has no relish of salvation in’t,
Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven,
And that his soul may be as damned and black
As hell, whereto it goes. My mother stays.
This physic but prolongs thy sickly days.
3.4
Enter Queen and Polonius.3.4.Sp1Polonius
Polonius conceals himself behind the arras.
Enter Hamlet.
He will come straight. Look you lay home to him.
Tell him his pranks have been too broad to bear with,
And that your grace hath screened and stood between
Much heat and him. I’ll silence me e’en here.
Pray you, be round with him.
3.4.Sp12Hamlet
No, by the rood, not so.
You are the queen, your husband’s brother’s wife,
But—would you were not so!—you are my mother.
3.4.Sp14Hamlet
He stabs through the arras with his rapier.
Hamlet kills Polonius.
Come, come, and sit you down. You shall not budge.
You go not till I set you up a glass
Where you may see the inmost part of you.
3.4.Sp24Hamlet
Ay, lady, ’twas my word.
He parts the arras and discovers the dead Polonius.
Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell!
I took thee for thy betters. Take thy fortune.
Thou find’st to be too busy is some danger.
To the Queen
Leave wringing of your hands. Peace, sit you down,
And let me wring your heart, for so I shall
If it be made of penetrable stuff,
If damnèd custom have not brazed it so
That it is proof and bulwark against sense.
3.4.Sp26Hamlet
Such an act
That blurs the grace and blush of modesty,
Calls virtue hypocrite, takes off the rose
From the fair forehead of an innocent love
And makes a blister there, makes marriage vows
As false as dicers’ oaths—oh, such a deed
As from the body of contraction plucks
The very soul, and sweet religion makes
A rhapsody of words. Heaven’s face doth glow,
Yea, this solidity and compound mass,
With tristful visage as against the doom,
Is thought-sick at the act.
3.4.Sp28Hamlet
Showing her two likenesses
:
Look here upon this picture, and on this,
The counterfeit presentment of two brothers.
See what a grace was seated on his brow:
Hyperion’s curls, the front of Jove himself,
An eye like Mars to threaten or command,
A station like the herald Mercury
New lighted on a heaven-kissing hill,
A combination and a form indeed
Where every god did seem to set his seal
To give the world assurance of a man.
This was your husband. Look you now what follows:
Here is your husband, like a mildewed ear,
Blasting his wholesome breath. Have you eyes?
Could you on this fair mountain leave to feed
And batten on this moor? Ha? Have you eyes?
You cannot call it love, for at your age
The heyday in the blood is tame, it’s humble,
And waits upon the judgment, and what judgment
Would step from this to this? What devil was’t
That thus hath cozened you at hoodman-blind?
O shame, where is thy blush? Rebellious hell,
If thou canst mutine in a matron’s bones,
To flaming youth let virtue be as wax
And melt in her own fire. Proclaim no shame
When the compulsive ardor gives the charge,
Since frost itself as actively doth burn
As reason panders will.
3.4.Sp29Queen
Oh, Hamlet speak no more!
Thou turn’st mine eyes into my very soul,
And there I see such black and grainèd spots
As will not leave their tinct.
3.4.Sp30Hamlet
Nay, but to live
In the rank sweat of an enseamèd bed,
Stewed in corruption, honeying and making love
Over the nasty sty!
3.4.Sp31Queen
Oh, speak to me no more!
These words like daggers enter in mine ears.
No more, sweet Hamlet.
3.4.Sp32Hamlet
Enter Ghost.
A murderer and a villain,
A slave that is not twentieth part the tithe
Of your precedent lord, a vice of kings,
A cutpurse of the empire and the rule,
That from a shelf the precious diadem stole
And put it in his pocket—
3.4.Sp34Hamlet
A king of shreds and patches—
Seeing the Ghost
Save me and hover o’er me with your wings,
You heavenly guards! What would you, gracious figure?
3.4.Sp36Hamlet
Do you not come your tardy son to chide,
That, lapsed in time and passion, lets go by
Th’important acting of your dread command?
Oh, say!
3.4.Sp37Ghost
Do not forget. This visitation
Is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose.
But look, amazement on thy mother sits.
Oh, step between her and her fighting soul!
Conceit in weakest bodies strongest works.
Speak to her, Hamlet.
3.4.Sp39Queen
Alas, how is’t with you,
That you bend your eye on vacancy,
And with th’incorporal air do hold discourse?
Forth at your eyes your spirits wildly peep,
And, as the sleeping soldiers in th’alarm,
Your bedded hair, like life in excrements,
Start up and stand on end. O gentle son,
Upon the heat and flame of thy distemper
Sprinkle cool patience. Whereon do you look?
3.4.Sp40Hamlet
On him, on him! Look you how pale he glares!
His form and cause conjoined, preaching to stones,
Would make them capable.
To the Ghost
Do not look upon me,
Lest with this piteous action you convert
My stern effects. Then what I have to do
Will want true color, tears perchance for blood.
3.4.Sp46Hamlet
Exit Ghost.
Why, look you there, look how it steals away!
My father in his habit as he lived.
Look where he goes, even now out at the portal!
3.4.Sp47Queen
This is the very coinage of your brain.
This bodiless creation ecstasy is very cunning in.
3.4.Sp48Hamlet
Ecstasy?
My pulse as yours doth temperately keep time,
And makes as healthful music. It is not madness
That I have uttered. Bring me to the test
And I the matter will reword, which madness
Would gambol from, Mother, for love of grace,
Lay not a flattering unction to your soul
That not your trespass but my madness speaks.
It will but skin and film the ulcerous place,
Whilst rank corruption, mining all within,
Infects unseen. Confess yourself to heaven,
Repent what’s past, avoid what is to come,
And do not spread the compost o’er the weeds
To make them rank. Forgive me this my virtue,
For in the fatness of this pursy times
Virtue itself of vice must pardon beg,
Yea, curb and woo for leave to do him good.
3.4.Sp50Hamlet
Oh, throw away the worser part of it,
And live the purer with the other half.
Good night. But go not to mine uncle’s bed;
Assume a virtue if you have it not. Refrain tonight,
And that shall lend a kind of easiness
To the next abstinence. Once more good night,
And when you are desirous to be blest,
I’ll blessing beg of you. For this same lord,
I do repent; but heaven hath pleased it so
To punish me with this, and this with me,
That I must be their scourge and minister.
I will bestow him and will answer well
The death I gave him. So, again, good night.
I must be cruel only to be kind.
Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind.
3.4.Sp52Hamlet
Not this by no means that I bid you do:
Let the blunt King tempt you again to bed,
Pinch wanton on your cheek, call you his mouse,
And let him, for a pair of reechy kisses,
Or paddling in your neck with his damned fingers,
Make you to ravel all this matter out
That I essentially am not in madness,
But mad in craft. ’Twere good you let him know,
For who that’s but a queen, fair, sober, wise,
Would from a paddock, from a bat, a gib,
Such dear concernings hide? Who would do so?
No, in dispite of sense and secrecy,
Unpeg the basket on the house’s top,
Let the birds fly, and like the famous ape,
To try conclusions, in the basket creep
And break your own neck down.
3.4.Sp53Queen
Be thou assured, if words be made of breath
And breath of life, I have no life to breathe
What thou hast said to me.
3.4.Sp56Hamlet
Exit Hamlet, tugging in Polonius.
This man shall set me packing.
I’ll lug the guts into the neighbor room.
Mother, good night. Indeed, this counselor
Is now most still, most secret, and most grave,
Who was in life a foolish prating knave.—
Come, sir, to draw toward an end with you.—
Good night, mother.
4.1
Enter King.4.1.Sp1King
There’s matters in these sighs. These profound heaves
You must translate; ’tis fit we understand them.
Where is your son?
4.1.Sp4Queen
Mad as the seas and wind, when both contend
Which is the mightier. In his lawless fit,
Behind the arras hearing something stir,
He whips his rapier out, and cries, "A rat, a rat!"
And in his brainish apprehension kills
The unseen good old man.
4.1.Sp5King
Oh, heavy deed!
It had been so with us had we been there.
His liberty is full of threats to all,
To you yourself, to us, to everyone.
Alas, how shall this bloody deed be answered?
It will be laid to us, whose providence
Should have kept short, restrained, and out of haunt
This mad young man. But so much was our love,
We would not understand what was most fit,
But like the owner of a foul disease,
To keep it from divulging, lets it feed
Even on the pith of life. Where is he gone?
4.1.Sp6Queen
To draw apart the body he hath killed,
O’er whom his very madness, like some ore
Among a mineral of metals base,
Shows itself pure: he weeps for what is done.
4.1.Sp7King
Exeunt.
Oh, Gertrude, come away!
The sun no sooner shall the mountains touch
But we will ship him hence, and this vile deed
We must with all our majesty and skill
Both countenance and excuse.
(Enter Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.)
Ho, Guildenstern!
Friends both, go join you with some further aid.
Hamlet in madness hath Polonius slain,
And from his mother’s closet hath he dragged him.
Go seek him out, speak fair, and bring the body
Into the chapel. I pray you haste in this.
(Exit Gentlemen Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.)
Come, Gertrude, we’ll call up our wisest friends
To let them know both what we mean to do
And what’s untimely done. Oh, come away!
My soul is full of discord and dismay.
4.2
Enter Hamlet. Enter Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.4.2.Sp9Hamlet
That I can keep your counsel and not mine
own. Besides, to be demanded of a sponge, what
replication should be made by the son of a king?
4.2.Sp11Hamlet
Exeunt.
Ay, sir, that soaks up the King’s countenance, his
rewards, his authorities. But such officers do the King
best service in the end: he keeps them like an ape in
the corner of his jaw, first mouthed to be last swallowed.
When he needs what you have gleaned, it is but
squeezing you, and, sponge, you shall be dry again.
4.3
Enter King.4.3.Sp1King
Enter Rosencrantz.
Enter Hamlet and Guildenstern and Guards.
I have sent to seek him and to find the body.
How dangerous is it that this man goes loose!
Yet must not we put the strong law on him;
He’s loved of the distracted multitude,
Who like not in their judgment but their eyes,
And where ’tis so, th’offender’s scourge is weighed,
But ne’er the offense. To bear all smooth and even,
This sudden sending him away must seem
Deliberate pause. Diseases desperate grown
By desperate appliance are relieved,
Or not at all.
4.3.Sp11Hamlet
Not where he eats, but where he is eaten. A
certain convocation of worms are e’en at him. Your worm
is your only emperor for diet. We fat all creatures else
to fat us, and we fat ourself for maggots. Your fat king
and your lean beggar is but variable service to dishes,
but to one table that’s the end.
4.3.Sp15Hamlet
Exeunt attendants.
In heaven. Send thither to see. If your
messenger find him not there, seek him i’th’ other place
yourself. But indeed if you find him not this month, you
shall nose him as you go up the stairs into the lobby.
4.3.Sp18King
Hamlet, this deed of thine, for thine especial safety—
Which we do tender, as we dearly grieve
For that which thou hast done—must send thee hence
With fiery quickness. Therefore prepare thyself.
The bark is ready, and the wind at help,
Th’associates tend, and everything at bent
For England.
4.3.Sp25Hamlet
Exit.
My mother. Father and mother is man and
wife, man and wife is one flesh, and so, my mother. Come,
for England!
4.3.Sp26King
Exit.
Follow him at foot.
Tempt him with speed aboard.
Delay it not. I’ll have him hence tonight.
Away! For everything is sealed and done
That else leans on th’affair. Pray you, make haste.
Exeunt all but the King.
And England, if my love thou hold’st at aught,
As my great power thereof may give thee sense,
Since yet thy cicatrice looks raw and red
After the Danish sword, and thy free awe
Pays homage to us, thou mayst not coldly set
Our sovereign process, which imports at full
By letters conjuring to that effect
The present death of Hamlet. Do it, England,
For like the hectic in my blood he rages,
And thou must cure me. Till I know ’tis done,
Howe’er my haps, my joys were ne’er begun.
4.4
Enter Fortinbras and a Captain with an army.4.4.Sp1Fortinbras
Exit with all the rest.
Go, captain, from me greet the Danish King.
Tell him that by his license Fortinbras
Claims the conveyance of a promised march
Over his kingdom. You know the rendezvous.
If that his majesty would aught with us,
We shall express our duty in his eye;
And let him know so.
4.5
Enter Queen and Horatio.4.5.Sp4Horatio
She speaks much of her father, says she hears
There’s tricks i’th’ world, and hems, and beats her heart,
Spurns enviously at straws, speaks things in doubt
That carry but half sense. Her speech is nothing,
Yet the unshapèd use of it doth move
The hearers to collection; they aim at it,
And botch the words up fit to their own thoughts,
Which, as her winks and nods and gestures yield them,
Indeed would make one think there would be thought,
Though nothing sure, yet much unhappily.
4.5.Sp5Queen
Enter Ophelia, distracted.
’Twere good she were spoken with,
For she may strew dangerous conjectures
In ill-breeding minds. Let her come in.
Exit Gentleman.
Aside
To my sick soul, as sin’s true nature is,
Each toy seems prologue to some great amiss.
So full of artless jealousy is guilt,
It spills itself in fearing to be spilt.
4.5.Sp8Ophelia
She sings.
“How should I your true love know
from another one?
By his cockle hat and staff,
And his sandal shoon.”
She sings. He is dead and gone, lady, He is dead and gone. At his head a grass-green turf, At his heels a stone.Enter King.
White his shroud as the mountain snow—
4.5.Sp14Ophelia
She sings.
“Larded with sweet flowers,
Which bewept to the grave did not go
With true-love showers.”
4.5.Sp16Ophelia
Well God dild you. They say the owl was a baker’s daughter. Lord, we know what we are, but know not what we may be. God be at your table!
4.5.Sp18Ophelia
Pray you, let’s have no words of this. But when they ask you what it means, say you this:
She sings.
Tomorrow is Saint Valentine’s day,
All in the morning betime,
And I a maid at your window
To be your Valentine.
Then up he rose, and donned his clothes,
And dupped the chamber door,
Let in the maid, that out a maid
Never departed more
.4.5.Sp20Ophelia
Indeed, la? Without an oath I’ll make an end on’t.
She sings.
By Gis and by Saint Charity,
Alack, and fie for shame!
Young men will do’t if they come to’t;
By Cock, they are too blame.
Quoth she, ‘Before you tumbled me,
you promised me to wed.ʼ
‘So would I ha’ done, by yonder sun,
An thou hadst not come to my bed.ʼ4.5.Sp22Ophelia
Exit.
I hope all will be well. We must be patient.
But I cannot choose but weep to think they should
lay him i’th’ cold ground. My brother shall know of it.
And so I thank you for your good counsel. Come, my
coach! Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies.
Good night, good night.
4.5.Sp23King
A noise within.
Enter a Messenger.
To Horatio.
Follow her close. Give her good watch, I pray you.
Exit Horatio.
Oh, this is the poison of deep grief! It springs
All from her father’s death. Oh, Gertrude, Gertrude,
When sorrows comes, they come not single spies
But in battalias. First, her father slain;
Next, your son gone, and he most violent author
Of his own just remove; the people muddied,
Thick and unwholesome in their thoughts and whispers
For good Polonius’ death, and we have done but greenly
In hugger-mugger to inter him; poor Ophelia
Divided from herself and her fair judgment,
Without the which we are pictures or mere beasts;
Last, and as much containing as all these,
Her brother is in secret come from France,
Keeps on his wonder, keeps himself in clouds,
And wants not buzzers to infect his ear
With pestilent speeches of his father’s death,
Wherein necessity, of matter beggared,
Will nothing stick our persons to arraign
In ear and ear. O my dear Gertrude, this,
Like to a murdering piece, in many places
Gives me superfluous death.
4.5.Sp26Messenger
Save yourself, my lord!
The ocean, overpeering of his list,
Eats not the flats with more impiteous haste
Than young Laertes, in a riotous head,
O’erbears your officers. The rabble call him lord,
And, as the world were now but to begin,
Antiquity forgot, custom not known,
The ratifiers and props of every word,
They cry, "Choose we! Laertes shall be king!"
Caps, hands, and tongues applaud it to the clouds:
"Laertes shall be king, Laertes king!"
4.5.Sp27Queen
Noise within.
Enter Laertes.
How cheerfully on the false trail they cry!
Oh, this is counter, you false Danish dogs!
4.5.Sp33Laertes
I thank you. Keep the door.—
Laertes’s followers remain outside the door.
O thou vile king, give me my father!
4.5.Sp35Laertes
That drop of blood that calms
proclaims me bastard,
Cries "Cuckold!" to my father, brands the harlot
Even here between the chaste unsmirchèd brow
Of my true mother.
4.5.Sp36King
What is the cause, Laertes,
That thy rebellion looks so giant-like?—
Let him go, Gertrude. Do not fear our person.
There’s such divinity doth hedge a king
That treason can but peep to what it would,
Acts little of his will.—Tell me, Laertes,
Why thou art thus incensed?—Let him go, Gertrude.—
Speak, man.
4.5.Sp41Laertes
How came he dead? I’ll not be juggled with.
To hell, allegiance! Vows, to the blackest devil!
Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit!
I dare damnation. To this point I stand,
That both the worlds I give to negligence,
Let come what comes, only I’ll be revenged
Most throughly for my father.
4.5.Sp43Laertes
My will, not all the world.
And for my means, I’ll husband them so well
They shall go far with little.
4.5.Sp44King
Good Laertes,
If you desire to know the certainty
Of your dear father’s death, is’t writ in your revenge
That, swoopstake, you will draw both friend and foe,
Winner and loser?
4.5.Sp47Laertes
To his good friends thus wide I’ll ope my arms,
And, like the kind life-rend’ring pelican,
Repast them with my blood.
4.5.Sp48King
A noise within.
Enter Ophelia
Why, now you speak
Like a good child and a true gentleman.
That I am guiltless of your father’s death,
And am most sensible in grief for it,
It shall as level to your judgment pierce
As day does to your eye.
4.5.Sp50Laertes
How now, what noise is that?
O heat, dry up my brains! Tears seven times salt
Burn out the sense and virtue of mine eye!
By heaven, thy madness shall be paid by weight
Till our scale turns the beam. O rose of May,
Dear maid, kind sister, sweet Ophelia!
O heavens, is’t possible a young maid’s wits
Should be as mortal as an old man’s life?
Nature is fine in love, and where ’tis fine
It sends some precious instance of itself
After the thing it loves.
4.5.Sp51Ophelia
She sings.
“They bore him bare-faced on the bier,
Hey non nonny, nonny, hey nonny,
And on his grave rains many a tear.”
Fare you well, my dove.
Laertes
Hadst thou thy wits, and didst persuade
revenge,
It could not move thus.
4.5.Sp52Ophelia
You must sing "down, a-down," an you call
him "a-down-a." Oh, how the wheel becomes it! It is
the false steward that stole his master’s daughter.
4.5.Sp54Ophelia
There’s rosemary; that’s for remembrance.
Pray, love, remember. And there is pansies; that’s for
thoughts.
4.5.Sp56Ophelia
There’s fennel for you, and columbines. There’s
rue for you, and here’s some for me. We may call it
herb-grace o’Sundays. Oh, you must wear your rue
with a difference. There’s a daisy. I would give you
some violets, but they withered all when my father
died. They say he made a good end.
She sings. For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy.
4.5.Sp58Ophelia
Exeunt Ophelia and the Queen, following her.
She sings.
“And will he not come again?
And will he not come again?
No, no, he is dead,
Go to thy deathbed,
He never will come again.
His beard as white as snow,
All flaxen was his poll.
He is gone, he is gone,
And we cast away moan.
Gramercy on his soul!”
And of all Christian souls, I pray God.
God buy ye!
4.5.Sp60King
Laertes, I must commune with your grief,
Or you deny me right. Go but apart,
Make choice of whom your wisest friends you will,
And they shall hear and judge ’twixt you and me.
If by direct or by collateral hand
They find us touched, we will our kingdom give,
Our crown, our life, and all that we call ours
To you in satisfaction; but if not,
Be you content to lend your patience to us,
And we shall jointly labor with your soul
To give it due content.
4.5.Sp61Laertes
Exeunt.
Let this be so.
His means of death, his obscure burial—
No trophy, sword, nor hatchment o’er his bones,
No noble rite, nor formal ostentation—
Cry to be heard as ’twere from heaven to earth,
That I must call in question.
4.6
Enter Horatio, with an Attendant i.e., Servingman.4.6.Sp3Horatio
Enter Sailor with one or more companions.
Let them come in.
Exit Servingman.
I do not know from what part of the world I should be greeted, if not from Lord Hamlet.
4.6.Sp6Sailor
He gives a letter.
He shall, sir, an’t please him. There’s a letter
for you, sir. It comes from th’ambassadors that was
bound for England, if your name be Horatio, as I am let
to know it is.
4.6.Sp7
Horatio
Exit with the sailors.
(Reads the letter.)
“Horatio, when thou shalt have overlooked this, give these
fellows some means to the King; they have letters
for him. Ere we were two days old at sea, a pirate of very
warlike appointment gave us chase. Finding ourselves too
slow of sail, we put on a compelled valor. In the grapple, I
boarded them. On the instant they got clear of our ship, so
I alone became their prisoner. They have dealt with me like
thieves of mercy, but they knew what they did. I am to do
a good turn for them. Let the King have the letters I have
sent, and repair thou to me with as much haste as thou wouldest
fly death. I have words to speak in your ear will make thee
dumb, yet are they much too light for the bore of the matter.
These good fellows will bring thee where I am. Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern hold their course for England. Of them
I have much to tell thee. Farewell.
He that thou knowest thine,
Hamlet. ”
:
Come, I will give you way for these your letters,
/And do’t the speedier that you may direct me
/To him from whom you brought them.
4.7
Enter King and Laertes.4.7.Sp1King
Now must your conscience my acquittance seal,
And you must put me in your heart for friend,
Sith you have heard, and with a knowing ear,
That he which hath your noble father slain
Pursued my life.
4.7.Sp2Laertes
It well appears. But tell me
Why you proceeded not against these feats
So crimeful and so capital in nature,
As by your safety, wisdom, all things else,
You mainly were stirred up.
4.7.Sp3King
Oh, for two special reasons,
Which may to you perhaps seem much unsinewed,
And yet to me they are strong. The Queen his mother
Lives almost by his looks, and for myself—
My virtue or my plague, be it either which—
She’s so conjunctive to my life and soul
That, as the star moves not but in his sphere,
I could not but by her. The other motive
Why to a public count I might not go
Is the great love the general gender bear him,
Who, dipping all his faults in their affection,
Would, like the spring that turneth wood to stone,
Convert his gyves to graces, so that my arrows,
Too slightly timbered for so loud a wind,
Would have reverted to my bow again,
And not where I had armed them.
4.7.Sp4Laertes
And so have I a noble father lost,
A sister driven into desperate terms,
Who has, if praises may go back again,
Stood challenger on mount of all the age
For her perfections. But my revenge will come.
4.7.Sp5King
He gives letters.
Break not your sleeps for that. You must not think
That we are made of stuff so flat and dull
That we can let our beard be shook with danger
And think it pastime. You shortly shall hear more.
I loved your father, and we love ourself,
And that, I hope, will teach you to imagine—
(Enter a Messenger with letters.)
How now? What news?
4.7.Sp8Messenger
Sailors, my lord, they say. I saw them not.
They were given me by Claudio. He received them.
4.7.Sp9King
Laertes, you shall hear them.
To the Messenger
Leave us.
(Exit Messenger.)
He reads.
High and mighty, you shall know I am set naked on your
kingdom. Tomorrow shall I beg leave to see your kingly
eyes, when I shall (first asking your pardon thereunto)
recount th’occasions of my sudden and more strange return.
Hamlet.4.7.Sp10
King
What should this mean? Are all the rest come back?
Or is it some abuse? Or no such thing?
4.7.Sp12King
’Tis Hamlet’s character. "Naked!"
And in a postscript here he says "alone."
Can you advise me?
4.7.Sp13Laertes
I am lost in it, my lord. But let him come.
It warms the very sickness in my heart
That I shall live and tell him to his teeth
"Thus diddest thou."
4.7.Sp16King
To thine own peace. If he be now returned
As checking at his voyage, and that he means
No more to undertake it, I will work him
To an exploit, now ripe in my device,
Under the which he shall not choose but fall;
And for his death no wind of blame shall breathe,
But even his mother shall uncharge the practice
And call it accident. Some two months hence
Here was a gentleman of Normandy.
I have seen myself, and served against, the French,
And they ran well on horseback, but this gallant
Had witchcraft in’t; he grew into his seat,
And to such wondrous doing brought his horse
As had he been incorpsed and demi-natured
With the brave beast. So far he passed my thought
That I in forgery of shapes and tricks
Come short of what he did.
4.7.Sp22King
He made confession of you,
And gave you such a masterly report
For art and exercise in your defense,
And for your rapier most especially,
That he cried out ’twould be a sight indeed
If one could match you, sir. This report of his
Did Hamlet so envenom with his envy
That he could nothing do but wish and beg
Your sudden coming o’er to play with him.
Now, out of this—
4.7.Sp24King
Laertes, was your father dear to you?
Or are you like the painting of a sorrow,
A face without a heart?
4.7.Sp26King
Not that I think you did not love your father,
But that I know love is begun by time,
And that I see, in passages of proof,
Time qualifies the spark and fire of it.
Hamlet comes back. What would you undertake
To show yourself your father’s son indeed,
More than in words?
4.7.Sp28King
No place, indeed, should murder sanctuarize.
Revenge should have no bounds. But good Laertes,
Will you do this: keep close within your chamber.
Hamlet returned shall know you are come home.
We’ll put on those shall praise your excellence
And set a double varnish on the fame
The Frenchman gave you, bring you in fine together,
And wager on your heads. He being remiss,
Most generous, and free from all contriving,
Will not peruse the foils, so that with ease,
Or with a little shuffling, you may choose
A sword unbated, and in a pass of practice
Requite him for your father.
4.7.Sp29Laertes
I will do’t,
And for that purpose I’ll anoint my sword.
I bought an unction of a mountebank
So mortal I but dipped a knife in it,
Where it draws blood no cataplasm so rare,
Collected from all simples that have virtue
Under the moon, can save the thing from death
That is but scratched withal. I’ll touch my point
With this contagion, that if I gall him slightly,
It may be death.
4.7.Sp30King
Enter Queen.
Lets further think of this,
Weigh what convenience both of time and means
May fit us to our shape. If this should fail,
And that our drift look through our bad performance,
’Twere better not assayed. Therefore this project
Should have a back or second, that might hold
If this should blast in proof. Soft, let me see.
We’ll make a solemn wager on your comings—
I ha’t! When in your motion you are hot and dry—
As make your bouts more violent to the end—
And that he calls for drink, I’ll have prepared him
A chalice for the nonce, whereon but sipping,
If he by chance escape your venomed stuck,
Our purpose may hold there.—How, sweet Queen?
4.7.Sp31Queen
One woe doth tread upon another’s heel,
So fast they’ll follow. Your sister’s drowned, Laertes.
4.7.Sp33Queen
There is a willow grows aslant a brook
That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream.
There with fantastic garlands did she come,
Of crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples,
That liberal shepherds give a grosser name,
But our cold maids do "dead men’s fingers" call them.
There on the pendent boughs her coronet weeds
Clamb’ring to hang, an envious sliver broke,
When down the weedy trophies and herself
Fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread wide,
And mermaid-like awhile they bore her up,
Which time she chanted snatches of old tunes,
As one incapable of her own distress,
Or like a creature native and endued
Unto that element. But long it could not be
Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,
Pulled the poor wretch from her melodious lay
To muddy death.
4.7.Sp36Laertes
Exit.
Too much of water hast thou, poor Ophelia,
And therefore I forbid my tears. But yet
It is our trick; nature her custom holds,
Let shame say what it will. (
He weeps.) When these are gone,
The woman will be out. Adieu, my lord.
I have a speech of fire that fain would blaze,
But that this folly douts it.
4.7.Sp37King
Exeunt.
Let’s follow, Gertrude.
How much I had to do to calm his rage!
Now fear I this will give it start again;
Therefore let’s follow.
5.1
Enter two Clowns with spades and mattocks.5.1.Sp2Other
I tell thee she is, and therefore make her grave
straight. The crowner hath sat on her, and finds it
Christian burial.
5.1.Sp5Clown
It must be se offendendo , it cannot be else. For
here lies the point: if I drown myself wittingly, it
argues an act, and an act hath three branches: it is an
act to do and to perform. Argal, she drowned herself
wittingly.
5.1.Sp7Clown
Give me leave. Here lies the water; good.
Here stands the man; good. If the man go to this
water and drown himself, it is, will he, nill he, he goes;
mark you that? But if the water come to him and drown
him, he drowns not himself. Argal, he that is not
guilty of his own death shortens not his own life.
5.1.Sp10Other
Will you ha’ the truth on’t? If this had not
been a gentlewoman, she should have been buried
out of Christian burial.
5.1.Sp11Clown
Why, there thou say’st, and the more pity that
great folk should have countenance in this world to
drown or hang themselves more than their
even-Christian. Come, my spade. There is no ancient gentlemen
but gardeners, ditchers, and gravemakers. They hold up
Adam’s profession.
5.1.Sp15Clown
Why, art a heathen? How dost thou
understand the Scripture? The Scripture says Adam digged.
Could he dig without arms? I’ll put another
question to thee. If thou answerest me not to the purpose,
confess thyself—
5.1.Sp17Clown
What is he that builds stronger than either the
mason, the shipwright, or the carpenter?
5.1.Sp19Clown
Enter Hamlet and Horatio afar off.
I like thy wit well, in good faith, the gallows
does well. But how does it well? It does well to those
that do ill. Now, thou dost ill to say the gallows is
built stronger than the church. Argal, the gallows
may do well to thee. To’t again, come.
5.1.Sp25Clown
Cudgel thy brains no more about it, for your
dull ass will not mend his pace with beating; and when
you are asked this question next, say "a grave-maker." The
houses that he makes lasts till doomsday. Go, get thee
to Youghan, fetch me a stoup of liquor.
Exit Second Clown.
The First Clown digs.
Sings.In youth when I did love, did love,
Methought it was very sweet
To contract—oh—the time for—a—my behove,
Oh, methought there was nothing meet. 5.1.Sp29Clown
Clown sings.
But age with his stealing steps
Hath caught me in his clutch,
And hath shipped me intil the land,
As if I had never been such.
The Clown throws up a skull.
5.1.Sp30Hamlet
That skull had a tongue in it and could sing
once. How the knave jowls it to th’ ground, as if it
were Cain’s jawbone, that did the first murder! It
might be the pate of a politician, which this ass
o’er-offices, one that could circumvent God, might it not?
5.1.Sp32Hamlet
Or of a courtier, which could say, "Good
morrow, sweet lord, how dost thou, good lord?" This
might be my Lord Such-a-one, that praised my Lord
Such-a-one’s horse when he meant to beg it, might it not?
5.1.Sp34Hamlet
Why, e’en so. And now my Lady Worm’s,
chapless, and knocked about the mazard with a sexton’s
spade. Here’s fine revolution, if we had the trick to
see’t. Did these bones cost no more the breeding but
to play at loggets with ’em? Mine ache to think
on’t.
5.1.Sp35Clown
He throws up another skull.
(Clown sings. )
Song. A pickax and a spade, a spade,
For and a shrouding sheet;
Oh, a pit of clay for to be made
For such a guest is meet.5.1.Sp36Hamlet
There’s another. Why might not that be the
skull of a lawyer? Where be his quiddits now? His
quillets? His cases? His tenures, and his tricks? Why
does he suffer this rude knave now to knock him about
the sconce with a dirty shovel, and will not tell him of
his action of battery? Hum! This fellow might be in’s
time a great buyer of land, with his statutes, his
recognizances, his fines, his double vouchers, his recoveries.
Is this the fine of his fines, and the recovery of his
recoveries, to have his fine pate full of fine dirt? Will his
vouchers vouch him no more of his purchases, and
double ones too, than the length and breadth of a pair of
indentures? The very conveyances of his lands will
hardly lie in this box, and must the inheritor himself
have no more? Ha?
5.1.Sp40Hamlet
They are sheep and calves that seek out
assurance in that. I will speak to this fellow.—Whose grave’s
this, sir?
5.1.Sp43Clown
You lie out on’t, sir, and therefore it is not yours.
For my part, I do not lie in’t, and yet it is mine.
5.1.Sp44Hamlet
Thou dost lie in’t, to be in’t and say ’tis thine.
’Tis for the dead, not for the quick; therefore thou
liest.
5.1.Sp52Hamlet
To Horatio
How absolute the knave is! We must speak
by the card, or equivocation will undo us. By the
Lord, Horatio, these three years I have taken note of it,
the age is grown so picked that the toe of the peasant
comes so near the heels of our courtier he galls his
kibe.—How long hast thou been grave-maker?
5.1.Sp53Clown
Of all the days i’th’year, I came to’t that day
that our last King Hamlet o’ercame Fortinbras.
5.1.Sp55Clown
Cannot you tell that? Every fool can tell that.
It was the very day that young Hamlet was born—he
that was mad and sent into England.
5.1.Sp57Clown
Why, because he was mad. He shall recover his wits there; or if he do not, it’s no
great matter there.
5.1.Sp67Clown
I’faith, if he be not rotten before he die—as we have
many pocky corses nowadays that will scarce hold
the laying in—he will last you some eight year, or nine
year. A tanner will last you nine year.
5.1.Sp69Clown
Why, sir, his hide is so tanned with his trade that
he will keep out water a great while; and your water
is a sore decayer of your whoreson dead body.
He picks up a skull.
Here’s a skull now: this skull has lain in the earth three-and-twenty years.
5.1.Sp73Clown
A pestilence on him for a mad rogue! ’A poured a
flagon of Rhenish on my head once. This same skull,
sir, this same skull, sir, was Yorick’s skull, the King’s jester.
5.1.Sp76Hamlet
Let me see.
He takes the skull.
Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him,
Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. He
hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and how
abhorred my imagination is! My gorge rises at it. Here
hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft.—
Where be your gibes now? Your gambols? Your
songs? Your flashes of merriment that were wont to
set the table on a roar? No one now to mock your own
jeering? Quite chopfall’n? Now get you to my lady’s
chamber and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this
favor she must come. Make her laugh at that.
Prithee, Horatio, tell me one thing.
5.1.Sp82Hamlet
To what base uses we may return, Horatio!
Why may not imagination trace the noble dust of
Alexander till he find it stopping a bunghole?
5.1.Sp84Hamlet
Hamlet and Horatio conceal themselves. Ophelia’s body is taken to the grave.
No, faith, not a jot. But to follow him thither
with modesty enough, and likelihood to lead it, as thus:
Alexander died; Alexander was buried; Alexander
returneth into dust; the dust is earth; of earth we make
loam, and why of that loam whereto he was
converted might they not stop a beer-barrel?
“
Imperial Caesar, dead and turned to clay,
Might stop a hole to keep the wind away.
Oh, that that earth which kept the world in awe
Should patch a wall t’expel the winter’s flaw! ”
But soft, but soft, aside! Here comes the King,
Enter King, Queen, Laertes, and a coffin of Ophelia, in funeral procession, with a Priest, with Lords attendant.The Queen, the courtiers. Who is that they follow,
And with such maimèd rites? This doth betoken,
The corse they follow did with desperate hand
Fordo it own life. ’Twas some estate.
Couch we awhile and mark.
5.1.Sp88Priest
Her obsequies have been as far enlarged
As we have warrantise. Her death was doubtful,
And, but that great command o’ersways the order,
She should in ground unsanctified have lodged
Till the last trumpet. For charitable prayer,
Shards, flints, and pebbles should be thrown on her;
Yet here she is allowed her virgin rites,
Her maiden strewments, and the bringing home
Of bell and burial.
5.1.Sp90Priest
No more be done.
We should profane the service of the dead
To sing sage requiem and such rest to her
As to peace-parted souls.
5.1.Sp91Laertes
Lay her i’th’earth,
And from her fair and unpolluted flesh
May violets spring! I tell thee, churlish priest,
A minist’ring angel shall my sister be
When thou liest howling.
5.1.Sp93Queen
Scattering flowers
Sweets to the sweet! Farewell.
I hoped thou shouldst have been my Hamlet’s wife.
I thought thy bride-bed to have decked, sweet maid,
And not t’have strewed thy grave.
5.1.Sp94Laertes
Oh, terrible woe
Fall ten times treble on that cursèd head
Whose wicked deed thy most ingenious sense
Deprived thee of! Hold off the earth awhile,
Till I have caught her once more in mine arms.
(Leaps in the grave.)
Now pile your dust upon the quick and dead,
Till of this flat a mountain you have made
To o’ertop old Pelion, or the skyish head
Of blue Olympus.
5.1.Sp95Hamlet
Coming forward
What is he whose griefs
Bears such an emphasis, whose phrase of sorrow
Conjures the wand’ring stars, and makes them stand
Like wonder-wounded hearers? This is I,
Hamlet the Dane.
5.1.Sp97Hamlet
Hamlet and Laertes are parted.
Thou pray’st not well.
I prithee take thy fingers from my throat.
Sir, though I am not splenative and rash,
Yet have I something in me dangerous,
Which let thy wiseness fear. Away thy hand!
5.1.Sp103Hamlet
I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers
Could not, with all their quantity of love,
Make up my sum. What wilt thou do for her?
5.1.Sp106Hamlet
Come, show me what thou’lt do.
Woo’t weep? Woo’t fight? Woo’t tear thyself?
Woo’t drink up eisil? Eat a crocodile?
I’ll do’t. Dost thou come here to whine?
To outface me with leaping in her grave?
Be buried quick with her, and so will I.
And if thou prate of mountains, let them throw
Millions of acres on us, till our ground,
Singeing his pate against the burning zone,
Make Ossa like a wart. Nay, an thou’lt mouth,
I’ll rant as well as thou.
5.1.Sp107King
This is mere madness,
And thus awhile the fit will work on him;
Anon, as patient as the female dove
When that her golden couplet are disclosed,
His silence will sit drooping.
5.1.Sp108Hamlet
Exit.
To Laertes
Hear you, sir:
What is the reason that you use me thus?
I loved you ever. But it is no matter.
Let Hercules himself do what he may,
The cat will mew, and dog will have his day.
5.1.Sp109King
Exeunt.
I pray you, good Horatio, wait upon him.
Exit Horatio.
Aside to Laertes
Strengthen then your patience in our last night’s speech;
We’ll put the matter to the present push.—
Good Gertrude, set some watch over your son.—
This grave shall have a living monument.
An hour of quiet shortly shall we see;
Till then, in patience our proceeding be.
5.2
Enter Hamlet and Horatio.5.2.Sp1Hamlet
So much for this, sir. Now let me see, the other.
You do remember all the circumstance?
5.2.Sp3Hamlet
Sir, in my heart there was a kind of fighting
That would not let me sleep. Methought I lay
Worse than the mutines in the bilboes. Rashly—
And praise be rashness for it!—let us know,
Our indiscretion sometimes serves us well
When our dear plots do pall, and that should teach us
There’s a divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough-hew them how we will.
5.2.Sp5Hamlet
Up from my cabin,
My sea-gown scarfed about me in the dark,
Groped I to find out them; had my desire,
Fingered their packet, and in fine withdrew
To mine own room again, making so bold,
My fears forgetting manners, to unseal
Their grand commission; where I found, Horatio—
Oh, royal knavery!— an exact command,
Larded with many several sorts of reason,
Importing Denmark’s health, and England’s too,
With, hoo! such bugs and goblins in my life,
That on the supervise, no leisure bated,
No, not to stay the grinding of the ax,
My head should be struck off.
5.2.Sp7Hamlet
Showing a document
Here’s the commission. Read it at more leisure.
But wilt thou hear me how I did proceed?
5.2.Sp9Hamlet
Being thus benetted round with villains,
Ere I could make a prologue to my brains,
They had begun the play. I sat me down,
Devised a new commission, wrote it fair.
I once did hold it, as our statists do,
A baseness to write fair, and labored much
How to forget that learning, but, sir, now
It did me yeoman’s service. Wilt thou know
The effects of what I wrote?
5.2.Sp11Hamlet
An earnest conjuration from the King,
As England was his faithful tributary,
As love between them as the palm should flourish,
As peace should still her wheaten garland wear
And stand a comma ’tween their amities,
And many suchlike "as"es of great charge,
That on the view and know of these contents,
Without debatement further, more or less,
He should the bearers put to sudden death,
Not shriving time allowed.
5.2.Sp13Hamlet
Why, even in that was heaven ordinate.
I had my father’s signet in my purse,
Which was the model of that Danish seal;
Folded the writ up in form of the other,
Subscribed it, gave’t th’impression, placed it safely,
The changeling never known. Now the next day
Was our sea fight, and what to this was sequent
Thou know’st already.
5.2.Sp15Hamlet
Why, man, they did make love to this employment.
They are not near my conscience. Their debate
Doth by their own insinuation grow.
’Tis dangerous when the baser nature comes
Between the pass and fell incensèd points
Of mighty opposites.
5.2.Sp17Hamlet
Does it not, think’st thee, stand me now upon—
He that hath killed my King and whored my mother,
Popped in between th’election and my hopes,
Thrown out his angle for my proper life,
And with such cozenage—is’t not perfect conscience
To quit him with this arm? And is’t not to be damned
To let this canker of our nature come
In further evil?
5.2.Sp18Horatio
It must be shortly known to him from England
What is the issue of the business there.
5.2.Sp19Hamlet
Enter young Osric.
It will be short.
The interim’s mine, and a man’s life’s no more
Than to say one. But I am very sorry, good Horatio,
That to Laertes I forgot myself,
For by the image of my cause I see
The portraiture of his. I’ll count his favors.
But sure the bravery of his grief did put me
Into a tow’ring passion.
5.2.Sp24Hamlet
Aside to Horatio
Thy state is the more gracious, for ’tis a vice to
know him. He hath much land, and fertile. Let a beast
be lord of beasts, and his crib shall stand at the King’s
mess. ’Tis a chough, but, as I saw, spacious in the
possession of dirt.
5.2.Sp25Osric
Sweet lord, if your friendship were at leisure, I should impart a thing to you from his majesty.
5.2.Sp26Hamlet
I will receive it with all diligence of spirit. Put
your bonnet to his right use. ’Tis for the head.
5.2.Sp31Osric
Exceedingly, my lord, it is very sultry, as ’twere—
I cannot tell how. But, my lord, his majesty bade me
signify to you that he has laid a great wager on your head.
Sir, this is the matter—
5.2.Sp33Osric
Nay, in good faith, for mine ease, in good faith.
Sir, you are not ignorant of what excellence Laertes is at
his weapon.
5.2.Sp37Osric
The King, sir, has waged with him six Barbary horses, against the which he imponed, as I take it, six French rapiers and poniards, with their assigns, as girdle,
hangers, or so. Three of the carriages, in faith, are very
dear to fancy, very responsive to the hilts, most delicate
carriages, and of very liberal conceit.
5.2.Sp40Hamlet
The phrase would be more germane to the
matter if we could carry cannon by our sides; I would
it might be "hangers" till then. But on. Six Barbary
horses against six French swords, their assigns, and three
liberal-conceited carriages: that’s the French bet
against the Danish. Why is this "imponed," as you call it?
5.2.Sp41Osric
The King, sir, hath laid that in a dozen passes
between you and him, he shall not exceed you three hits.
He hath one twelve for nine, and that would come to
immediate trial, if your lordship would vouchsafe the
answer.
5.2.Sp44Hamlet
Sir, I will walk here in the hall. If it please
his majesty, ’tis the breathing time of day with me. Let
the foils be brought, the gentleman willing, and the
King hold his purpose, I will win for him if I can; if
not, I’ll gain nothing but my shame and the odd hits.
5.2.Sp48Hamlet
Yours, yours.
Exit Osric.
He does well to commend it
himself; there are no tongues else for’s turn.
5.2.Sp50Hamlet
He did comply with his dug before he
sucked it. Thus had he, and many more of the same bevy
that I know the drossy age dotes on, only got the tune of
the time and outward habit of encounter, a kind of
yeasty collection, which carries them through and through
the most fanned and winnowed opinions; and do but blow
them to their trials, the bubbles are out.
5.2.Sp52Hamlet
I do not think so. Since he went into France,
I have been in continual practice; I shall win at the
odds. But thou wouldest not think how all here
about my heart, but it is no matter.
5.2.Sp54Hamlet
It is but foolery, but it is such a kind of
gaingiving as would perhaps trouble a woman.
5.2.Sp55Horatio
If your mind dislike anything, obey. I will
forestall their repair hither and say you are not fit.
5.2.Sp56Hamlet
Enter King, Queen, and Lords, with other
Attendants, with foils and gauntlets, a table, and
flagons of wine on it.
The King puts Laertes’s hand into Hamlet’s.
Not a whit, we defy augury. There’s a special
providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, ’tis not
to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it
be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all, since no man
has aught of what he leaves. What is’t to leave
betimes?
5.2.Sp58Hamlet
To Laertes
Give me your pardon, sir. I’ve done you wrong,
But pardon’t as you are a gentleman.
This presence knows,
And you must needs have heard, how I am punished
With sore distraction. What I have done
That might your nature, honor, and exception
Roughly awake, I hear proclaim was madness.
Was’t Hamlet wronged Laertes? Never Hamlet.
If Hamlet from himself be ta’en away,
And when he’s not himself does wrong Laertes,
Then Hamlet does it not; Hamlet denies it.
Who does it, then? His madness? If’t be so,
Hamlet is of the faction that is wronged;
His madness is poor Hamlet’s enemy.
Sir, in this audience,
Let my disclaiming from a purposed evil
Free me so far in your most generous thoughts
That I have shot mine arrow o’er the house
And hurt my mother.
5.2.Sp59Laertes
I am satisfied in nature,
Whose motive in this case should stir me most
To my revenge. But in my terms of honor
I stand aloof, and will no reconcilement,
Till by some elder masters of known honor
I have a voice and precedent of peace
To keep my name ungorged. But till that time
I do receive your offered love like love,
And will not wrong it.
5.2.Sp60Hamlet
I do embrace it freely,
And will this brother’s wager frankly play.—
Give us the foils.—Come on.
5.2.Sp62Hamlet
I’ll be your foil, Laertes. In mine ignorance
Your skill shall like a star i’th’darkest night
Stick fiery off indeed.
5.2.Sp65King
Give them the foils, young Osric.
Foils are handed to Hamlet and Laertes.
Cousin Hamlet, you know the wager.
5.2.Sp67King
He exchanges his foil for another.
Prepare to play.
I do not fear it; I have seen you both.
But since he is bettered, we have therefore odds.
5.2.Sp71King
They play. Hamlet scores a hit.
Set me the stoups of wine upon that table.
If Hamlet give the first or second hit,
Or quit in answer of the third exchange,
Let all the battlements their ordnance fire.
The King shall drink to Hamlet’s better breath,
And in the cup an union shall he throw
Richer then that which four successive kings
In Denmark’s crown have worn. Give me the cups,
And let the kettle to the trumpets speak,
The trumpet to the cannoneer without,
The cannons to the heavens, the heaven to earth,
"Now the King drinks to Hamlet." Come, begin.
Trumpets the while.
And you, the judges, bear a wary eye.
5.2.Sp78King
Trumpets sound, and shot goes off.
Stay. Give me drink. Hamlet, this pearl is thine.
He drinks, and throws a pearl in Hamlet’s cup.
Here’s to thy health.—Give him the cup.
5.2.Sp79Hamlet
I’ll play this bout first. Set it by awhile.
Come.
They fence.
Another hit. What say you?
5.2.Sp82Queen
She drinks.
He’s fat and scant of breath.
To Hamlet
Here’s a napkin, rub thy brows.
The Queen takes a cup of wine to offer a toast to Hamlet.
The Queen carouses to thy fortune, Hamlet.
5.2.Sp92Hamlet
They play.
Laertes wounds Hamlet with his unbated rapier. In scuffling they change rapiers. Hamlet and wounds Laertes.
The Queen falls.
Come, for the third.
Laertes, you but dally.
I pray you, pass with your best violence;
I am afeard you make a wanton of me.
5.2.Sp101Laertes
She dies.
Exit Osric. Laertes falls.
Why, as a woodcock To mine springe, Osric;
I am justly killed with mine own treachery.
5.2.Sp106Laertes
Hurts the King.
It is here, Hamlet. Hamlet, thou art slain.
No medicine in the world can do thee good;
In thee there is not half an hour of life.
The treacherous instrument is in thy hand,
Unbated and envenomed. The foul practice
Hath turned itself on me. Lo, here I lie,
Never to rise again. Thy mother’s poisoned.
I can no more. The King, the King’s to blame.
5.2.Sp110Hamlet
King dies.
Forcing the King to drink
Here, thou incestuous, murd’rous, damnèd Dane,
Drink off this potion. Is thy union here?
Follow my mother.
5.2.Sp111Laertes
Dies.
He is justly served.
It is a poison tempered by himself.
Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet.
Mine and my father’s death come not upon thee,
Nor thine on me!
5.2.Sp112Hamlet
Heaven make thee free of it! I follow thee.
I am dead, Horatio. Wretched Queen, adieu.
You that look pale and tremble at this chance,
That are but mutes or audience to this act,
Had I but time, as this fell sergeant Death
Is strict in his arrest, oh, I could tell you—
But let it be. Horatio, I am dead,
Thou liv’st. Report me and my causes right
To the unsatisfied.
5.2.Sp113Horatio
He attempts to drink from the poisoned cup, but is prevented by Hamlet.
Never believe it.
I am more an antique Roman than a Dane.
Here’s yet some liquor left.
5.2.Sp114Hamlet
Enter Osric.
As th’art a man,
Give me the cup! Let go! By heaven, I’ll have’t.
O good Horatio, what a wounded name,
Things standing thus unknown, shall live behind me!
If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart,
Absent thee from felicity awhile,
And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain
To tell my story.
March afar off, and shout within.What warlike noise is this?
5.2.Sp115Osric
Young Fortinbras, with conquest come from Poland,
To th’ambassadors of England gives this warlike volley.
5.2.Sp116Hamlet
Dies.
Oh, I die, Horatio.
The potent poison quite o’ercrows my spirit.
I cannot live to hear the news from England,
But I do prophesy th’election lights
On Fortinbras. He has my dying voice.
So tell him, with the occurrents more and less
Which have solicited. The rest is silence.
Oh, oh, oh, oh!
5.2.Sp117Horatio
Enter Fortinbras and English Ambassador, with Drum, Colors, and Attendants.
Now crack a noble heart! Good night, sweet prince,
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!
March within.
Why does the drum come hither?
5.2.Sp120Fortinbras
His quarry cries on havoc. O proud Death,
What feast is toward in thine eternal cell,
That thou so many princes at a shoot
So bloodily hast struck?
5.2.Sp121Ambassador
The sight is dismal,
And our affairs from England come too late.
The ears are senseless that should give us hearing,
To tell him his commandment is fulfilled,
That Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead.
Where should we have our thanks?
5.2.Sp122Horatio
Not from his mouth,
Had it th’ability of life to thank you;
He never gave commandment for their death.
But since so jump upon this bloody question
You from the Polack wars and you from England
Are here arrived, give order that these bodies
High on a stage be placèd to the view,
And let me speak to th’yet unknowing world
How these things came about. So shall you hear
Of carnal, bloody, and unnatural acts,
Of accidental judgments, casual slaughters,
Of deaths put on by cunning, and forced cause,
And in this upshot, purpose mistook
Fall’n on the inventors’ heads. All this can I
Truly deliver.
5.2.Sp123Fortinbras
Let us haste to hear it,
And call the noblest to the audience.
For me, with sorrow I embrace my fortune.
I have some rights of memory in this kingdom,
Which are to claim; my vantage doth invite me.
5.2.Sp124Horatio
Of that I shall have always cause to speak,
And from his mouth Whose voice will draw on more.
But let this same be presently performed,
Even whiles men’s minds are wild, Lest more mischance
On plots and errors happen.
5.2.Sp125Fortinbras
Exeunt marching, after the which, a peal of ordnance are shot off.
Let four captains
Bear Hamlet like a soldier to the stage,
For he was likely, had he been put on,
To have proved most royally; And for his passage,
The soldiers’ music and the rites of war
Speak loudly for him.
Take up the body. Such a sight as this
Becomes the field, but here shows much amiss.
Go, bid the soldiers shoot.
FINIS
Annotations
1.1
Location: Elsinore Castle, Denmark. A guard platform.
answer me
Francisco lays stress on the word
me.Since he is the one who has been watch, he should be saying
Who’s thereto Barnardo, the new arrival, not the other way around. The inversion of proper order is indicative of the mood of uneasy terror.
unfold yourself
identify who you are.
struck
Q2 reads
strooke,F1
strook.Omitted in Q1.
rivals
partners.
Q1 reads
partners.
Stand! Who’s
F1’s
Stand: who’scould be authorial, or it could be a compositor’s approximation for Q2’s more metrically correct
stand, ho, who is.
ground
country, land.
liegemen … Dane
subjects of the Danish king.
soldier
Q2’s plural
souldierscan make sense if Marcellus, arriving with Horatio, assumes that the two of them are replacing two guardsmen previously on watch. Or plural could be a copying error. Most editors prefer Q1/F1’s
soldier (Soldier).
has
Here and throughout, F1’s substitution of
hasfor Q1/Q2’s
hath,and similarly with
does/doth,etc., could be editorial or compositorial sophistication.
Give
May God give.
Marcellus
Q1/F1 both assign this speech to Marcellus. The skeptical tone of the question favors
Q2’s
Hora.,i.e., Horatio, but either is possible, and Q1/F1 could be an authorial choice.
fantasy
fantastic imaginings.
Touching
Regarding, concerning.
along / With us,
to come along with us.
F1’s
along / With vs,Q1’s
along with vs,and Q2’s
along, / With vsare equally plausible.
With … night
To keep watch with us tonight.
approve
confirm, corroborate.
two nights have
F1’s
two Nights haueand Q1/Q2’s
haue two nightsare equally plausible.
Last … all
In the night just before the present one.
yond … pole
Probably Arcturus, a bright star just to the west of the Big Dipper and the pole star
or polaris that is directly north in the night sky.
his
its.
t’illume
to illuminate.
beating
Q2/F1 read
beating.Q1’s
towling,i.e.,
tolling,is attractive, but may be a reporter’s word substitution for what he heard.
Enter the Ghost
F1 places this stage direction opposite and to the right of
Peace, break thee ofin line 44 (TLN 51). The entrance itself presumably preceded this line, as indicated in Q1/Q2.
scholar
One trained in the Latin of the Church and thus qualified to interrogate a ghost.
Looks it
F1 reads
Lookes it; Q2 reads
Lookes a.The form ’a , signifying he, occurs often in Q2, only once in Hamlet F1. The usual change to he could be scribal or compositorial (Arden 3), but F1’s
ithere could be authorial.
harrows
Q2’s
horrowesmay be a variant form of F1’s
harrowes,or possibly a copying error. Q1 reads
horrors.
It … spoke to
According to a widely held belief, ghosts could not speak until spoken to.
Question it
Q1/F1’s
Question itis a plausible substitution for Q2’s
Speak to it,especially since Q2’s reading could be an inadvertent repetition from line 49,
be spoke to.
thou that usurp’st
you who wrongfully assert your authority over.
buried Denmark
the buried former King of Denmark, Hamlet’s dead father.
sometimes
formerly.
on’t
of it.
sensible
evident to the senses (especially sight).
avouch
authority, confirmation.
[he]
This word, necessary for the sense, is supplied from Q1/Q2. An inadvertent omission
in F1.
Norway
King of Norway.
parle
parley, conference with the enemy.
sledded Polacks
Poles traveling on sleds.
Q1/Q2 read
sleaded pollax,F1
sledded Pollax.Most editors take this to represent sledded Polacks; pole-axe is another possibility, though sleaded or sledded are hard to reconcile with that reading.
just
precisely.
F1’s
iust(just) is possibly an authorial change, though perhaps instead a copying error for the more striking
iumpin Q1/Q2.
stalk
stride.
to work
to organize my thoughts.
in … my opinion
in my opinion, as I consider the whole topic.
Q1/F1’s substitution of
myfor Q2’s
mineis likely to be editorial or compositorial, like many similar substitutions in F1.
bodes
foretells.
Good now
i.e., I implore you all.
toils the subject
imposes toil on the subjects, the citizens.
why
Q2’s reading,
with,is intelligible, though Q1/F1’s
whyproduces a better grammatical structure for the sentence and is favored by most editors. Q2’s reading could be a typographical or copying error.
cast
expense.
F1’s
Castis favored by most editors, since the idea of casting goes so well with brass cannon. Although Q1/Q2’s
costis intelligible, it could easily be a copying error.
brazen
brass.
foreign mart
shopping abroad.
impress
impressment, conscription.
Does … week
i.e., Requires them to work on Sunday just like every other day of the week.
toward
about to happen.
Doth … day
i.e., Demands that work continue all twenty-four hours.
Fortinbras of Norway
Old Fortinbras, King of Norway, with whom old Hamlet fought as described in lines
64-5 (TLN 76-7) above; not young Fortinbras, nephew of this present king).
pricked on
egged on, incited.
emulate
competitive, rivalrous.
Dared … combat
Challenged to fight, one on one.
this side … world
i.e., all of Western Europe.
sealed
confirmed by an official seal.
heraldry
the laws and pageant customs of chivalry.
Q2’s
heraldyis either a variant spelling or copying error for Q1/F1’s
heraldrie (Heraldrie).
those
Q2’s
thesemay be an error corrected to
thosein Q1/F1, but both are intelligible.
seized on
possessed of.
Q2’s
seaz’d ofis arguably more idiomatic than F1’s
seiz’d oncould be a copying error here.
Against … King
In return for which a comparable portion of land was pledged by our King of Denmark.
which had returned
which was to have been assigned.
F1’s
which had return’dis preferred by most editors, especially since Q2’s
which had returneis an easy error for F1’s more plausible reading; but Q2’s reading is possible. Omitted in Q1.
cov’nant
Q2’s
comartis a hapax legomenon or word occurring only once in English, and may be an error for the more familiar
Cou’nantin F1, but it is conceivably what Shakespeare first wrote. Omitted in Q1.
And … design
And fulfillment of agreed-upon terms.
Editors have generally preferred F2’s
And … designedas flowing more plausibly than the reading in Q2/F1, but the Q2/F1 reading is possible. Omitted in Q1.
His … Hamlet
Old Fortinbras’s lands would have been transferred to old Hamlet.
Of … full
Full of untested fiery spirits.
skirts
outskirts.
Sharked … resolutes
Rounded up a troop of defiant young men lacking inherited wealth.
Q2’s
lawlesse resolutessuggests instead a group of desperadoes. The F1 correction may be authorial.
For … in’t
To feed and supply a bold enterprise demanding appetite and raw courage for such a
venture.
(And … state)
F1 treats this as a parenthetical remark, introduced by
And.Q2’s
Asintroduces an explanatory point. The F1 reading could be a copying error, but is intelligible. Omitted in Q1.
of us
from us.
compulsative
F1’s
Compulsatiueis more or less equivalent to Q2’s
compulsatory,but F1’s reading is metrically superior in the line, and may be an authorial choice. Omitted in Q1.
his father
the old King of Norway, now dead, brother of the present Fortinbras of Norway.
source
motivation.
post-haste and rummage
frenetic activity and bustle.
Q2 at this point has eighteen lines of dialogue omitted in F1/Q1, perhaps as part
of an undertaking to shorten the play for performance, though some editors argue that
the cut is authorial.
soft
i.e., gently, wait, hold on.
cross it
i.e., stand in its way, confront it; also, hold up a Christian cross in front of it
(as Horatio may do here).
blast me
strike or wither me with a curse.
Q2 introduces here a stage direction,
It spreads his arms,omitted in Q1/F1.
art privy to
are possessed with secret knowledge of.
happily
haply, perchance.
you
Q2’s
youris possible as an indefinite pronoun, suggesting in
your spiritsthe meaning “the sorts of spirits people talk about,” but the word in Q2 may be an easy error for
you,the Q1/F1 reading.
Stop it, Marcellus!
Q2 introduces here a stage direction missing in Q1/F1:
The cocke crowes.
strike at it
Q2’s
itcould easily be an error for F1’s
at it,and F1 scans more smoothly. Omitted in Q1.
partisan
long-handled, broad-bladed spear.
Exit Ghost
This stage direction is omitted in Q2. In Q1 it is placed two lines earlier than in
F1.
started
moved suddenly and violently.
trumpet
trumpeter, herald.
day
Q2 reads
morne,Q1
morning.F1’s
dayis possible, but may have been an anticipation of
dayin line 140.
the god … day
Eos or Aurora, goddess of the dawn.
extravagant and erring
wandering, unrestrained.
hies
hastens.
probation
proof.
says
F1’s
sayesmay be an error for Q2’s
say,but is possible.
ever ’gainst
just before.
The bird … dawning
The rooster.
Q2’s
Thisand Q1/F1’s
Theare more or less interchangeable here.
can walk
Q2’s
dare sturre,F1’s
can walke,and Q1’s
dare walkeare more or less equally plausible. F1’s version may be authorial, though not certainly so.
no planets strike
no planets exert their baleful influence.
Q1 reads
no planet srikes.
talks
i.e., talks with humans (?).
Q1/Q2’s
takes,though rarely used without an object (Arden 3), seems more plausible than F1’s
talkes,which could be a misprint.
charm
cast a spell, enchant.
gracious
suffused with divine grace.
the
F1’s
themay be an authorial revision, but it is also plausibly a weak copying substitute for Q1/Q2’s more concrete
that.
russet
reddish brown.
eastern
Q2’s
Eastwardand F1’s
Easterneare more or less interchangeable. Some editors (e.g., Oxford) prefer F1’s reading as potentially an authorial revision, but it could be a copying error. Q1 reads
mountaine topfor eastward (eastern) hill.
Let[’s]
F1’s
Letis presumably a transcription error for Q1/Q2’s
Lets.
conveniently
Q2’s
conuenientis an acceptable form of the adverb in early modern English, but Q1/F1’s
conuenientlymakes for an equally acceptable iambic pentameter line and may represent the author’s preference.
[1.2]
Location: A room of state in the castle.
Enter … attendant
F1 does not mention the
Florishspecified in Q2 to announce the arrival of royalty, or Q2’s
Cum Alijsproviding for the lords and attendants named in F1’s SD.
our
my.
The royal
weappears also in lines 2, 3, 6, 7 (our selues), 8, 10, etc.
sometimes
former.
F1’s
sometimesis an alternate spelling of Q2’s
sometime.Q1 omits the first sixteen lines of this scene in Q2/F1.
imperial jointress
joint possessor of the throne.
of
F1’s
ofoffers what may be a more precise meaning than Q2’s
to,and could be authorial. Omitted in Q1.
With … dropping eye
With one eye smiling and the other tear-stained and lowered in grief.
Q2’s
With an auspicious, and a dropping eyeis more or less equivalent in meaning to F1’s
With one Auspicious, and one Dropping eye.F1’s version is plausibly though not certainly authorial. Omitted in Q1.
dole
sorrow.
Your better wisdoms
The sage advice of you elders and statesmen (like Polonius).
have freely … along
have freely given consent to this marriage.
Now … know
You need to be aware of the following circumstances.
In Q2/F1,
knoweis followed by no punctuation mark. An editorially added colon seems useful to the sense. F1, with a comma after
followes,may suggest
Now it follows from what’s been said that you know already about Fortinbras.Omitted in Q1.
a weak … worth
a low estimate of our power and authority.
late
recent.
disjoint … frame
totally disordered.
Co-leaguèd … advantage
Combined with this illusory dream of his having us at a disadvantage.
F1’s
the dreamcould be authorial, but Q2’s
this dreamis more deictically specific, and F1’s reading could be a copying or compositorial error. Omitted in Q1.
Importing
Concerning, signifying.
with … bonds of law
well ratified by law and heraldry,as Horatio put it at 1.1.91, TLN 104.
Q2’s
bandsmeans the same as F1’s
Bondsand may be a simple spelling variant. Omitted in Q1.
Enter Voltemand and Cornelius
This stage direction, printed here in F1, is omitted in Q2, where the two ambassadors
may be inferred to have entered either here or at the start of the scene.
impotent and bed-rid
wasted by disease and confined to bed.
to suppress … subject
i.e., insisting that the Norwegian king put an end to Fortinbras’s proceeding any
further in this business, since the raising of troops and supplies is all made up
out of the King of Norway’s subjects (and are therefore at his disposal for military
purposes, not young Fortinbras’s). (
The listsmeans “The roster of the troops levied.”)
gait
Q2/F1 print
gate.
For bearing
To serve as bearers.
Q2’s
For bearersis a better reading than F1’s
For bearing,which may be a copying error, but is kept here because it is possible.
dilated
expanded, set out at length; but if the word is meant to be delated (Q2’s spelling), it would mean “offered for your acceptance, presented to you as
herein limited and defined.”
Q1 reads
related.
let … duty
let your swift carrying out of my command give testimony of your dutiful obedience.
nothing
not in the slightest.
Exit … Cornelius
This stage direction is omitted in Q1/Q2.
the Dane
the Danish king.
lose your voice
waste your speech.
F1 prints
loose your voyce.
That … asking
i.e., That I will offer almost before you ask.
native
closely related.
instrumental … mouth
useful in carrying out what is verbally commanded.
Dread my lord
My awe-inspiring lord.
F1’s
Dread my lordmay be an authorial substitution for Q2’s
My dread lord.Q1 reads
My gratious Lord.
leave and favor
gracious permission.
And … pardon
And submissively ask your gracious permission and forgiveness for my having asked
such a favor.
He hath, my lord
F1 here omits two and a half lines printed in Q2:
wroung from me … consent.Q2’s
Hathrepresents a contraction of
He hathto facilitate scansion. Q1/F1’s He hath may be a copyist’s or compositor’s sophistication of Q2’s Hath.
Take … hour
Seize your opportunity while there is still time, while you are young.
And … will
And may you spend your time guided by your best qualities and inclinations.
cousin
anyone related by blood or kinship but not of the immediate family.
A little … kind
i.e., Involved in a family relationship that is at once too close and yet lacking
in loving affection.
Kindpuns on the ideas of (1) blood relationship and (2) kindly feeling. The line is often spoken as an aside, though not necessarily.
Not so
F1’s
Not sois metrically better than Q2’s
Not so much,and avoids the chiming repetition of Q2’s
Not so much … too much.F1 is generally viewed as authorial here. Omitted in Q1.
too much i’th’ sun
i.e., (1) too much in the sunshine of royal favor (2) too closely related as step-son
to Claudius (2).
Q2 reads
in the sonne; F1 reads
i’th'Sun.Omitted in Q1.
nightly color
(1) dark mourning garments (2) melancholy.
F1’s
nightly colouris perfectly intelligible and could be an authorial revision, or it could be a sophistication by a copyist or compositor puzzled by the more striking and unusual
nighted colourof Q2. Omitted in Q1.
Denmark
the King of Denmark.
vailèd lids
lowered eyelids.
common
(1) a common occurrence (2) as Hamlet uses the term in line 72,
vulgar, disgusting.
particular
personal.
good mother
Q2’s
cold mother(
coold motherin the original) is intelligible, but Hamlet is not likely to accuse his mother publicly of lack of feeling, and F1’s
goodis a sensible correction of what may be a typographical error in Q2.
customary
traditional on a mourning occasion.
suspiration
sighing.
fruitful river
abundance of tears.
havior
expression.
moods
outward manifestations of feeling.
shows
Q2’s
chapesmay be a variant spelling or copying error for shapes. F1’s
shewes,shows, could be authorial, or it could be a somewhat less vivid substitute in copying for Q2’s puzzling chapes.
denote
Q2’s
deuoteseems clearly to be an easy typographical error for
denote,the F1 reading. Omitted in Q1.
passeth
Q2’s
passesis interchangeable with F1’s
passeth.Shakespeare may have preferred the latter, though it could also be a sophistication by copyist or compositor.
trappings
outward decorative signs.
That father lost
That father who is now dead.
obsequious
appropriate to obsequies or funerals.
persever
This Q2/F1 spelling captures the accent needed on the second syllable. Omitted in
Q1.
condolement
grieving, lamentation.
unfortified
insufficiently armed against adversity.
a mind
The Q2 reading,
or minde,is intelligible, but F1’s
a Mindemay well represent authorial revision or correction. Omitted in Q1.
simple
ignorant.
For … to sense
For since everything that happens to us must be as common as the most ordinary experience.
still
continually, always.
the first corse
the body of the first human ever to have died, Abel.
The murder of Abel at the hands of his brother Cain, depicted in Genesis 4, is the
first recorded death in the Bible after the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden for
their having disobeyed God.
Q2’s
courseand F1’s
Coarseare variant spellings of corse, corpse. Omitted in Q1.
unprevailing
profitless.
most immediate
next in succession.
For
As for.
Wittenberg
The German city on the River Elbe, home to the famous university where in 1517 Martin
Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the Schlosskirche, in what is conventionally
regarded as the opening salvo of the Protestant Reformation.
Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus represents its protagonist as having studied and taught at Wittenberg.
retrograde
contrary.
bend you
yield to our wishes.
courtier cousin
The lack of a comma after
Courtierhere in F1 could suggest a compound idea, courtier-cousin, but is more probably a simple misprint for Q2’s
courtier, cosin.
lose her prayers
fail to achieve the thing she prays for.
prithee
F1’s
prytheecould be an authorial correction of Q2’s
pray thee,but could instead be an editorial sophistication.
in all my best
to the best of my ability.
Hamlet pointedly replies to his mother, not to the King. He uses the formal
yourather than thee, as was appropriate in addressing a parent.
Be as ourself
Enjoy the privileges and status of royalty. (The plural
ourselfindicates the royal plural; it means “myself, I as king.”) The King invites Hamlet to enjoy the same privileges as the King himself.
Sits smiling to
Pleases.
grace
honor.
jocund
cheerful, merry, jovial.
Denmark
the King of Denmark, Claudius.
Hamlet’s disapproval of heavy drinking among the Danes as
a custom / More honored in the breath than the observance,1.4.17-18 (TLN 620-1), is directed particularly at Claudius, who uses any public ceremony as the opportunity to raise a toast. Drinking is emblematic of his worldly covetousness.
tell
sound, announce.
The firing of artillery is to mark the occasion, as at 1.4.7.1 (TLN 610).
rouse
bout of drinking, ceremonial toast.
F1 prints
Rouce,presumably a spelling variant of Q2’s
rowse.
heavens
F1’s
Heauensmay be an authorial correction of Q2’s
heauen.
bruit again
loudly echo.
Respeaking earthly thunder
Echoing our cannon.
Perhaps trumpets and kettledrums are to sound also, as at 1.4.7.1 (TLN 610) and 5.2.263.1
(TLN 3852).
Exeunt. Hamlet remains onstage
F1 reads
Exeunt. Manet Hamlet.Q2 reads
Florish. Exeunt all, but Hamlet.
solid
Q1/Q2’s
salliedis possible in the sense of assailed or beseiged.
Solid,the F1 reading, accords well with
meltin this same line. Editors have sometimes emended to sullied, contaminated, defiled.
resolve
dissolve.
the Everlasting
God.
canon
divine law.
O God, O God
Q2’s reading here (
o God, God) may seem metrically superior to F1’s
O God, O God,and F1’s reading could be a compositorial sophistication. On the other hand, Q2’s
seale slaughterand, in the next line,
waryfor weary, point to carelessness in the setting of these lines.
Seems
F1’s
Seemesis a possible reading, since early modern usage allowed this use of the singular verb in agreement with a noun like All, and Shakespeare sometimes uses this pattern; but Q2’s Seeme is a more reliable reading, since the line of transmission to the printed page is more direct than in F1, and
Seemesis an easy misprint for Seeme. Omitted in Q1.
uses
customs, doings.
Oh, fie, fie
F1’s reading could be authorial, or could be a sophistication of Q2’s
ah fie.
rank … in nature
offensively vigorous in growth and coarse in their very natures.
Proverbially, Weeds come forth on the fattest soil if it is untilled (Dent W241).
merely
completely, utterly.
come to this
Q2’s reading,
come thus,is possible in the sense of “work out this way,” but F1’s
come to thisseems better metrically and logically. Omitted in Q1.
two months
Hamlet may be exaggerating, for bitter effect, the brevity of interval between his
father’s death and his mother’s remarriage; at 3.2.73 (TLN 2982) Ophelia insists to
Hamlet that
twice two monthshave passed since the death of his father. (Of course she says this later on, in Act 2, after the ambassadors have returned from Norway.) A few lines later in this present scene Hamlet reduces the interval still further, to
within a month(lines 143-5, TLN 329-31).
to this
compared to Claudius.
Hyperion
Titan sun-god in Greek mythology.
In Greek, Hyperion means “the high one.” He was one of the Titans, the son of Ge or Gaia (earth) and
Uranus (the heavens), and brother of Cronos.
satyr
lecherous half-goat, half-human deity of classical mythology.
F1 reads
Satyre,Q2
satire.
The satyr, a companion of Bacchus or Dionysus, god of wine and revelry, was half-human
but typically with a goat’s legs, tail, ears, and horns. It was noted for its excessive
sexual cravings and was habitually drunk (hence, in Hamlet’s mind, like Claudius).
might not beteem
would not allow.
F1’s
beteeneis presumably a copying error for Q2’s
beteeme.
would
Q2’s
shouldimplies admonition to be dutiful. The F1 reading,
would,suggests habitual action, and is preferred by most editors.
As if … fed on
As if her desire and love for her husband was augmented by the intense pleasure of
that love.
Cleopatra, in Antony and Cleopatra, 2.2.247-8, is similarly described by Enobarbus as a woman who makes hungry where
most she satisfies.
within … A little month
Compare this interval of time with
But two months deadat line 136 (TLN 322) above.
or ere
even before.
Niobe
When Niobe boasted that her fourteen children outnumbered those of Leto, Leto’s children
Apollo and Artemis slew all of Niobe’s children as a punishment for their mother’s
hubris or pride. Turned by Zeus into a stone, Niobe never ceased her bitter tears,
flowing as a spring from the rock.
The story of Niobe and her children is told by (among others) Ovid in his Metamorphoses, 6.146-312.
why, she, even she—
F1’s repetition here,
Why she, euen she,improves the line’s meter and seems authorial; Q2’s version (
why she) could be the result of inadvertent omission.
heaven
F1’s substitution of
Heauenfor Q1/Q2’s
Godhere may be in response to the Act to Restrain Abuses of Players, 1606. Also at 1.2.194 (TLN 386) and 1.5.25 (TLN 709).
wants discourse … reason
lacks the ability to reason.
Hercules
Hero of classical mythology noted for his twelve labors, deeds requiring Herculean strength and courage.
of
F1’s
ofand Q2’s
inare more or less interchangeable—whether authorially intended or an accident of transmission in F1 is hard to say.
gallèd
inflamed, irritated.
post
hasten.
incestuous
Judeo-Christian tradition (see Leviticus 18:16 and 20:21), incorporated into the Anglican
Book of Common Prayer, forbade a man to marry his brother’s wife’ as Claudius has
done in this play, and, historically as Henry VIII did by marrying his dead brother
Arthur’s wife, Katharine of Aragon. As Arden 3 notes, Henry’s disavowal of his marriage
to Katharine on the grounds that it was sinful (so that the marriage might be annulled
and he be allowed to marry Anne Boleyn) was the precipitating event of the English
break with Rome and the beginning of the English Reformation. Yet as Arden 3 also
notes, Claudius and Gertrude, though burdened with many feelings of guilt and remorse,
do not include incest in the list of things for which they are sorry.
Enter Horatio, … Marcellus
F1 here reverses the order of names in this entry direction: Q2 reads
Enter Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo.(Q2 spells Bernardo here with an
e,though earlier, in 1.1, with an
a.F1 here prints Barnard, earlier Barnardo.)
or I do … myself
i.e., I know you as well as I know myself.
Hamlet, distracted and unhappy, does not recognize at first that Horatio is among
those who have just entered and whom he initially greets with the conventional formula,
I am glad to see you well.Compare today’s formulaic How are you?
change … with you
share and exchange mutually the name of
friendwith you, rather than having you address me as your master. If anything, I am your servant.
SP Marcellus … see you
Hamlet, realizing that in his excitement at seeing Horatio he has not observed the
social niceties of greeting the others who have just arrived, repairs that little
slip by welcoming Marcellus by name and then Bernardo with
Good even, sir,before returning to his question to Horatio.
have
Q2’s
heareand F1’s
haueare equally plausible. The F1 reading could be authorial, or it could be a misprint or miscopying.
Nor … yourself
Nor will I trust my own ears if they tell me you are calling yourself a truant, a delinquent.
to drink deep
Q2’s
for to drinkeis acceptable Elizabethan English, but F1’s
to drinke deepemay be an authorial revision. Omitted in Q1.
hard upon
quickly afterwards.
The funeral … tables
The food left uneaten from the funeral banquet, including meat pies and pastries,
provided cold leftovers for the marriage festivities.
A bitterly satiric exaggeration, as Arden 3 notes. Even Hamlet has admitted that a
month has elapsed between the two events (lines 143-5 above, TLN 329-31), and that
his father is
But two months dead(line 136, TLN 322), while Ophelia later avers at 3.2.73 (TLN 1982) that
twice two monthshave passed since the death of the old king.
dearest
direst, most hated, bitterest.
Ere I had ever
F1’s reading here may be an authorial revision of Q2’s
Or euer I had.Q1 reads
Ere euer I had.
Oh, where
The
Ohin F1’s
Oh where,not in Q2, could be an actor’s interpolation, but it scans well and could be authorial. Q1’s
Wheretends to support the reading of Q2.
yesternight
last night.
Season your admiration
Moderate your astonishment.
attent
attentive.
heaven’s
F1’s
Heauensis presumably an expurgation to avoid the blasphemy in Q2’s
Gods.
dead waste
lifeless desolation.
Perhaps with a pun in
wasteon waist, middle. Q1’s
vasthas appealed to some editors as suggesting a huge empty space. Both Q2 and F1 read
wast.
Armed … points
Provided with weapons in every detail.
Q2’s
Armed at pointconveys the same meaning as F1’s
Armed at all points,which may be an authorial change.
cap-à-pie
from head to foot.
Q2 reads
Capapea,Q1
Capapa,F1
Cap a Pe.
From old French cap-a-pie; in modern French de pied en cap (Arden 3).
slow
slowly.
stately. … thrice
F1’s punctuation here is possible, but may be a misprint for Q2’s more plausible
stately by them; thrice …
fear-surprisèd eyes
eyes that show sudden surprise and fear.
truncheon’s
A truncheon is a military officer’s baton or staff, a sign of his office.
bestilled
rendered motionless.
Editors generally prefer Q2’s
distil’dto F1’s
bestil’d,which could be an easy copying error.
act
effect.
dreadful
full of dread, dread-inspired..
Where, as
F1 and Q2 both read
Whereas,an easy copying error.
These hands … like
These two hands of mine are not more like each other than this apparition was like
your father.
platform
battlements of the castle.
watched
stood our watch.
F1’s
watchtis certainly plausible as referring to the previous night, and is confirmed by Q1’s
watched,but Q2 (
watch) also makes good sense.
it head
its head. (
It headis the older, uninflected genitive form.)
Its is more common in Shakespeare, but the correction to its in Q4 has no authority. Q2, like F1, reads it; Q1 reads
his.
did address … speak
moved in such a way as to suggest that it was about to speak.
even
just.
writ down … duty
prescribed in the duty we owe you.
Indeed, indeed
The repetition,
Indeed, indeedin Q1/F1 is, in the opinion of Arden 2, an actor’s interpolation, like
Very like, very likeat line 241 (TLN 435) below, but in both instances the repetition may suggest a verbal trait of the speaker. The second indeed in F1 improves the metrical pentameter line. Q2 reads
Indeede.
face?
Q2’s ending this line with a faint period (
face.) may have been intended to convey Hamlet’s remark as a declarative statement. F1’s use of the question mark offers an alternative way of reading the line that may or may not be authorial.
beaver
visor on the helmet.
What, … frowningly?
What are you saying? That he looked as if he was frowning?
Whathere is followed by a comma, interpreting What as an exclamation. Q2’s
What look’t he frowningly?asks, How did he look, frowningly? Q1 reads
How look’t he, frowningly?
countenance
expression.
I would
I wish.
Very like, very like
Very likely.
The repetition,
Very like, very like,in Q1/F1 is, in the opinion of Arden 2, an actor’s interpolation, like Indeed, indeed at line 223 (TLN 418), but the pattern may also suggest insistency, and the Q1/F1 reading could be authorial.
tell
count.
All
i.e., Marcellus and Barnardo.
Q2’s
Bothseems preferable here to F1’s
All,since Horatio disagrees in the next line with the guards’ estimate of time. Q1 assigns to Marcellus alone, which is perfectly possible.
grizzly? No?
grey or mingled with grey, was it not? (expecting an affirmative answer).
F1’s
grisly? no.is possible as an alternative spelling and punctuation of
grissly, no?meaning “grizzled, was it not?” (but not grisly, “inspiring horror or disgust”). Q2 reads
grissl’d, no.Q1’s
griseld, no.tends to confirm Q2.
sable silvered
black sprinkled with silver-grey.
The sable, prized then and now for its fur, is a carnivorous weasel-like mammal.
watch
stand watch.
wake
be awake and active in the night.
Q2’s
walke,confirmed by Q1, seems right, even though F1’s
wakeis possible in the sense of “be awake.”
warrant you
guarantee to you.
Q2’s reading,
warn’t,indicates pronunciation in one syllable, as called for in the scansion as arranged in Q2. F1’s
warrant youmay be part of the rearrangement of the lineation, in which
I’le watch … againeis a single verse line, as it is not in Q2. This is perhaps more likely to be a rationalization by a copyist or compositor rather than by the author. Q1 reads
warrant.
hold my peace
be silent.
treble
i.e., trebly under obligation to remain silent.
F1’s
trebleis perhaps possible in the sense of trebly, but Q2’s
tenable,i.e., “able to be held,” is more plausible, and is confirmed by Q1’s
tenible.
whatsoever
Q1/F1’s
whatsoeueris actually the preferred form in Shakespeare’s printed texts, but Q2’s
whatsomeueris also used and appears to be the original spelling here; whatsoeuer may be the Q1/F1 compositors’ following of printing house practice.
requite
repay.
ye
F1’s
ye,here and elsewhere, may represent compositorial practice. Q1/Q2 print
you.
Exeunt
The placement of this stage direction here is thus indicated in Q1/Q2/F1, before Hamlet
says
Your love, as mine to you. Farewell.Presumably he says this to them as they are leaving.
Your love … to you
i.e., I accept your duty as love, and I pledge my love to you in that same sense.
Compare Hamlet’s insistence at line 161 above (TLN 350) on exchanging mutually the
name of
friendwith Horatio rather than allowing Horatio to speak of himself as Hamlet’s
servant.
Your loues,in Q2 at TLN 455, seems addressed to all the men (compare
Your louein F1), as indicated in the speech headings
Allin Q2 and F1; so too with
youin TLN 453, where F1 has
ye.F1’s shift to the singular in these two instances seems out of keeping with
youin TLN 451 and 453 in F1 and Q2.
doubt
suspect, fear.
Foul
Q2’s
fondecan be defended as meaning “foolish or mad,” but is more plausibly a simple misreading in place of Q1/F1’s
foule.
[1.3]
Location: Polonius’s apartment in the castle, or some place nearby.
Enter Laertes and Ophelia.
Q2 adds
his sister.
imbarked
loaded on board a sailing vessel.
Spelled
inbarktin Q1/Q2 and
imbark’tin F1.
The means of travel from the Danish court to Paris is perhaps unclear, but travel
by water to Le Havre in France or indeed further upstream on the River Seine would
lessen the need for a difficult and dangerous land journey. Laertes assumes too, in
the following lines, that letters to and from his sister will travel by water.
as
whenever.
And convoy … do
And as means of transportation are available, do.
F1’s
And Conuoy is assistant; doemay be an authorial revision of Q2’s seemingly erroneous
And conuay, in assistant doe.Q2’s conuay is possible, but probably a misprint for F1’s Conuoy.
But let
Without letting.
For … favors
As for Hamlet and the attentions he pays you, which must be regarded as trifing.
F1’s
favoursand Q2’s
favourare equally plausible. F1 might be an authorial change or a result of copying.
a fashion … blood
a passing fancy prompted by sexual attraction.
A violet … nature
i.e., Natural impulses in the springtime of their vigor.
Froward
Ungovernable.
F1’s
Frowardis possible, but is more likely a misprint or variant spelling for Q2’s
Forward,meaning “Insistent, eagerly pulsating, early-blooming and soon to fade.”
The suppliance … No more.
Something sweet to supply the pleasures of a moment, nothing more.
An example of hendiadys, a figure of speech in which two usually independent words
are connected by
andrather than having one modify the other.
F1’s omission of Q2’s
perfume andbefore
suppliancemay be unintentional; the line in Q2 scans well.
No more but so?
Printed as a statement ending in a period in the early texts, but plausibly a question.
For nature … withal
For all living creatures (especially humans), as they mature, grow not in physical
strength alone, but as the body ages the inner qualities of mind and soul develop
also. (
Thewsare sinews.
Inward serviceis the inner life.)
Laertes seems to be warning Ophelia that as Hamlet grows older, his interests may
change.
Q2/F1 print
cressantfor crescent. Omitted in Q1.
bulk
The plural form of Q2’s
bulkesmay have been picked up in error from
thewespreviously in the line. F1’s
Bulkeis plausibly authorial.
his temple
the body, temple of the soul.
Q2’s
this templerefers to the body; F1’s
hiswould seem grammatically to refer back to
nature,a possible reading but less clear than Q2’s this, and his would be an easy misprint for this.
soil nor cautel
stain or deceit.
The virtue … will
The sincerity of his desires and intentions.
F1’s
The vertue of his feareis clearly in error, picking up
fearefrom the last word in the line at the turn of the folio page. Emended here to Q2’s
The virtue of his will.
His greatness weighed
When his royal rank is taken into consideration.
For … his birth
This line is omitted in Q2, probably inadvertently. The idea somewhat repeats that
of the previous line, but the omission could have been an error.
unvalued persons
persons of ordinary social standing.
Carve for himself
Help himself to the choicest morsel of the roast, i.e., choose for himself.
To be one’s own carver is a proverbial phrase (Dent C110).
sanctity
spiritual well being.
F1’s
sanctityis sometimes emended to sanity, which fits well with
health.Q2’s
safetyis more secure as a reading.
the whole
F1’s
thecould be an authorial correction of Q2’s
this,or could be an editorial sophistication. F1’s
weoleis presumably a misprint for Q2’s
whole.
voice and yielding
expressed opinion and consent.
that body
the body politic, the state.
in his … force
i.e., in his particular rank and power.
F1 is possible here, but Q2 more persuasively reads
in his particuler act and place,i.e., in the particular circumstances to which he is restricted by his high station. Editors disagree in choosing between Q2 and F1.
May … deed
May do as he promises.
Than … withal
Than general opinion in Denmark will go along with.
Cf. the proverb Saying and doing are two things (Dent S119).
credent
credulous, trusting.
list
listen to.
lose
Q2’s
loosemay simply be a common variant spelling of F1’s
lose,but could suggest the loosening of moral restraints.
unmastered importunity
uncontrolled urgency of desire.
And … desire
i.e., Don’t let your passionate feelings lead you where you will be vulnerable to
his amorous assaults.
A military metaphor. A
shotis the range of a weapon, such as a gun or bow and arrow.
Q2’s
you inmakes fine sense, but F1’s
withincould be an authorial revision.
chariest
most modest.
is prodigal … moon
is taking enough of a risk if she merely expose herself to the chaste moon.
The moon (Diana, Artemis, Phoebe), as a symbol of chaste affection, was widely associated
with Queen Elizabeth I. Elizabethan ladies were careful to mask themselves from the
sun; Ophelia is being urged to be even more cautious than that.
scapes
The aphetic form of escapes.
calumnious
slanderous.
The canker … spring
The cankerworm injures the budding flowers of springtime.
before … be disclosed
before their buds are open.
F1’s
themay be a misprint for Q2’s
their.
in … youth
in the early time of life, a time that has the freshness and innocence of the dew-sprinkled
dawn.
blastments
blightings.
Youth … near
Youth yields to the rebellion of the flesh without any outside promptings.
watchmen … heart
guardians over my affections.
F1’s
watchmencould refer plurally to the various points Laertes has made, but it may instead be a simple copying error for Q2’s
watchman.
ungracious
ungodly, lacking in spiritual grace.
Whilst, like a
F1 improves the metrical cadence and clarifies the meaning of Q2’s
Whiles a(where the missing
likecould easily be an error of omission).
puffed
bloated or swollen (presumably with the arrogance of youth).
recks … rede
pays no heed to his own best advice.
F1 reads
reaks … reade.Q2 reads
reakes … reed.
fear me not
don’t worry about me.
In some recent productions, Laertes is cutting off his sister by saying this; he doesn’t
need a lecture from her, even if he has just taken it upon himself to inform her of
her duty to self, family, and God.
Enter Polonius
Q2 places this entrance before Laertes says,
Oh, fear me not.In F1 the entrance follows that line. The F1 arrangement is logical enough, suggesting that Laertes is then prompted by his father’s entrance to say
I stay too long.But on the large Elizabethan stage actors often enter a bit early to give them time to reach the other actors already on stage, and the overlap can be meaningful as the audience hears what the entering actor does not yet hear. Q2’s providing a speech prefix for Laertes’s
Oh, fear me notseems necessary only because the line occurs after the entrance. Q1 delays the entrance until Corambis, the Q1 equivalent of Polonius, is about to speak. Some editors choose to have Polonius enter before
I stay too long.Capell prefers to see the entrance after
But here my father comes.All are possible stagings.
A double … leave
The goddess Occasion or Opportunity has smiled upon me by provided me the chance to
say goodbye to my father a second time and thereby receive from him a second blessing.
In some modern productions, Laertes (and his sister too) are both rather put off by
their father’s tedious moralisms. If so, Laertes’s speech here is tinged with irony;
he thinks he’s already been through the business of saying goodbye to his father.
The wind … sail
i.e., You have a following wind now, so don’t delay.
your … you
Polonius’s use of the more formal pronoun
youhere has the effect of suggesting that the readiness of the wind for departure applies to Laertes and others on the vessel. After saying
My blessing with you(changed to thee in Q2), Polonius shifts to the intimate
theeas he bestows his blessing and throughout his speech of advice to his son (though F1 does read
my blessing with you,perhaps influenced by the earlier uses of you).
you … My blessing
you are being waited for on board. Take my blessing.
Q2 reads,
you are stayed for, there my blessing.In that version, there is presumably accompanied by Polonius’s laying his hands on the head of his kneeling son, or an embrace, or a pat on the shoulder. Q2’s reading is generally favored by editors.
See thou character
See to it that you inscribe.
Q2’s
Lookemakes perfect sense, but F1’s
Seemay be an authorial revision.
Nor … act
And do not act upon any thought that is inadequately thought through or miscalculated.
Be … vulgar
Be sociable but not indiscriminate in your social dealings.
The friends
F1’s
The friends,though perfectly intelligible, could be an error in transmission for Q2’s
Those friends.
and their adoption tried
and their suitability as potential companions having been tested and screened.
to
F1’s
toscans better than Q2’s
vnto,and may be authorial.
hoops of steel
metal hoops such as would be used to hold together the sides of a barrel.
dull thy palm
i.e., shake hands so often as to make the gesture essentially meaningless.
entertainment
greeting with a handshake.
unhatched, unfledged
newly hatched in the nest and still unable to fly.
F1’s
vnhatch’tmay be a copying error of Q2’s
new hatcht,as a result of being influenced by
vn-in the next word,
vnfledg’d.
comrade
F1’s
Comradeoffers an easy meaning, even though Q2’s
courageis confirmed by Q1, and, as Arden 3 points out, the
uin courage could easily have been misread as
min Elizabethan handwriting.
Bear’t that th’opposèd
Manage the business so that your adversary.
censure
opinion, judgment.
reserve thy judgment
do not abandon your own opinion of what is said.
habit
clothing, dress.
fancy
extravagant fashion.
For … man
We are what we wear.
Are … chief in that
Show their refined manners and social preeminence in choosing what to wear.
Q2’s
Ormay be a copying error for Q1/F1’s
Are.Editors often emend
of ato
of all.F1 reads
chefffor Q1/Q2’s
chiefe.
be
Q2’s
boyseems altogether less likely than F1’s
be,and could be an easy misprint, but possibly Polonius could be addressing Laertes this way while omitting the understood verb.
loan
Q2’s
loueis certainly less persuasive than F1’s
lone,i.e., loan, and a confusing of these two words is easy.
dulls the
F1’s
duls theis certainly plausible, and could be authorial, but it could instead be a compositorial sophistication of Q2’s
dulleth.
husbandry
thrift.
My blessing … thee
May my blessing enable my advice to mature and ripen in your mind.
invites
Q2’s
inuestsis possible in the sense of
besieges, presses upon,or
make an investment in,but F1’s
inuitesseems more plausible and may be authorial.
tend
attend, are waiting.
touching
concerning.
Lord
F1 abbreviates this name here with
L.,perhaps to fit all on one line.
Marry
i.e., By the Virgin Mary. (A mild oath.)
well bethought
appropriately thought of; I’m glad you mentioned that.
audience
hearing, attention.
put on me
presented or suggested to me.
understand yourself
appreciate your situation.
behooves
befits.
honor
reputation.
tenders
offers.
green
inexperienced.
Unsifted
Untried.
I’ll
Q2’s
I willis corrected to
Ilein F1. The alteration could be authorial, or editorial sophistication.
his
Q2’s
theseand F1’s
hisare equally plausible. The alteration could be authorial, or it could be editorial sophistication or miscopying. Compare his in the same phrase three lines earlier.
sterling
lawful currency.
F1 prints
starling,Q2
sterling.
Tender … dearly
(1) Take better care of yourself; (2) Hold out for a better bargain, i.e., marriage.
not to crack … thus
i.e., if I may use a metaphor from horsemanship, at the risk of running it so hard
that it is broken-winded.
Roaming it
letting it roam.
F1’s
Roaminglends itself to Collier’s emendation, Running, which applies well to the metaphor of running a horse until it is broken-winded. Warburton proposes Wringing. Pope emends Q2’s
Wrongto Wronging.
tender … fool
(1) make me look foolish, and yourself as well; (2) present me with a grandchild.
(The word fool could be applied to babies, often endearingly.)
fashion
mere form, conventional flattery. (Playing on Ophelia’s
fashionin the previous line in the more usual sense of
manner.)
Go to, go to
i.e., What nonsense. (An expression of impatient dismissal.)
F1 prints
go too, go too.
countenance
authority, confirmation.
with all … heaven
F1’s abbreviation of this line, changing Q2’s
almost all the holy vowesto
all the vowes,may possibly have been dictated by F1’s awkward re-lineation.
springes … woodcocks
traps to catch proverbially gullible birds.
Cf. Dent F626, The fowler is caught in his own net, and Laertes’s similar reference
to the woodcock caught in its own springe or trap at 5.2.207 (TLN 3783) below.
Q2’s
springsmay be a spelling variant for F1’s
springes.
When … tongue vows
When passionate desire rages, how prodigally the soul prompts the tongue to promise
anything to the desired person.
Q2’s
Lendsand F1’s
Giuesare similar in meaning. F1’s reading could be authorial choice or a copyist’s substitution; perhaps it erroneously anticipates
Giuingin the next line.
extinct … a-making
lacking any real feeling or warmth of affection even from the very first moment of
the promise-making.
take
mistake.
For this … daughter
F1 here adds
Daughterto the end of Q2’s line, plausibly enough but somewhat unmetrically, and perhaps mistakenly picking up the last word of line 118 (TLN 583). On the other hand, Polonius is much given to verbal repetitions of this sort. Q2’s
from this timemakes better sense than F1’s
For this time,which could be a copying error, but is intelligible.
somewhat
F1’s
somewhatmay be authorial, even if it might instead be a compositor’s or copyist’s sophistication or misreading of Q2’s
something.
Set … parley
Do not offer to surrender your chastity simply because he has requested a meeting
to discuss terms.
Q2’s
Parleis a common form of
parley,the form printed in F1.
For
As for.
so much in him
this much concerning him.
In few
In brief.
brokers
go-betweens, solicitors.
Not of … show
Not truly of the appearance that their garments seem to show. (The vows are not what
they seem.)
F1’s
the eyemay be a misprint for Q2’s
that die,i.e., dye, meaning much the same as in F1 but with a clearer image. Most editors prefer the Q2 reading as more reliable. F1 could easily be a copying error of confusing
dwith
ein secretary hand.
implorators
solicitors.
F1’s
imploratorsand Q2’s
imploratotors,i.e., imploratators, presumably mean the same thing. Presumed derivation from the now-obsolete French implorateurs would seem to militate against imploratators, which the OED does not recognize as a separate word.
Breathing
Speaking.
bonds
Although Theobald’s widely adopted emendation of Q2/F1’s
bondsto
bawdsaptly continues the metaphor of
brokersand
implorators,Arden 3 retains
uotebonds,noting the link to
vowsand
suitsin the previous 4 lines.
beguile
Q2’s
beguideis authoritatively corrected to
beguilein F1.
This is for all
This is once for all; I don’t want to have to say it again.
slander … leisure
abuse any moment’s leisure (or any occasion).
Come your ways
Come along.
[1.4]
Location: The battlements or rampart walls of the castle.
shrewdly
keenly, sharply.
Q2’s
shroudlyis perhaps an inviting reading, but could well be a copying error for F1’s
shrewdly.Q1 reads
shrewd.
is it very cold?
For Hamlet to pose this as a question seems unlikely, unless, as Arden 3 speculates,
he means it as a rhetorical question (isn’t it cold?). More probably, F1’s version
is misprint for Q2’s
it is very colde.
It is a nipping
Q2’s
It is nipping,without the article, can mean “It is very cold,” but the rhythm of F1’s
It is a nippingseems more metrical and convincing.
eager
biting, keen, sharp.
From French aigre, sour.
lacks of
is just short of.
Then it
F1’s
then itmay be a deliberate rewriting of Q2’s
it thenor else a miscopying; see a similar possible dislectic metathesis in note 1.4.1 above.
season
time.
held his wont
was accustomed.
[A flourish … go off]
This Q2 stage direction is not in F1, but is clearly implied in the dialogue. The
piecesare of cannon, ordnance. Q1 prints
Sound Trumpetsat line 4.
doth wake
revels into the night.
takes his rouse
carouses.
Keeps wassails … reels
Drinks many toasts and drunkenly reels his way through a lively German dance called
the upspring.
Perhaps the dance itself is seen as drunkenly reeling or staggering.
F1’s
wassels(i.e., wassails) is possibly an intentional rewriting of Q2’s
wassellin the singular, or may just be a result of miscopying. The difference in meaning of the two texts here is not material.
Rhenish
Rhine wine.
bray … pledge
raucously celebrate his draining the cup in his many celebratory toasts.
marry
i.e., by the Virgin Mary. (A mild oath.)
As at 1.3.9, TLN 556.
And
Q2’s
Butand F1’s
Andboth make sense. F1’s reading could be an authorial choice, though it could instead be a mistaken anticipation of the same word in the next line.
to the manner born
having a lifelong familiarity with this custom.
More … observance
Better neglected than followed.
This line is followed in Q2 by a 22-line passage omitted in Q1/F1.
Angels … us
May angels who minister grace defend us!
Be thou … damned
Whether you are a good angel or a demon.
Bring … blasts
Whether you bring gentle breezes from heaven or pestilent gusts.
Be thy events
Whether the things you intend to happen are.
F1’s
euentsis very probably an error for Q2’s
intents.
Oh, oh
F1’s doubling of Q2’s
Ohinto
Oh, oh,could be an actor’s interpolation.
canonized
consecrated.
Pronounced with the stress on the second of three syllables.
hearsèd
laid in a coffin.
cerements
grave clothes.
F1 prints
cerments.
inurned
entombed, placed in an urn for ashes of the dead.
F1’s
enurn’dis an attractive reading, and possibly authorial, even though burial with an urn is more a Roman custom than English practice, and Q2’s
interr’dis confirmed by Q1.
corse
corpse.
Q2 prints
corse,F1
Coarse.
compleat steel
full armor.
The spelling of Q2/F1 is
compleat; Q1 reads
compleate.Old spelling is retained here to make clear that the accent falls on the first syllable.
the glimpses … moon
the sublunary world, all that is fitfully lit by pale moonlight.
we fools of nature
we mere mortals, limited to natural knowledge and subject to nature.
So … disposition
To unsettle our mental composure so horrendously.
the reaches
the capacities.
F1’s
thee;reacheswould appear to be a miscopying error for Q1/Q2’s
the reaches.
Ghost beckons Hamlet
Q2 prints
Beckins.Omitted in Q1.
impartment
communication.
A term seemingly coined by Shakespeare.
wafts
F1’s
waftsis convincing as an emendation of Q1/Q2’s
waues.The same correction occurs in line 56 (TLN 664) below.
Then will I
F1’s
Then will Iin place of Q2’s
Then I willcould be either authorial or the result of imperfect copying. An easy error of metathesis. This scene in F1 appears to contain a number of copying errors; see notes above.
a pin’s fee
the value of a pin.
The proverb Not worth a pin (Dent P334) characterizes anything of very small value.
for
as for.
flood
sea.
summit
Q2 reads
Somnet,F1
Sonnet.Both must be in error for
summit,as corrected by Rowe.
beetles … base
threateningly overhangs its base like bushy eyebrows.
Q2’s
bettlesseems intended for F1’s
beetles.Q1 reads
beckles.
assumes
F1’s shift to the indicative mood in
assumes,rather than the subjunctive
assumein Q2 that follows from the subjunctive
temptin the line 53, may or may be a copying error; the indicative is intelligible.
deprive … reason
take away from you the supremacy of reason over passioin.
Your sovereigntyalso hints at the fact that Hamlet is Prince of Denmark and heir to the throne.
And … Think of it
Q2 follows here with four lines omitted from F1. Possibly the shortening served to
reduce the time of performance.
hand
F1’s
handis intelligible if Hamlet is addressing one of the persons who are trying to restrain him, but it could easily be a copying error for Q2’s
hands.
My fate cries out
My destiny summons me.
each petty
even the most insignificant.
artery
Spelled
arturein Q2,
Artirein F1, and
Artiuein Q1.
the Nemean lion’s nerve
a sinew of the huge lion (from Nemea, near Corinth in Greece) slain by Hercules in
the first of his twelve labors.
called?
F1 prints this as a question:
cal’d?perhaps implying that the Ghost has once again gestures to Hamlet to follow him. But question marks sometimes serve as exclamation marks.
lets
hinders.
imagination
Q2’s
imagionis presumably a copying error for F1’s
imagination.
Have after
Let’s go after him.
issue
i.e., the
issueor outcome (line 91, TLN 677).
it
i.e., the
issueor outcome, line 66 (TLN 677).
[1.5]
Location: The battlements of the castle, as before. The scene is virtually continuous,
though the stage is momentarily bare and we are to understand that the Ghost and Hamlet
have moved to a new location on the battlements.
Where
Q2’s
Whetheris a common early modern spelling of Whither. F1’s
Whereis possibly authorial, but could instead by a copyist’s or compositor’s sophistication.
bound
(1) destined, ready; (2) obligated, duty-bound. The Ghost replies to the second of
these meanings.
fast
do penance by fasting.
A conventional punishment in Purgatory.
crimes
sins.
my days of nature
my days on earth as a mortal.
purged
In Roman Catholic doctrine, Purgatory (not actually mentioned by name in this play)
is an intermediate state after death for the purging of sins. If an individual has
died in God’s grace but has committed sins not yet pardoned (owing, as in this present
instance, to a sudden death leaving no time for confessing those sins to a priest),
the soul can make satisfaction in Purgatory for those sins and thus become fit for
heaven.
Reformation leaders in Europe and England, beginning with Martin Luther in 1517, denounced
Purgatory as a Roman Catholic superstition placing unwarranted emphasis on the sacraments
of Confession and Last Rites or Extreme Unction, and on the essential role of priesthood
in offering forgiveness for sins. Reformation churches generally reduced the list
of Holy Sacraments from seven (Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, Holy
Orders, Marriage, and Last Rites) to two (Baptism and the Eucharist).
But that
Were it not that.
harrow up
lacerate, tear up, uproot.
spheres
eye-sockets, compared here to the crystalline spheres or orbits in which, according
to Ptolemaic astronomy, the heavenly bodies moved around the earth.
knotty … locks
hair neatly combed and arranged in its proper place.
F1’s
knottyis possible, and could be authorial, but it may instead be an error for Q1/Q2’s
knotted.
on end
The eighteenth-century actor-manager, David Garrick, wore a trick wig that would stand
its hairs on end as a sign of fright. See 3.4.124-5 below, where the Queen sees Hamlet’s
hair standing on end; the effect is caused there by the appearance of the Ghost, though
the Queen in unable to see that.
Q2’s/F1’s
an endis a normal early modern spelling of Q1’s
on end.
fretful
F1’s
fretfull(Q1,
fretfull) may be an authorial choice. The word seems intended to convey the sense of “terrifying”; Q2’s
fearfullmay suggest, less appropriately here, “frightened.”
porpentine
Shakespeare’s usual spelling of porcupine.
The spelling is
Porpentinein Q1/Q2/F1.
eternal blazon
revelation of the secrets of the supernatural world.
List, Hamlet, … list
Listen.
F1’s
List, Hamlet, oh listmay be authorial, or perhaps an actor’s interpolation; Q2 reads
list, list, list.
O heaven!
F1’s
Oh Heauenis presumably a euphemism for Q1/Q2’s
O God; see note at 1.2.148 (TLN 334) above.
Murder … it is
Murder is foul even under the best of circumstances.
Murder is regularly spelled
Murtherhere and elsewhere in F1/Q2, though
Murderin Q1.
Haste … that with
F1 shows signs of interpolation in the second hast (
haste), and in the expanded
know it,since F1 has adopted a makeshift lineation in place of Q2’s plausibly regular scansion. F1’s omission of
Iafter
Thatis also probably a copying error.
with wings … love
Compare the proverb, As swift as thought, Dent T240.
fat
torpid, lethargic, gross, bloated.
rots itself
Q1/Q2’s
rootes it selfe(i.e., sluggishly remains motionless) and F1’s
rots it selfeare both plausible. F1’s reading emphasizes decay, and may be an authorial choice.
Lethe
The river of oblivion in Hades.
Wouldst thou
If you would not.
It’s given out
The official story goes.
F1’s
It’s giuen outcould be a copyist’s or compositor’s sophistication of Q2’s
'Tis giuen out.
mine orchard
my garden.
Here and elsewhere (as in lines 42, 59, 63, and 137, TLNs 728, 744, 748, and 823 for
example), the shift from Q1/Q2’s frequent use of
myto F1’s
minebefore a vowel may be compositorial.
forgèd process
fabricated account.
Rankly abused
Grossly deceived.
sting
Elizabethans generally believed that poisonous snakes attacked their victims with
their tongues rather than their fangs.
incestuous
See 1.2.157 (TLN 341) and note above.
adulterate
adulterous.
Whether the Ghost suspects or knows that his brother had been involved with Queen
Gertrude in an adulterous affair before the murder is not clear, though the Ghost’s
insistence later in this speech that the Queen is to be spared and left to the workings
of her conscience (lines 84-8 below, TLN 769-73) tends to suggest that he does not
regard her as guilty to such a heinous degree. Neither Hamlet nor the Ghost ever applies
the term
adulterousto her. The term is sometimes applied in Scripture to sexual unions that occasion moral disapproval, as for example between partners that are of different religious persuasions. The term is used several times in the sources for this play by Saxo Grammaticus and Belleforest.
with traitorous gifts
(1) with perfidious natural gifts; (2) with seductive presents.
F1’s
hathis very probably a copying error for Q2’s
with.
won to this
F1’s
won to to thisis very probably an error for Q2’s
won to his,even though this is defensible.
what … falling off
F1’s
what a falling offis the natural idiom. Q2’s
what falling offmay be a simple error.
even … vow
with the very vow.
To
Compared with.
But virtue … garbage
But just as true virtue will remain steadfast even when tempted by unchaste desire
disguising itself as an angel, lust conversely will attempt to glut its insatiable
appetite even in a heavenly bed, and then, unsatisfied with that, turn to prey on
filth.
So lust, though
F1’s reading is clearly superior to Q2’s
So but though.
angel
Q2’s
Angle(Q1
angle) is clearly intended for F1’s
Angell.
sate
situate, place.
F1’s
sateis clearly superior to Q2’s
sort,which may an error resulting from a misreading of
aas
or.But Q2’s
sortis possible, since it can mean “situate, place.” Q1 reads
fate.
prey
Q2 prints
pray,a spelling variant. F1 prints
Will sate itself … prey on Garbageall on one line, TLN 742.
soft
wait a minute, hold on.
methinks … morning’s air
The Ghost here confirms the tradition that Horatio has reported at 1.1.148 ff. (TLN
155 ff.): ghosts who visit the world of the living at night are supposed to return
to their confines by dawn.
Q1/F1’s
Morningsin place of Q2’s
morningis equally plausible, even if it could perhaps be a compositorial sophistication or misreading. Q1/Q2/F1’s
sentis a variant spelling of scent.
in the afternoon
Q2’s
of the afternooneis more striking and unusual to our ears than Q1/F1’s
in the afternoone.Q1/F1’s correction could be authorial, or could be a compositorial sophistication or copying error.
secure hour
a time free from worries, and a time when one can safely relax one’s guard.
hebenon
a poison.
The name of this unidentified poison may be related to henbane, of the nightshade
family, the Latin name of which, Hyoscyamus niger, suggests ebony, or possibly ebanus,
yew.F1’s
Hebenonis a spelling of this word not found elsewhere other than in the juice of Hebon in Marlowe’sThe Jew of Malta, 3.4.101. Q1/Q2 read Hebona.
vial
F1’s
Viollis presumably intended for Q1/Q2’s
viall.
the porches … ears
i.e., the entranceways to my head.
Supposedly an Italian method of poisoning, used to murder the Duke of Urbino in 1538
and mentioned in Marlowe’s Edward II, 5.4.34-5. The notion here, that such a method would introduce the poison to course
through
The natural gates and alleys of the body,is physiologically dubious.
leperous distillment
a distillation causing a leprosy-like disfigurement.
quicksilver
mercury.
alleys
Q1/Q2 reads
allies,F1
Allies.
posset / And curd
thicken and curdle (causing the blood to clot like sour cream).
F1’s
possetis more persuasive than Q2’s
possesse,and is probably authorial, even though Q2 is intelligible.
eager
sour, acid.
F1 reads
Aygre,Q1/Q2
eager.
tetter
eruption of scabs or blisters.
baked … crust
enveloped with a loathsome scaly crust, like the bark of a tree-trunk.
F1’s
bak’dmay well be an error for Q2’s
barckt(Q1’s
barked).
lazarlike
leper-like.
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the man had died of a grievous sickness and
had lain in the earth four days, so that his body was loathsome (John 11). Traditionally,
his putrid condition came to be associated with leprosy.
and queen
F1’s
and queenmay be a miscopying of Q2’s
of queen,which continues the rhetorical series of
of.
dispatched
deprived.
even … sin
when my sins were at their height.
Unhousled … unaneled
Without having partaken of the sacrament of the Mass, unprepared because of not having
made deathbed confession and not having received absolution, and not anointed with
the holy oil of Extreme Unction.
These are specific terms from Roman Catholic practice. Housel signifies the host, the bread and wine that are consecrated in the Mass as the body
and blood of Christ.
Q2 prints
Vnhuzled, disappointed, vnanueld,F1
Vnhouzzeld, disappointed, vnnaneld.
reckoning
settling of spiritual accounts, making restitution for sins.
Oh … most horrible!
This line has sometimes been assigned to Hamlet by actor-managers and by editors,
partly at least to offer a break in the Ghost’s monologue.
nature
i.e., the natural feelings of a son for his father.
luxury
lechery.
incest
See notes at 1.2.157 (TLN 341) and 1.5.43 (TLN 729) above.
howsoever thou pursuest
F1’s
howsoeuer thou pursuestcould be a sophistication of Q2’s
howsomeuer thou pursues.Compare
whatsoever/whatsomeverat 1.2.253 (TLN 449), above.
aught
anything, any punishment.
Q2/F1 print
ought,Q1
aught.
matin
morning.
’gins … his
begins … its.
Adieu, adieu, Hamlet
F1’s
Adue, adue, Hamletis no less intelligible than Q2’s reading (
Adiew, adiew, adiew), and may be authorial, but could be an interpolation.
Exit
This exit, indicated in Q1/F1 but not Q2, could be effected by means of the stage
trap door, in light of the Ghost’s crying out
under the stageat line 156.1 (TLN 845) below. On the other hand, the Ghost’s entrance in 3.4
in his night gown,according to Q1, might seem more appropriate if he enters and leaves by means of a stage door. Stage tradition, at all events, has generally chosen to have him enter and exit in 1.4 and 1.5 by means of stage doors rather than the trap.
couple
add.
Hold
Hold fast; do not panic; do not waver.
F1’s
holdand Q2’s
hold, holdare equally plausible; F1 may be an authorial correction, or an omission in copying.
sinews
tendons, muscles.
stiffly
F1’s
stifflysuggests “strongly, vigorously”; Q2’s
swiftlyis possible, since Hamlet sees that he has reason for haste, but
stifflyseems more a propos here.
while … globe
as long as memory continues to function in my distracted head. (With perhaps a glance
at the Globe Theatre, where these lines are being spoken.)
F1’s replacement of Q2’s
whileswith
whilemay be a compositorial sophistication.
table
wax writing tablet.
Compare the use of the plural in
My tables, my tablesin line 107 (TLN 792) below.
fond
foolish.
records
Stressed on the second syllable.
All saws … past
All wise sayings copied from books, all shapes or images drawn on the tablet of my
memory, all past impressions.
That … there
That I observed and noted down when I was young.
book and volume
voluminous book.
Yes, yes
F’s second
yes,added to Q2’s
yes,could be authorial, or an actor’s interpolation.
My tables, … down
Hamlet may actually have a wax tablet on which he proceeds to note his observation,
or he may be speaking metaphorically. Two tablets might be hinged together as a sort
of notebook; hence perhaps the plural tables.
F1’s repetition in
My Tables, my Tablesmay be an interpolation; it is extra-metrical in F1’s verse line. But it may be authorial. Q2 reads
My tables.Compare the note at line 98 above.
meet
fitting.
I’m
F1’s
I’mcould be a sophistication of Q2’s
I am.
there you are
i.e., I’ve noted that down (literally or metaphorically).
Now to my word
Now to the business of fulfilling what I have promised.
providence
foresight.
kept short
kept on a short leash.
out of haunt
secluded, away from public gatherings.
owner
sufferer.
from divulging
from being made publicly known.
lets
we let.
F1’s
let’smay represent
lets,with
the ownerin line 20 (TLN 2608) as the subject of this verb, but F1 could be an error in transmission of Q2’s
let.
pith
essential part.
O’er … pure
The Queen argues that Hamlet’s weeping over Polonius’s dead body shows his madness
to be like a vein of pure gold amidst a mine of baser metals, i.e., revealing his
finer nature even though he has madly done this deed.
The Queen is doing as she promised to Hamlet: keeping from her husband the knowledge
that Hamlet’s
madnessis only a cover.
vile
F1’s
vildeis a common spelling variant of Q2’s
vile.
countenance and excuse
put the best face on and justify as well as we can.
Enter Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
In Q2, this SD is placed to the right opposite line 31,
We must … skill,probably because the compositor found adequate space there. In F1, the SD is to the right of
Both countenance and excuse,line 32 (TLN 2619), presumably for the same reason. In F1, this is their first entrance in this scene; in Q2 they enter briefly at the start of the scene and then are dismissed. In Q1
Lordesenter at the start of the scene and then are dispatched to look for Hamlet and the dead body.
go … aid
take with you some others to help.
mother’s closet
mother’s private chamber.
Compare 3.2.223 (TLN 2201) and 3.3.27 (TLN 2302). F1’s
Mother Clossetshere is clearly a misprint for Q2’s
mothers closet.
dragged
Q2’s
dreg’dis corrected in F1 to
drag’d.
speak fair
speak gently and courteously to him.
Exit … Guildenstern]
F1 prints
Exit Gent.Omitted in Q2. Q1 prints
Exeunt Lordes.
To let
F1’s substitution of
Tofor Q2’s
Andmay be authoritative; Q2’s
Andcould have been picked up erroneously from And as the first word of the next line.
And … untimely done
Following this phrase, F1 omits a passage of some four lines in Q2:
Whose whisper … woundless air.Whether inadvertently or by design (perhaps for shortening in performance) is not clear.
[4.2]
Location: The castle.
Enter Hamlet
Here in F1, Hamlet enters at the opening of the scene, whereupon Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
are heard shouting
within.They then enter in time for Rosencrantz’s first line (
What haue you doneetc.) F1 thus offers a clearer representation of stage action than Q2’s
Enter, Hamlet, Rosencraus, and others.
Within
This SD is omitted in Q2.
What . .. Hamlet?
F1 here omits Q2’s
but softpreceding
What … Hamlet?
Compounded
Mixed.
Q2’s
Compoundmay be an error for F1’s
Compounded,or an acceptable early modern form of the past participle, or possibly, as Arden 2 suggests, an imperative. F1’s version is likely to be authorial.
Compare the Anglican Order for the Burial of the Dead in The Book of Common Prayer: we commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
That … own
i.e., Don’t expect me to do as you bid me and not follow my own counsel.
demanded of
interrogated by.
replication
reply.
countenance
favor.
authorities
influence.
like … swallowed
i.e., Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are kept in reserve by the King, always there but
to be used only when it serves the King’s purposes, not theirs.
Farmer’s suggested emendation, like an ape an apple, makes clear what F1’s
like an Apeseems to have intended in emending only imperfectly the Q2 reading (
like an apple).
it is … again
i.e., the King will squeeze you dry, taking back the benefits he seemingly bestowed
on you.
A knavish … ear
A crafty insult is not understood as such by a fool to whom the insult is directed.
The body … not with the body
A chiasmic riddle, perhaps suggesting that although Claudius’s body is necessarily
a part of him, the essence of true kingship is not to be found there. Claudius can
order the body of Polonius to be brought to him, but that also will not make him any
more a true king than he really is.
A reference to the doctrine of the King’s two bodies, one political and one natural,
thus differentiating the high office of kingship from any individual holder of the
title, whose claim to true authority may be far less.
is a thing—
The F1 dash is omitted in Q2.
Of nothing
Compare Psalm 144:4: Man is like to vanity, i.e., Man is a thing of nought.
Bring … all after
This cry from the children’s game of fox-and-hounds, similar to hide-and-seek, here
signals Hamlet’s running away from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
This F1 utterance is omitted in Q2. The F1 revision could be authorial, or something
added in production.
[4.3]
Location: The castle.
Enter King
F1’s
Enter Kingreplaces Q2’s
Enter King, and two or three.See next note.
I have … all
F1’s opening stage direction,
Enter King,implicitly treats this speech as a soliloquy addressed by Claudius to himself or to the audience. Q2’s
Enter King, and two or threedirects the speech toward unnamed courtiers, and makes sense as a statement of policy and concern about Hamlet, unlike the scene’s concluding soliloquy, which is intensely revealing of Claudius’s secret wishes to be rid of his stepson. Conceivably the F1 version reflects a shortage of extras, needed for Fortinbras’s army in the next scene.
of … multitude
by the irrationally unstable commoners.
Who … eyes
Who choose not rationally but by appearances.
And where … offense
And in such cases people are likely to censure the severity of the punishment without
sufficiently considering the gravity of the offense.
F1’s
neerer the offenceis perhaps a mistaken attempt on the printer’s part to change Q2’s
neuerto
ne’erfor metrical reasons.
To bear … even
In order to manage the business without arousing suspicion.
Deliberate pause
The result of careful planning, or of a careful postponing of judgment.
appliance
applying of remedies.
Enter Rosencrantz
Q2’s stage direction,
Enter Rosencraus and all the rest,could be meant to include both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, along with guards. Q2 does not name Guildenstern in its unspecific
They enterat line 15.1;
Theyhere could refer to guards only. F1 conversely brings in Rosencrantz alone at line 11.1; he then calls out to Guildenstern and the others at 16, whereupon
Enter Hamlet and Guildenstern,presumably with unnamed guards. The F1 revision may be authorial, perhaps as a result of staging practice.
How … befall’n
Now, what has happened?
Without
Outside (the door).
Ho, Guildenstern! … lord
Q2’s
How, bring in the Lordis metrically plausible as the second half of a shared iambic pentameter line. F1’s
Hoa, Guildensterne? Bring in my Lordmight be authorial, or it could be a theatrical elaboration of Q2. Q2’s How is presumably a spelling variant for F1’s Hoa.
Enter … [with Guards]
See note 11.1 (TLN 2672) above for staging options.
convocation … diet
Often taken to refer to the Imperial Diet of Worms, a famous convocation or assembly of the Holy Roman Empire convened in Worms, Germany on 28 January 1521,
on the authority of the Emperor Charles V, for the purpose of requiring Martin Luther
to renounce or recant his heretical views. Pope Leo X had condemned 41 of Luther’s
95 theses or propositions in June 1520, and, after a delay affording Luther time to
recant, had excommunicated him on 3 January 1521. The Edict of Worms, issued on 25
May 1521, forbade all loyal Christians to offer any support to Luther, declaring him
to be an obstinate heretic. In the light of this seeming allusion, Not where ’a eats,
but where ’a is eaten in line 2685 could refer to the ceremony of the Mass in which
the eating of bread signifies the eating of Christ’s body. Politic worms suggests crafty worms, such as might deal with a crafty spy like Polonius.
F1’s omission of
politicbefore
wormsmay have been inadvertent; the word is present in Q1 as well as Q2.
e’en
even now, just now.
Q1 reads
even now.
Your worm … diet
Worms are emperors in their diet in that they devour emperors and commoners alike.
Compare the proverbial phrase, Food for worms.
Your wormmeans, colloquially, “this worm that people talk about.”
ourself
ourselves.
F1’s
our selfecould be a misprint for Q2’s
our selues.
variable service
various dishes or courses served at table. (Worms feed on kings and beggars alike.)
That’s the end
Following this speech, F1 omits two speeches in Q2 (
King. Alas, alas. / Ham. A man may fish … of that worme); perhaps a cut for length in performance. Q1 contains a version of these lines (see Q1 text and notes), confirming that they were part of a staged version.
progress
royal state journey.
indeed if
F1’s inversion of Q2’s
if indeedcould have been authorial, or else simply a copying error.
this month
F’s shortening of Q2’s
within this monthcould have been inadvertent.
nose
smell.
To some attendants
The persons addressed here could include Rosencrantz or Guildenstern together with
one or more unnamed attendants, but in any case at least one of those two gentlemen
must remain to keep guard on Hamlet and exit with him at line 40.1 (TLN 2717).
of thine
Omitted in Q2. F1’s wording might seem to anticipate unnecessarily the
thinein the following phrase, and creates an unmetrical line, but the alteration may be authorial.
tender
value, hold dear.
dearly
intensely.
With fiery quickness
This phrase is omitted in Q2, perhaps inadvertently.
bark
sailing vessel.
Th’associates tend
Those who will escort you are waiting.
at bent
is in readiness.
F1’s
at bentis possible, but is less idiomatic than Q2’s
is bentand could be a copying error resulting from the compositor’s remembering
at helpin the previous line (Arden 3).
cherub
Cherubim, in the second order of angels, were possessors of a special wisdom and knowledge
that would enable them, in Hamlet’s view, to perceive the full extent of Claudius’s
treachery.
sees him
Q2’s
sees themagrees better with
our purposesin the previous line; F1’s
himcould be a copying error.
man … one flesh
Arden 3 among other editors cites Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:5-6, and Mark 10:8.
and so, … mother
F1’s substitution for Q2’s
so my motheris plausibly authorial.
at foot
close at his heels.
Tempt
Entice, persuade.
everything … th’affair
everything else that relates to this business is taken care of.
[Exeunt … King]
This Q1 exit SD is omitted in Q2/F1.
England
the King of England.
As … sense
As indeed my great power should persuade you of the importance of valuing my high
regard for you.
cicatrice
scar.
free awe
unconstrained show of respect and obedience.
coldly set
regard with indifference, ignore.
sovereign process
royal command.
imports at full
conveys in full detail its message.
conjuring
requesting, requiring.
F1’s
coniuringis a plausible reading, preferred by some editors, but might be an error in copying for Q2’s
congruing.
present
immediate.
hectic
fluctuating but persistent fever.
Howe’er … begun
Whatever else my fortunes might be, I cannot begin to be happy.
Q2’s
will nere beginis a plausible reading, but the rhyme with
donein the previous line at the scene’s end confirms the superior authority of F1’s
were ne’re begun.
[4.4]
Location: The Danish coast.
with an army
F1 substitutes
an Armiefor Q2’s
his Army,and omits Q2’s addition to the stage direction,
over the stage.
license
permission.
Compare 2.2.73-80 (TLN 1098-1105).
Claims
F1’s
Claimesis perfectly possible, and could be an authorial revision, even though Q2’s
Crauesseems suitably in keeping with the diplomatic language required by the present situation.
conveyance
unhindered and escorted passage; or, fulfillment of a promise made.
If that
If.
would … us
wishes to confer with me for any reason.
We … eye
I will pay my respects in person.
safely on
quietly forward, without creating a disturbance.
F1’s
safely onis possible, but could be a misprint for Q2’s more plausible
softly on.Following this line, F1 omits a passage of conversation between Hamlet (who now enters, with Rosencrantz and others) and Fortinbras’s captain, and then a substantial soliloquy by Hamlet (TLN 2743.1-2743.60), cut perhaps for reason of length in performance.
Exit [with all the rest]
F1 reads
Exit.Omitted in Q2.
[4.5]
Location: The castle.
Enter Queen and Horatio
F1 specifies
Enter Queene and Horatio,without the
Gentlemannamed in Q2, and redistributes speeches in the opening section of this scene so that only the Queen and Horatio are required to speak; the Gentleman’s speeches in Q2 at lines 2 and 4 are assigned in F1 to Horatio. This F1 rearrangement could be authorial. F1’s assignment of lines 14-16 to the Queen might seem to contradict her saying, in line 1,
I will not speak with her,and accordingly Q2 assigns this speech to Horatio, but perhaps the Queen changes her mind when she hears what Horatio as argued in the F1 arrangement of lines 4-13.
She is … pitied
Assigned to Horatio in F1, to
Gent.in Q2. See previous note.
distract
distraught.
She speaks … unhappily
Assigned to Horatio in F1, to
Gent.in Q2. See not at 4.5.0.1 above.
tricks
deceptions.
hems
clears her throat with a
hemsound.
heart
breast.
Spurns … straws
Kicks bitterly, i.e., takes offense and reacts suspiciously, at trifles.
in doubt
obscurely.
unshapèd use
incoherent manner.
collection
inference, guessing at some sort of meaning.
aim
guess, conjecture.
F1’s
aymeis a plausible reading, but Q2’s
yawneis the stronger reading that might have been abandoned by a copyist or compositor in supposing it to be an error.
botch
patch.
fit to
in such a way as to match.
Which
Which words.
yield
deliver, represent.
there would … unhappily
that there might be, buried in her wild speech, an idea that, however ambiguously
expressed, could have distressing implications, even if one couldn’t be sure.
Q2’s
mightseems preferable to F1’s
would,which may have been mistakenly repeated from earlier in the line. The word
thoughtcould be a participle, as Arden 3 suggests, meaning “intended” or “supposed.” Arden 3 wonders if the speech hints at rumors about Polonius’s death, such as might spell trouble for the King and Queen.
’Twere … come in
This speech is assigned to the Queen in F1, to Horatio in Q2. See note at 4.5.0.1
above.
ill-breeding
maliciously inclined, prone to suspect the worst.
as … is
as is the case in sin’s true nature.
toy
trifle.
amiss
calamity.
So … spilt
Guilt is so burdened with a self-incriminating fear of detection that it betrays itself
by the very fear of being detected.
Enter Ophelia, distracted
The marking of Ophelia’s entry in Q2 following line 16, before the Queen’s aside,
could be mistaken, since the Q2 text is erroneous in several particulars at this point;
see note at 4.5.0.1 above. On the other hand, it could be an early entrance to give
her time to cross the stage, as in other instances in Q2 that show awareness of stage
practice. If she does enter at that point, the audience is given a glimpse of her
in her distracted state before the Queen and Horatio become aware of her presence.
In F1 she enters
distractedjust as she is about to say,
Where is the beauteous Majestie of Denmark.Q1’s vivid stage direction,
Enter Ofelia playing on a Lute, and her haire downe singing,placed just as she is about to sing
How should I your true loue know,is incorporated in the
editor’s choicetext. Presumably it is a record of a visual observation in the theatre, perhaps by one who helped provide the unauthorized Q1 text.
How now
What’s this.
How … showers
As editors have noted, this is a version of a popular song about a woman whose lover
has died.
cockle hat
hat with cockleshell (a mollusk scallop-like shell) stuck in it as a sign (along with
a walking staff and sandals) that the wearer has been a pilgrim to the shrine of Saint
James of Compostella in Spain (often associated with forlorn lovers).
shoon
shoes. (An archaic plural.)
imports
signifies.
mark
listen, pay attention.
a stone
a gravestone.
Following this phrase, Q2 adds to Ophelia’s speech:
O ho.Omitted in Q1/F1, this is possibly an actor’s interpolation.
Enter King
The King enters here in F1 (in Q2 he enters after Ophelia’s
White his shroud as the mountain snow). F1’s earlier entrance is entirely feasible and even practical on the broad Elizabethan stage, potentially providing for the audience a dramatic irony, but Q2 has the advantage of bringing him on just in time to hear the Queen say
Alas looke here my Lord.Q1 brings the King on at the start of this scene.
[She sings]
This SD is omitted in F1. Q2 prints it opposite line 22.
Larded
Strewn, bedecked.
F1/Q1’s
Lardedcould be an authorial emendation of Q2’s
Larded all,or could be the result of an unintended eyeskip. The omission improves the meter.
grave
F1’s
graueis entirely feasible and could be an authorial revision, and is substantiated by Q1, or it could possibly be a substitution for Q2’s
groundby a copyist.
did not go
This reading, found in Q1/Q2/F1, reverses the expected idea as found in the popular
song, perhaps to reflect Ophelia’s incoherent distress at the idea of her father being
buried in the ground, or of his not being properly mourned (
bewept) as he was buried.
showers
i.e., tears.
God dild you
Good yield (i.e., reward) you.
This conventional phrase is spelled
Good dild youin Q2,
God yeeld youin Q1, and
God dil’d youin F1.
the owl … daughter
This refers to a folktale about a baker’s daughter who, when Jesus entered a baker’s
shop in disguise asking for something to eat, insisted on letting the visitor have
only half of the loaf that the shopowner’s wife (or the baker himself in some versions)
had intended to give in full. When the dough nonetheless swelled to enormous size,
the daughter cried Heugh! heugh! and was transformed into an owl for her lack of charity.
On the phrase’s proverbial status, see Dent B54.1.
Conceit
Fantasy, brooding.
Pray you
Q2 omits
you.
Tomorrow … my bed
No source is known for this song.
Saint Valentine’s Day
A feast day (February 14) in honor of St. Valentine; traditionally a day on which
the first person one meets is destined to be one’s lovemate.
betime
early.
clothes
Q2’s
closeis either a misprint for Q1/F1’s
clothesor a spelling triggered by a sight rhyme with
rose.
dupped
did up, unlatched.
that out … more
who, when she departed, was no longer a virgin.
Indeed, la?
F1’s
Indeed la?could be an authorial change from Q2’s
Indeedeor perhaps an actor’s interpolation.
on’t
of it.
By Gis … Charity
By Jesus and in the name of Christian love and fellow feeling (a mild oath).
By Cock
A euphemism for By God; with verbal play on the slang term for penis.
too blame
too blameworthy.
The Q1/Q2/F1 reading,
too blame,could mean “too blameworthy,” but to and too are often interchangeable in early modern English.
you … wed
Following this line, Q2 inserts
He answers,perhaps an actor’s interpolation. It is omitted in Q1/F1.
An
If.
Q2/F1’s
Andoften signifies
An,
If(the Q1 reading).
this
this way, this distracted.
F1’s
thisis possible, but more likely a misprint for Q2’s
thus.
should
F1’s
shouldin place of Q2’s
wouldis possibly authorial, but could instead be an error of transmission.
[To Horatio]
The person addressed by the King is not indicated in the early texts, nor is any person
named in the
Exit.Horatio seems the logical choice.
Oh, this … Gertrude
Q2 incorrectly prints these lines in two lines of prose:
O this … Fathers / death, and now behold, Gertrard, Gertrard.Q2’s phrase
and now beholdis omitted in F1, allowing that text to read, metrically,
Oh this … springs / All … Gertrude, Gertrude.
When sorrows … battalias
When sorrows come, they come not one at a time but in swarms, or (militarily) battalions.
(
Spiesare scouts sent in advance of the main army.)
Compare the proverb, Misfortune (Evil) never (seldom) comes alone (Dent M1012).
F1’s
comesin place of Q2’s
comecould be an error in transmission. The word battalias is spelled
Battaliaesin F1,
battaliansin Q2. F1’s Battaliaes may be an easy error for the Latin plural, battalia.
just remove
justly deserved removal (to England).
muddied
stirred up, confused.
Thick
Bewildered, muddled.
in their thoughts
F1’s
in their thoughtsproduces a more metrical line of verse than does Q2’s
in thoughtsand may well be authorial.
greenly
foolishly, naively.
hugger-mugger
secret haste.
In Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar, as translated by Thomas North, Marcus Antonius is of the opinion, after the assassination,
that Caesar’s will should be re[a]d openly, and also that his body should be honorably
buried, and not in hugger mugger (Bullough, 5.104, cited by Steevens and Arden 3).
as much containing
as serious.
Keeps … wonder
Keeps up his amazement, or feeds the wonderment that people feel about him.
Q2’s
Feeds on this wonderseems a more likely reading, in the sense of “Feeds his feelings of resentment about this whole shocking turn of events.” F1’s
Keepesmay be an erroneous anticipation of
keepeslater in this line.
keeps … clouds
behaves suspiciously and in ways that are hard to interpret or predict, arousing uncertainty
and suspicion.
wants not buzzers
is not lacking in gossipers and scandal mongers.
his father’s
Polonius’s.
Wherein … ear and ear
In which business, since the rumor-mongers are unprovided with accurate information
and yet long for some plausible explanation, they will not hesitate to whisper insinuations
about me, their king.
F1’s
Where inmay be a misprint for Q2’s
Wherein.F1’s
personsin line 82 could point to the Queen as well as to the King himself, but may be a misprint for Q2’s
person.
Like … piece
Like a cannon loaded with shrapnel.
Gives … death
Kills me over and over.
Alack … is this?
In F1, the Queen’s saying
Alacke, what noyse is this?replaces the King’s
Attend!in Q2. The change may be authorial; Q2’s hypermetric line (
Attend, where is my Swissers, let them guard the doore) suggests textual confusion.
Where … Switzers
Where are my Swiss guards, mercenaries.
Swiss mercenaries were often employed as personal guards in the courts of Europe,
as today, ceremonially, at the Vatican in Rome.
Q2’s
Where is my Swissersis acceptable usage in early modern English; F1’s correction to
Where are my Switzersmay be a compositor’s or copyist’s sophistication.
overpeering … list
overflowing (literally, rising above and looking over) its shore or boundary.
flats
low-lying lands near shore.
impiteous
violent, unrelenting, merciless.
Some editors adopt Q3/F2’s
impetuous,but Q2 (
impitious) and F1 (
impittious) essentially agree.
riotous head
insurrectionary advance, like a tidal wave.
And … word
And, as if the world were to begin all over again, utterly neglecting all ancient
traditional customs that should confirm and underprop everthing that we say and promise.
They cry
Q2’s
Theis presumably a misprint, corrected in F1’s
They.
Caps
Caps thrown into the air in support of Laertes.
cry
bay loudly. (Said of hunting dogs.)
Compare
cryin line 96 (TLN 2846).
counter
following a contrary or false scent. (The metaphor is from hunting game.)
Noise within
Q2’s placement of this stage direction, before the Queen exclaims
O this is counter you false Danish dogges!,seems preferable to F1’s placement after the Queen speaks. The F1 compositor may have been finding a way to save a line of space by placing this on the line with
Enter Laertes.
Enter Laertes
In Q2, Laertes enters
with others,i.e., his followers, whom he then orders to
stand you all without.They may stand near the door; identified as All in the speech prefixes, they speak twice, agreeing to leave to Laertes the confronting of the King. In F1, the implication is that they remain off stage, not named in the entry SD, speaking evidently from
within.In both texts, Laertes enters before the King says
The doores are broke,but presumably the actions here are more or less simultaneous, with the breaking of the doors suggested in the theater by a
noise withinindicated in F1 at TLN 2851 and in Q2 at TLN 2849 as the Queen says,
How cheerefully on the false traile they cry.
the king, sirs?
(
Sirsis a standard form of address to commoners.)
F1’s
the King, sirs?presumably misplaces the comma;
Sirsis addressed to the commoners, ordering them to stand outside. Q2’s
thisin place of F1’s
theis more pointedly contemptuous and angry. F1’s
thecould be an intentional correction or a copying error.
without
outside.
give me leave
i.e., leave matters to me, let me handle this matter without your interference.
Keep
Guard.
vile
F1 reads
vilde,a common early modern spelling of
vile,the form used in Q2. Q1 prints
vilde.
that calms
that grows calm.
F1’s
that calmesis possible, but may be a copying error for Q2’s
thats calme.
proclaims … mother
i.e. brands me on the forehead with the stigma and punishment allotted to prostitutes,
shaming me thus with the (invisible) horns of cuckoldry despite my being the true
son of my chaste mother.
As Arden 3 notes, the practice of branding prostitutes, though threatened by Henry
VIII in 1531, was evidently not actually carried out in sixteenth-century England.
See 3.4.40-2. Presumably, Laertes points to his own forehead, between his eyebrows,
to indicate where he imagines the shameful brand on his mother’s brow.
giant-like
Claudius may be thinking of the unsuccessful rebellion in Greek mythology of the Giants
against Jupiter, heaping Mount Ossa atop Mount Pelion in their attempt to scale the
heights of Mount Olympus (see 5.1.137 and 170, TLN 3447 and 3480). Enceladus, one
of their number, was imprisoned under Mount Etna in Sicily. This rebellion is often
confused with or conflated with that of the Titans against Saturn. The reference here
may be conflated in that way, especially since the Titans were also thought to be
giantlike in proportion. Encedalus, the most powerful of the Giants, was a son of
Titan.
fear our person
fear for my personal safety.
doth hedge
that protects, surrounds defensively.
can … would
can only peep furtively, as through a barrier, at what it wishes to accomplish.
Acts … will
But performs little of what it intends.
Where’s
F1’s
Where’smay be a misprint or sophistication of Q2’s
Where is.
juggled with
deceived, played with.
To … stand
I am resolved in this.
That … negligence
That I disregard the consequences of my actions both in this world and in the life
to come.
throughly
thoroughly.
stay
prevent, hinder.
My will … world
I will cease when my will is accomplished, not for anyone else’s.
F1’s
worldis certainly possible, though it could be a misprint for Q2’s
worlds,i.e., world’s.
for
as for.
husband
manage prudently and economically.
father’s death
Q2’s
Fatheris perfectly intelligible, and the line scans well as pentameter verse. On the other hand, F1’s
Fathers deathmay be an authorial change, and has been adopted by some editors, even if, as Arden 2 notes, it could be an anticipation of the same phrase in line 142 (TLN 2900).
is’t writ … foe
i.e., is it set down in and required by your need for revenge that you will sweep
up friend and foe indiscriminately, like a gambler in a sweepstake, winning all the
stakes on the gambling table.
F1’s
if writappears to be a copying error for Q2’s
i’st writ,i.e, “is’t writ.” “Swoopstake,” the form used in this text, is a variant spelling of sweepstake. Q2 reads
soopstake,F1
Soop-stake,Q1
Swoop-stake-like.
loser
Looserin Q2/F1 is a normal alternative spelling of
loser.
And … blood
The female pelican was popularly imagined to feed its young with its own blood. (
Repastmeans “feed.”)
F1’s
Politicianis evidently a misprint for Q2’s
Pelican.
sensible in grief
grief-stricken.
F1’s
sensibleis quite possible, but may be a copying error for Q2’s
sensibly.
level
straightforward, plain.
pierce
strike with piercing clarity (Arden 3).
F1’s
pierceis intelligible, but could be a misprint arising from an erroneous presumption that Q2’s
peareis missing a c.
[Voices within] … come in
In F1,
Let her come inis printed in italics as though it were a continuation of the SD at TLN 2904,
A noise within.Probably it is not a last line of the King’s speech, as the absence of a speech heading might otherwise imply. Although in Q2 the line is assigned to Laertes, the likelihood here in F1 is that his followers say this. See next note.
Enter Ophelia
In F1, Ophelia enters after
Let her come in(TLN 2904), which is printed in F1 in italics after
A noise withinas though it were a continuation of that stage direction. Logically, the entry should follow Let her come in, assigned in Q2 to Laertes, who is thereby instructing his followers at the door to let her pass through. Alternatively, Let her come in could be uttered by Laertes’s followers crowded around the door.
virtue
function, power.
paid by weight
avenged with equal gravity.
F1’s
payed by weightmay be an authorized substitute for Q2’s
payd with weight,though both are clear and plausible.
Till … turns the beam
Until our cause of justice outweighs, as in a balance scales, the wrongful deed of
the offender.
A Senecan commonplace, that revenge must outdo the original offense.
Q2’s
Tellis presumably either a misprint or a variant spelling for F1’s
Till.Q2’s
turneis possible, but may be an error for F1’s
turnes.
an old man’s life
Q2’s
a poore mans lifeis quite possible in the sense of expressing Laertes’s pity for his unhappy father’s demise, but F1’s
an old mans lifeis plausible as an authorial revision. Q1 reads
an olde mans sawe.F1 follows at this point with three lines (
Nature … thing it loves) not found in Q2, that appear to be authorial.
Nature … loves
Human nature’s sensitivity in matters of love is such that it sends some precious
part of itself after a lost object of that love. (In this case, Ophelia’s sanity has
deserted her under the burden of grief for her dead father.)
These F1 lines are omitted in Q1/Q2, perhaps inadvertently; or they could represent
an authorial addition.
[She sings]
Omitted in F1/Q1. Q2 prints
Songin the right margin opposite the first line of Ophelia’s verse.
bare-faced
in an open coffin.
Q2 reads
bare-faste,F1
bare fac’d.eey non
bier
A litter on which a corpse or coffin is carried.
Hey … hey nonny
This F1 line of refrain is omitted in Q2. It may be authorial.
on … grave rains
F1’s
on his gravemakes better sense that Q2’s
in his graueand is probably authorial. On the other hand, F1’s
rainescould easily be a mistake for Q2’s
rain’d.
Fare you well … dove
F1 misleadingly prints this line in italics as though it were part of Ophelia’s song.
persuade
argue for, urge.
You must sing … a-down-a
Ophelia madly assigns to those present the singing of the refrain to her song.
Q2 reads
You must sing downe a downe, / And you call him a downe a,F1
You must sing downe a-downe, and you call him a-downe-a.
an
if.
Q2/F1’s
And(and) uses a common spelling for
an,if.
wheel
Perhaps Ophelia imagines a spinning wheel, where women might sit and work as they
sang; or Fortune’s wheel.
false steward
The story is unknown, but false stewards do sometimes steal their masters’ daughters
in romance tales. Perhaps Ophelia is madly fantasizing about her father’s uneasy fear
that Hamlet might in effect steal her away by seducing her.
This nothing’s … matter
Ophelia’s ravings are more eloquent than ordinary sane utterance.
There’s rosemary … good end
Rosemary, used as a symbol of remembrance at weddings and funerals, is aptly suited to Laertes
and to Ophelia herself as wedded offspring of Polonius; pansies for thoughts (compare the French pensees) are appropriate to courtship and love, or to remembering a dead father; fennel, associated with dissembling flattery, and columbines with marital infidelity and ingratitude, may apply to Claudius and Gertrude, though
also to Ophelia’s own sad story; rue, a bitter-tasting medicinal plant, betokens remorse and repentance, as indicated
by its popular name, herb of grace; the daisy is conversely the flower of love and of amorous dissembling; and violets signify fidelity, the opposite of columbines. Ophelia may distribute these herbs
to her listeners in a symbolically appropriate way. In line 168,
with a differenceplays on the meaning of difference in the language of heraldry, serving to differentiate branches of a family tree in a coat of arms.
Arden 2 and 3 cite John Gerard, The Herbal (1597) and William Langham,
The Garden of Health(1579). The text is unclear in most instances as to how Ophelia distributes the flowers to those who are with her, but one possibility (advanced by Arden 2) is that Rosemary and pansies are for Laertes, fennel and columbine for the Queen, rue for Ophelia herself, the daisy and violets for the King. Other arrangements hsve been proposed, such as rue for the Queen and fennel and columbines for the King.
F1’s
Pray louein line 166 could be an authorial revision of Q2’s
pray you loue,but could be an inadvertent omission of
loue; Q1 reads
I pray Loue.For
pansiesin line 167, Q2 reads
Pancies,F1
Paconcies.F1’s
Herb-Gracein line 169 is plausible, but could be a misreading of Q2’s
herbe of Grace.F1’s
Oh you mustis similarly possible, but Q2’s
you mayhas the advantage of a more direct line of transmission.
document
object lesson.
For bonny … joy
This appears to be from a song that, although now lost, is often alluded to by Renaissance
writers (Arden 3).
Thought and affliction
Melancholy, sad thoughts.
Q1 reads
Thoughts & afflictions,Q2
Thought and afflictions,F1
Thought, and Affliction.
passion
suffering.
favor
grace, beauty.
as white
F1’s omission of
wasin Q2’s
was as whitemay have been inadvertent.
All flaxen … poll
His head of hair was as white as flax.
F1’s
All flaxen was his Polemay be authorial, replacing Q2’s
Flaxen was his pole.
we … moan
we loudly but unavailingly proclaim our grief.
Gramercy
i.e., God have mercy; literally, “Great thanks” (French grand merci).
Christian souls, … God
F1’s reading here, in place of Q2’s
Christians soules,may be authorial. Q1 reads
christen soules, I pray God.
Exeunt Ophelia [and … her]
F1 reads
Exeunt Ophelia,presumably with the implication that she does not exit alone. Omitted in Q2. Q1 reads
exit Ofelia.
Do you see this
Q2’s
Do you thismight possibly mean “Is this your doing?”, but F1’s
Do you see thisis more plausible, and the omission in Q2 of
seeis an easy error.
you gods
F1’s
you Godsis plausible, but may be an expurgated version of Q2’s
God.
I must commune … right
I insist on my right to commune with you and take part in your grief.
F1’s
commonis either a variant spelling or misprint for Q2’s
commune.
Go but apart
Withdraw with me to some other place where we can talk privately.
of whom your
of whichever of.
collateral hand
indirect agency.
us touched
me implicated.
satisfaction
recompense.
burial
F1’s
buriallmay be an authorial revision of Q2’s
funerall,though it could instead be instead an unwitting copying error.
trophy, sword, nor hatchment
memorial display, sword betokening knightly prowess, or tablet displaying the coat
of arms of the deceased.
Q2 reads
trophe swordwithout a comma; it is corrected in F1’s
Trophee, Sword.
rite
Q2’s
rightis a spelling variant of F1’s
rite,possibly recalling
rightin line 185 (TLN 2953) above.
ostentation
ceremony.
That … call in question
So that I must demand an explanation for that.
F1’s
call in questionis possible, but may well be an error for Q2’s
call’t in question.
[4.6]
Location: The castle, or possibly in Horatio’s lodgings.
with an Attendant
Q2 vaguely specifies
and others.Line 2 (TLN 2974) in F1 is assigned to
Ser.,in Q2 to
Gent.
What
What sort of men; who.
Servingman
See note at 4.6.0.1 above. The message conveyed here might seem more appropriate to
a servant or attendant than to a gentleman, as assigned in Q2.
Sailors
F1’s substitution of
Saylorsfor Q2’s
Sea-faring menseems likely to have been authorial.
letters
a letter. (See line 7, TLN 2981.)
Enter Sailor
F1’s
Saylorin place of Q2’s
Saylerscould reflect a change of capacity in the acting company for some performances, but Q2’s word choice accords more logically with the reference in line 2 to
Sea-faring men(Q2) or
Saylors(F1), referred to as
theyin lines 1-2, who have
lettersfor Horatio and wish to speak with him. In the letter itself, moreover, Hamlet refers to
these fellowsin both Q2 and F1, a wording that is consistent with Saylors but not with Saylor. In both texts, a single sailor speaks on behalf of the group.
an’t
if it.
Q2’s
andis a common variant of an or and’t.
comes from th’ambassadors
i.e., comes from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
F1 replaces Q2’s
came from th’Embassadorwith
comes from th’Ambassadours,perhaps referring collectively to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, but could be a typographical error. Q2’s
th’Embassadorwould seem to refer to Hamlet, in his ostensible role, as understood by the sailors; at 3.1.141-2 (TLN 1826-7), the King announces to Polonius, after they have witnessed Hamlet’s rude and mad-like behavior to Ophelia, that Hamlet
shall with speed to England / For the demand of our neglected tribute.Comes could be authorial, or an editorial sophistication.
let to know
led or permitted to believe.
[Horatio]
Q2’s speech heading (Hor.) is missing in F1, but is clearly understood.
Reads the letter
This F1 stage direction is omitted in Q2.
overlooked
looked over, read.
means
means of access.
were … sea
had been at sea for two days.
pirate
pirate ship.
appointment
equipment.
In the grapple
During the action in which the attacking vessel bound our ship, its intended victim,
to it by means of grappling irons to facilitate close combat.
F1 replaces Q2’s
compelled valour, and in the grapplewith
compelled Valour. In the grapple.The alteration could be authorial, but could perhaps have been an editorial change.
thieves of mercy
merciful thieves.
they knew … did
i.e., they understood that I would be able to help them in return for their assisting
me.
a good turn
F1’s replacement of Q2’s
a turnwith
a good turnemay be authorial.
repair thou
come.
haste
F1’s replacement of Q2’s
speedewith
hastmay be authorial.
your ear
F1’s replacement of Q2’s
thine earewith
your earemay be an editorial sophistication. Elsewhere in this letter, Hamlet addresses Horatio with the familiar
thou,
thee,
thy,and
thine.
bore
calibre, size, importance.
Q2’s
bordis an easy misprint for F1’s
bore.
He that
Q2’s
So thatis probably an error for F1’s
He that.
Come
Q2 perhaps unnecessarily supplies here a speech heading (Hor.), omitted in F1.
give
The word
give,missing in Q2, is present in F1 and is necessary to the sense. An easy error of omission.
way
means of access for delivery.
Exit [with … sailors]
Q2 reads
Exeunt.
[4.7]
Location: The King’s private apartments in the castle.
my acquittance seal
confirm my release from a suspicion of having been guilty of Polonius’s death.
Sith
Since.
proceeded
F1’s
proceededis plausibly authorial, since it improves the meter, though both the Q2 (
proceede) and the F1 readings make sense.
feats
acts.
crimeful
punishable by death.
F1’s
crimefullmay be an authorial correction of Q2’s
criminall; it does not appear to be a copyist’s or compositor’s error.
safety, wisdom
F1’s omission of
greatnesscould be authorial, since the line in Q2 is hypermetrical, and
greatnesscould be a rejected first thought, but it could instead be an inadvertent copying error; the Q2 reading has a graceful cadence.
mainly
greatly.
unsinewed
weak, lacking sinew.
Q2/F1 read
vnsinnow’d(
vnsinnowed).
And yet … they are
Q2 reads
But yet to mee tha’r,F1
And yet to me they are.F1’s And is likely to authorial, but F1’s they are might be editorial sophistication.
be … either which
whichever it may be.
Claudius sees his passionate attachment to Gertrude as either an admirable thing or
a sign of weakness.
She’s so conjunctive
She is so closely united. (A metaphor from astronomy; two or more celestial bodies
meeting or passing in the same degree of the zodiac are said to be in conjunction.)
Q2’s
She is so concliuecould be a copying error for
She is so coniunctor
conjunct,but F1’s
She’s so coniunctiveis attractive and perhaps an authorial correction.
his
its. (The Ptolemaic astronomical concept here is of the planets revolving around the
earth in concentric spheres or transparent globes.)
count
accounting, indictment.
general gender
common people.
Who … affection
i.e., Who, testing all his faults by the forgiving standard of their affection for
him.
Would
Q2’s
Workis intelligible if read as a verb in parallel with
Convertin the next line, but F1’s
Wouldis an attractive improvement of the sense and grammatical construction, and may be authorial.
like … stone
like a spring water with such a heavy concentration of lime that it can in effect
petrify a piece of wood and thus make it more perfect and unflawed.
The spring water in the vicinity of Stratford-upon-Avon is limestone-rich (Norton).
gyves
fetters; here signifying “crimes,”
“faults.”
Q2 reads
Giues,F1
Gyues.Oxford suggests that the word should be guilts.
Too … wind
Provided with too slight a shaft of wood to be able to cope with so mighty a gust
of popular opposition.
The Q2 reading,
Too slightly tymberd for so loued Arm’d,even if possible, seems strained. F1 is plausibly authorial.
And … armed them
And not where I had given the strength of my arm to the flight of my arrows.
F1’s
arm’d themis perhaps intelligible in the sense given here, but is more plausibly a misprint for Q2’s
aym’d them.F1, on the other hand, may be correct in substituting
hadfor Q2’s
haue.Q2’s
Butand F1’s
Andare equal in meaning; F1’s substitution could be authorial or editorial.
terms
condition, circumstances.
Who has
F1’s
Who wascould be misprint (as Samuel Johnson proposed) for
Who has,and thus a plausible authorial substitution for Q2’s
Whose worth,but the error in F1 leaves Q2 as a viable choice.
may go back again
can recall what she once was.
Stood … perfections
Stood like a supreme challenger daring the world to match her perfections.
That … danger
That I would allow anyone to threaten and insult me with shaking or plucking my beard.
Plucking or disparaging a beard was considered a grave insult, as at 2.2.380 (TLN
1613) and AYLI, 5.1.72-83.
imagine—
Q2 omits the dash that follows
imaginein F1.
Enter … [with letters]
The stage direction,
with letters,omitted in F1, is supplied from Q2.
How now … Hamlet
Q2 omits, perhaps inadvertently, this brief exchange of dialogue between the King
and the Messenger, who would not address the King as abruptly as he seemingly does
in Q2.
This
Q2’s
Theseand F1’s
Thisare essentially equivalent in meaning, since
letterscan refer to a single letter, but F1’s choice of This here makes sense in view of the word’s being used twice in this line, and could be authorial.
Claudio
Claudio is presumably another servingman or messenger, who does not appear on stage
in the play.
He received them
Q2 follows here with a separate line:
Of him that brought them.The omission in F1 could have been inadvertent, but may instead have been deliberate, since the point is perhaps self-evident.
Exit Messenger
This F1 exit direction is omitted in Q2.
naked
unarmed; without possessions or followers.
your pardon thereunto
i.e., your pardon for having returned without permission.
F1’s
your Pardon thereuntomay be an authorial revision of Q2’s
you pardon, there-vntoin which
there-vntois linked to
recountrather than pardon. Hamlet writes sardonically, with mock politeness.
th’occasions … return. Hamlet
F1’s amplification of Q2’s briefer
the occasion of my suddaine returnemay well be authorial, except that F1’s
th’Occasionscould be a miscopying of Q2’s
the occasion.Q2 omits F1’s
Hamletas the name of the writer of the letter.
Or … thing
Or is it a deception, and not at all what the letter says?
F1’s
Or is it some abuse? Or no such thing?and Q2’s
Or is it some abuse, and no such thing?are equally plausible. F1 could be authorial.
character
handwriting, style.
advise me
explain this to me.
F1’s
aduise meis a more plausible reading than Q2’s
deuise me,which could be a copying error.
I shall live
F1’s
I shall liueis, both metrically and logically, a plausible improvement of Q2’s
I liue,where the omission of
shallis probably inadvertent.
Thus diddest thou
i.e., I am repaying you for what you did to my father.
F1’s
Thus diddest thouis a plausible substitute for Q2’s
Thus didst thou.Q1 reads
he dies.
As how … otherwise
i.e., How could it be true that Hamlet has returned, and yet could it be otherwise
than true since we have this letter from him?
F1’s punctuating of
as how should it be so: / How otherwise willseemingly confuses the clearer pointing of Q2’s
As how should it be so, how otherwise, / Will.
If so you’ll
So long as you will.
F1’s omission of Q2’s
I my Lordat the start of this speech may have been the inadvertent result of relining Q2. On the other hand, F1’s If so you’l could be an authorial correction Q2’s
so you will.
As checking … voyage
As one who has been diverted from his journey (like a falcon turning away from its
intended quarry to fly at a chance bird).
Q2 reads
As the King,manifestly in error and plausibly corrected by F1’s
As checking.
and that
and if it is the case that.
device
devising.
Under … fall
From which he cannot possibly escape.
breathe
F1 reads
breath,a spelling alternative or copying error for Q2’s
breathe.
uncharge the practice
declare the natter to be blameless.
And call … accident
F1 here omits some 16 lines found in Q2 (
My lord, I will be ruled … Importing health and graveness), perhaps as part of shortening for performance.
Some two months hence
F1 here alters the text as it picks up following the excision itemized in note 63
above, changing Q2’s
two months sinceto
Some two Monthes hence.Q2 here supplies a wording better suited to the meter of the uncut passage.
ran well on horseback
raced and controlled their steeds with great skill.
F1’s reading is possible, but is more likely to be a misprint for Q2’s
can well on horsebacke.
gallant
dashing young man.
in’t
in horsemanship.
into
F1’s
intoappears to be an authorial revision of Q2’s
vnto.
As … beast
As if he had become one body with the horse (like the fabled centaur, with the torso
and legs of a horse and the head and arms of a man).
passed my thought
surpassed my expectation.
Q2’s
topt me thoughtcontains a common misprint of me for F1’s
my.
Topped(topt) is possible, but F1’s
passed(past) could be an authorial choice.
in forgery … tricks
in my imagining what devices and feats might be possible (in horsemanship).
A Norman
One who hails from Normandy.
Lamound
F1’s
Lamoundis an easy misprint for Q2’s
Lamord.
brooch
ornament.
our nation
Q2’s
the nationis more accurate than F1’s
our Nation,which would seem to point to England rather than French Normandy. Perhaps a copying or compositorial error.
He made … you
He testified to and conceded your superior ability.
F1’s
He madis presumably a copying error for Q2’s
He made.
For … defense
With respect to your skill and practice in the art of self-defense.
especially
F1’s
especiallycould be authorial, or possibly a copyist’s or compositor’s sophistication of Q2’s
especial.
If one … you, sir
Following this phrase, F1 omits some two lines (
Th’escrimers … opposed them) found in Q2 only. The word
sir,here at the end of the phrase, serves in Q2 as the start of what follows the material omitted in F1:
sir this report of his,etc. Possibly a cut for shortening in performance.
envenom
embitter, poison.
Your … play with him
That you would quickly come from France and fence with him.
F1’s
to play with himis more grammatically logical to our ears than Q2’s
to play with you,but Q2 and F1 are both plausible.
Why out of this
Why are you saying
out of this?
F1’s
Whyis probably a misprint for Q2’s
What,perhaps in anticipation of
Why ask you this?in line 89 (TLN 3108).
is begun by time
comes into being at the right moment (and is subject to change).
passages of proof
circumstances that have tested such a love.
Time … of it
Following this line, F1 omits 10 lines (
There lives … th’ulcer) found in Q2. Possibly a cut for shortening in performance.
qualifies
weakens, moderates.
your father’s son indeed
F1’s
your Father’s sonne indeedmakes sense as an emendation of Q2’s
indeede your fathers sonne,since indeed (in deed) pairs convincingly with
in wordsin the next line.
sanctuarize
shield from punishment, by offering the shelter of the church.
By custom, churches could provide sanctuary for those in need of shelter from the
law for many criminal offenses. The King here argues that the demands of revenge should
trump such a customary privilege; Laertes should be licensed to kill Hamlet, even
inside a church.
Will … this
If you will do this.
The comma after
thisin Q2/F1 suggests a conditional
ifclause. Q5/F2 punctuate with a question mark.
keep close
remain out of sight.
We’ll … shall
I will arrange for some people to.
And … fame
And enhance the lustrous reputation.
in fine
finally, in conclusion.
on
F1’s
onis more probable idiomatically than Q2’s
ore,which could easily be a copying mistake for on.
remiss
carelessly unwary.
generous
noble-minded.
foils
fencing weapons, normally buttoned at the tip to prevent stabbing.
unbated
not blunted by a button at its tip.
pass of practice
treacherous thrust instead of what should have been a conventional fencing move.
Q2’s
pacemay be a spelling variant of F1’s
passe.
for that purpose
F1’s
for that purposeappropriately supplies
that,missing in Q2, even if Q2 is intelligible as it stands.
unction
ointment.
mountebank
quack, charlatan.
So mortal … dipped
So deadly that if I would merely dip.
F1’s reading is intelligible, but seems to have obfuscated the clearer
So mortall, that but dippein Q2.
cataplasm
medicinal plaster or poultice.
rare
excellent, distinctive; uncommon, seldom found.
Collected … virtue
Composed of herbs with potent healing properties.
Under the moon
i.e., Anywhere on earth in the sublunary sphere beneath the moon.
The wording here may also gesture toward the belief that herbs gathered at night could
have a magical and direful potency. Compare Lucianus’s
mixture rank, of midnight weeds collectedat 3.2.174 (TLN 2127).
withal
with it, by it.
gall
graze, wound.
of this,
Q2’s punctuation, with a period after
of this,is plausible if
Weighin the next line is to be read as an imperative, bidding Laertes to act accordingly, but F1’s comma after of this is perhaps more plausible as treating Weigh in parallel with
think(i.e., “Let’s further think of this, And weigh …”).
Weigh
Q2 prints
Wey,F1
Weigh.
to our shape
to the roles we propose to act.
shape. If … fail,
Q2 reads
shape if … fayle,F1
shape, if … faile;
And … performance
And if our intentions should be betrayed by our inept performance.
assayed
attempted, tested.
F1 prints
assaid,Q2
assayd.Both may be spelling variants of essayed, but assayed might also suggest the idea of testing fitness.
If this … proof
If this plot should come to grief (literally, blow up in our faces) when put to the
test.
F1 plausibly substitutes
If this should blastfor Q2’s
If this did blast.
Soft
Gently, wait a minute.
your comings
your fencing skill.
F1’s
commingsis possible as a translation of the French fencing term venies, meaning “a bout, a thrust,” from venir, “to come,” but may instead be a misprint for Q2’s
cunnings.
I ha’t
I have it, I have a plan.
Many editions (including the editor’s choice text of the present edition) print
I ha’tas a separate line, in order that the remainder of the line may be metrically regular, but Q2 and F1 both include the phrase as part of TLN 3148 (
I ha’t: when in your motion you are hot and dry), which has its own plausible rhythm. Either arrangement is defensible. Q2 prints
hatefor ha’t.
As
i.e., And you should.
the end
F1’s
the endmay be a misprint for Q2’s
that end.
prepared
offered.
F1’s
prepar’dis a plausible correction of Q2’s
prefard,which, though intelligible, may be a misprint.
A chalice … nonce
A drinking cup just for this occasion.
stuck
sword thrust.
Compare the fencing term stoccado.
How, sweet Queen?
F1 substitutes
how sweet Queenefor Q2’s
but stay, what noyse?The change seems authorial, though perhaps should read
how now sweet Queene,as emended in F2. Q1 reads
How now Gertred,tending to confirm F1/F2. Both Q2 and F1 print the Queen’s entrance after this speech. In Q2 the King’s saying
but stay, what noyseis easily explained by the King’s having heard a commotion created by the Queen’s arrival in great distress. No doubt the Queen would start to appear on stage before the King speaks to her in F1.
they’ll
F1’s
they’lmay be a misprint for Q2’s
they.
aslant a
obliquely, across the.
F1’s
aslant ais perhaps a deliberate authorial revision or correction, though Q2’s
ascaunt the(perhaps a variant of askance) is more striking.
his hoar leaves
its leaves with grey-white undersides.
Willows were traditionally associated with mourning or unrequited love, as in Desdemona’s
Willow Song, Othello, 4.3.
F1’s reading,
hore leaues,is attractive for metrical reasons, though some editors like the internal rhyme of Q2’s
horryand
glassy.
There with … come
F1’s reading makes sense, but may have resulted from a misreading of Q2’s
Therewith fantastique garland did she make,which depicts Ophelia more tellingly in her madness, not fully aware of what she is doing.
crowflowers
wild buttercups, bluebells, or ragged robins.
long purples
early purple wild orchids.
These flowers were often associated with fertility. The long purple may refer to the wild arum or cuckoo-pint, featuring a phallic-shaped spadix or sheathed
floral spike (Wentersdorf, quoted in Arden 3).
liberal
free-speaking, hedonistic.
a grosser name
a more indecent name (such as dogstones or cullions, in reference to the testicle-shaped tubers of some of these flowers).
Orchisalso means “testicle” in Greek (Arden 3).
cold
chaste.
F1’s
coldimproves the meter of Q2 (
cull-cold) and may be an authorial change.
pendent
overhanging.
Q2/F1 spell the word
pendant.
coronet weeds
coronet-like garland of wild flowers.
A coronet is literally a smaller or lesser crown, usually signifying a noble rank
below that of royal majesty.
F1 reads
Coronet,Q2
cronet.
Clamb’ring to hang
Persons forsaken in love traditionally hung garlands of this sort on willow trees.
envious sliver
malicious branch.
Literally, a sliver is a twig.
Q1 reads
sprig.
the weedy trophies
the garland of wild flowers.
Q2’s
herseems more particularized than F1’s
the,which might be a copying error.
weeping brook.
The brook, with its gently flowing water, is personified as weeping for Ophelia’s
distress.
Q2/F1 both punctuate here with a comma after
Brooke.
Which time
During which time.
tunes
hymns.
F1’s
tunesis of course intelligible, and could be an authorial revision of Q2’s
laudes,but it could instead be (as Edwards argues) an intentional simplification by a copyist in a passage whose textual authority involves more intermediary steps than that of Q2.
incapable of
lacking the ability to comprehend or do anything about.
endued … element
naturally adapted to a watery existence.
The word
enduedis spelled
indewedin Q2,
induedin F1.
Till that
Until.
their drink
F1’s
her drinkeappears to be a misreading of Q2’s
theyr drinke,perhaps picking up and repeating the
herearlier in the line. An easy h-/th- misreading (Arden 3).
wretch
(Here, as often, a term of endearment and pity.)
lay
song.
F1’s
buyappears to be a simple misprint of Q2’s
lay.
Alas then, … drowned?
F1 converts Q2’s
Alas, then she is drowndinto a question, and places a comma after
then.Either reading is possible, but perhaps the quarto version can claim a more reliable line of textual descent.
It is … holds
Weeping is the natural and characteristic way for us humans to express grief; nature
holds to her customary course.
When … out
When my tears are all shed, this womanly weakness in me will have run its course.
of fire
Q2 reads
a fire,F1
of fire.
fain
willingly, eagerly.
douts
douses, extinguishes.
Doutsis Arden 2’s persuasive modernization of F1’s
doubts.Q2’s
drownesis an attractive reading in the sense of dousing Laertes’s fire of anger, but the F1 substitution has the same meaning of putting out, and seems too compellingly original to be a copyist’s error or invention.
[5.1]
Location: A churchyard.
Clowns
Rustics.
The first clown to speak, the senior of the two gravediggers, is identified in the
speech headings of Q2 and F1 as Clowne or Clow. or Clo.. His partner is identified as Other. Q1 uses Clowne and 2. for its speech headings.
Christian burial
burial in consecrated ground—something that the Church would deny to any who had committed
mortal sin, such as suicide.
that
F1’s
thatmay be an authorial revision of Q2’s
when she.
salvation
Seemingly a blunder for damnation, though possibly suggesting that Ophelia was seeking a shortcut to heaven.
On the comic confusion of salvation and damnation, compare Dogberry in Much Ado, 3.3.3 (Arden 3).
and therefore
F1’s addition of
andbefore Q2’s
thereforecould be authorial.
straight
right away. (But with wordplay on strait, narrow.)
The crowner … burial
The coroner, the official charged with conducting an inquest into cases of accidental
or violent death, has done so in this case, and has judged the deceased worthy of
burial in sanctified ground.
Q2/F1 print
sate,a common spelling variant of sat.
unless … defense
Self-defense could constitute a legitimate defense against a charge of murder, but
the speaker here is ludicrous to wonder if suicide could be self-defense.
found so
determined to be thus in the coroner’s verdict.
se offendendo
Presumably an attempt at se defendendo, killing in self-defense.
Q2’s
so offendedcould mean “having thus offended the law against suicide.” It could be an erroneous attempt on the part of the copyist or compositor to deal with unfamiliar Latin, or it could be the Clown’s comic blunder, which F1 renders as
Se offendendo.
three branches: … perform
Legal arguments put forward regarding the disposition of property after the suicide
of James Hales in 1554 proposed that
the act of self-destructionwas divided into three parts: the imagination, the resolution, and the perfection (Arden 2).
F1’s
an Act to doeis presumably an error for Q2’s
to act, to doe.The sequence requires Q2’s reading, as does the indication of three parts. The F1 compositor could have picked up
an Actfrom the identical phrase earlier in the sentence. F1’s
andafter
to doe,on the other hand, could be an intentional revision.
Argal
Ergo, therefore.
Q2 reads
or all,evidently a copying error for
Argal,the F1 reading (
Argall), which occurs again in both texts at lines 7 and 19 in F1 (TLN 3207 and 3237).
Goodman Delver
Master Digger; worthy digger.
Goodmanwas a common title used in addressing a workman by his profession.
Q2 prints
good man,F1
Goodman.
will he, nill he
willy-nilly, whether he is willing or not.
marry
indeed.
(Also in line 22, TLN 3242.)
crowner’s quest
coroner’s inquest.
on’t
of it.
Q2 reads
an’t,F1
on’t.
out of Christian burial
outside of, not in, the graveyard reserved for those who have died good Christians.
Q2’s
a christianis presumably intended for
o’Christian.F1’s
of Christianmay be an editorial sophistication.
there thou say’st
i.e., you certainly spoke the truth that time.
countenance
privilege, authority.
even-Christian
fellow Christians.
Q2 spells this
euen Christen,F1
euen Christian.Q1 reads
other people.
ancient
venerable, going back to ancient times.
hold up
uphold, pratice, keep up.
bore arms
(1) was entitled to display the coat of arms of a gentleman; (2) had arms on his body.
Why, … without arms?
This F1 passage is omitted, either inadvertently or intentionally, from Q2.
Shakespeare applied successfully to the Heralds’ College in 1596 for the granting
of a coat of arms for his father, and implicitly for himself as well. The application
was subsequently challenged by traditionalists who were alarmed by the granting of
many such applications, but survived the challenge.
confess thyself—
i.e., prepare yourself spiritually for death. Suggesting too the proverbial phrase,
Confess [thyself] and be hanged, Dent, C587. (The dash suggests that the speaker is
here interrupted by his comrade’s impatient interruption, Go to.)
The dash in F1 after
thyselfis omitted in Q2.
Go to
An expression of impatience.
mason
stonemason.
for that frame
since that frame, the gallows (used for hanging criminals).
Q2 omits F1’s
frame,perhaps unintentionally.
It does well
(1) It provides a good answer; (2) The gallows serves well as an instrument of execution.
may do … thee
may serve your turn when it comes time for you to be hanged.
To’t again
Try again.
(Compare
To’t,line 23, TLN 3243.)
unyoke
i.e., unharness your wit, like a tired team of plow animals; put an end to your mental
efforts.
Mass
By the Mass. (A common oath.)
Enter … off
F1’s placement here of this stage direction is earlier than Q2’s entrance following
TLN 3255, perhaps the result of authorial revision or as reflecting performance practice.
It allows Hamlet and Horatio to hear the Gravedigger as he starts singing, and to
be seen by the audience as the singing and gravedigging proceed, thereby providing
context for Hamlet’s and Horatio’s conversation about the singing in lines 30-2, TLN
3256-61. Q1 similarly brings Hamlet and Horatio on stage in time to hear the start
of the Gravedigger’s singing.
Cudgel thy brains
A proverbial expression; Dent, B602.
your dull ass … beating
Varying the proverbial phrase, A dull ass must have a sharp spur, Dent A 348.1.
your dull ass
any ordinary plodding ass. (Not implying ownership by the gravedigger’s assistant;
the idea is general.)
mend
improve.
The houses … lasts
F1’s insertion of
thatinto Q2’s
houses he makescould be authorial, or could be editorial sophistication. The singular form of the verb
lastsafter a plural noun (
houses) is acceptable and common usage in early modern English. It occurs here in both Q2 and F1. Q1 prints
last,as do Q3 and F4 (Arden 3).
get thee to Youghan
The Q2 reading,
get thee in,is perfectly intelligible, but F1’s
get thee to Youghancould be an authorial revision meaning “get thee to Johan,” i.e., to a tavern in the vicinity whose proprietor is named Johan or John.
stoup
flagon, tankard.
Q2’s
soopecould well be a misprint for F1’s
stoupe,though some editors defend
soopeas a dialectal variant, perhaps of
sup.Q1 prints
stope.
Sings
Here and in subsequent stanzas F1 prints
Singsas a stage direction; Q2 prints
Song.The SD is omitted in Q1.
In youth … meet
This and the next two stanzas ring comic changes on
The Aged Lover Renounceth Love,a poem attributed to Thomas Lord Vaux in Tottel’s Miscellany, a popular anthology of 1557 (Arden 2).
To contract … behove
To shorten the time for my own benefit. (Perhaps he means to pass the time.)
oh … a … Oh
Probably the Gravedigger grunts as he digs.
The grunting continues in line 29 in Q2, less so in F1.
meet
suitable, more appropriate.
that he sings at grave-making?
that he sings while.
F1 here could represent an authorial revision of Q2’s
a sings in graue-making.except that F1’s substitution of
hefor Q2’s ’a is probably editorial sophistication.
a property of easiness
a thing he can do easily, without distress.
’Tis e’en so
Exactly.
The usage recurs in line 41 (TLN 3278).
The hand … sense
One who seldom does such things is apt to be more squeamish.
Q2’s
dintieris probably a misprint for F1’s
daintier.
caught
F1’s
caughtmakes clear sense, but may be a compositor’s or copyist’s sophistication for the more singular Q2 reading,
clawed,which appears in Vaux’s poem.
shipped … land
i.e., sent me on my way toward death.
The fact that line 35 does not end with a word that rhymes with
stepsin line 31 (TLN 3263) may indicate some textual misarrangement. F1’s
intillas a replacement for Q2’s
intois possibly authorial, although it could instead be a printing error.
such
i.e., alive and in love.
[The Clown … skull]
Q2/F1 omit any stage direction here, but Q1 provides
he throwes vp a shouel,opposite Q1’s equivalent of line 44, TLN 3287.
jowls
dashes, hurls.
as if it were … murder
Though not mentioned in the account in Genesis (4.8) of Cain’s murder of his brother
Abel, the jawbone was often assumed in medieval representations to be the murder weapon;
see for example
With cheke-bonin the Towneley Mactatio Abel, the murder of Abel), 326. On this event as the first murder in biblical history, compare Hamlet 1.2.105 above (TLN 287),
the first corse,and 3.3.37 (TLN 2313),
the primal eldest curse.
Q2 prints
as if twere,F1
as if it were.
It might be
F1’s alteration of Q2’s
this might becould be careless copying.
the pate … politician
the skull of a scheming manipulator intent on gaining political advantage.
o’er-offices
triumphs over by means of political or social advantage.
The F1 reading,
o’re Offices,has much the same sense as Q2’s
now ore-reaches.Being perhaps more striking and unusual, the F1 reading of
o’re Officesis more likely to be an authorial revision than the work of a copyist of compositor. F1’s omission of now before o’re Offices could have been intentional or inadvertent.
could
F1
couldmay be an error for Q2’s
would.
how dost … lord?
F1’s changing here of Q2’s
sweet lordto
good lordmight possibly be an intentional change to avoid having
sweet lordtwice in succession, even if it could instead be a copying mistake.
that praised … beg it
i.e., who praised a certain lord’s horse with the intent of suggesting that the horse
be presented to the praiser as a gift.
Arden 3 cites Timon of Athens, 1.2.213-15, where Timon extravagantly responds to one who has praised his horse
by giving that horse to the praiser
because you liked it.
Q2’s
wentis intelligible, but may well be a misprint for Q1/F1’s
meant.But F1’s
heis likely to be a sophistication for Q2’s
'a.
my Lady Worm’s
i.e., a skull belonging to one who now dances attendance on Lady Worm, in whose court
worms feast on dead bodies; or perhaps (as Arden 3 suggests) the skull of a lady who
is now food for worms.
chapless
i.e., lacking the lower jaw.
Q2 reads
Choples,F1
Chaplesse.
mazard
Literally a drinking vessel, here applied to the head.
Q2’s
masseneis a word unknown other than for its appearance here in Q2, where it appears to mean
head,but may instead be a misprint for F1’s
Mazard.
revolution
reversal of destiny, by the turning of Fortune’s wheel.
if
F1’s reading,
if,may be a copyist’s or compositor’s sophistication of Q2’s
and,i.e.,
an.
Did … with ’em?
Was so little care taken in bringing up the owner of these bones that we can now play
a game like skittles or horse-shoes with the bones, throwing them in sport at a stake
to see who comes closest?
In place of Q2’s
them,F1 reads
’em.
For and
And also.
might not
F1’s
might notmay be an authorial revision of Q2’s
may not.
his quiddits … quillets
his subtleties and legal niceties.
F1’s
Quidditscould be an authorial replacement for Q2’s
quidditiesto provide a like-sounding pair with
quillets,but may instead be a compositorial or scribal sophistication introduced for a similar stylistic purpose. As Arden 3 observes, Shakespeare uses
quidditiesonce elsewhere (1H4, 1.2.45) and
quilletsfive times (e.g., Oth., 3.1.23), but does not use
quidditselsewhere or
quillitiesat all.
tenures
property titles.
rude
foolish, unwise.
F1’s
rudeand Q2’s
maddeare equally plausible. F1’s reading may or may not be authorial.
sconce
head.
action of battery
legal action charging physical assault.
his statutes … recoveries
his securities acknowledging obligation of a debt, his bonds undertaken to repay debts,
his procedures for converting entailed estates into
fee simpleor freehold, his vouchers signed by two signatories guaranteeing the validity of titles to land, (and) his suits to obtain possession of land.
Is this … recoveries
Q2 omits this phrase, perhaps inadvertently, owing to eyeskip prompted by the repetition
of
his recoveries.
to have … fine dirt?
to have the skull of his once elegant head filled with minutely sifted dirt? (With
multiple puns on
fineand
fines.)
Will his vouchers … indentures?
Will his vouchers, no matter how carefully duplicated, guarantee him no more land
than is needed to bury him in, being no bigger than the deed of conveyance?
Indentures are legal documents drawn up in duplicate on a single sheet and then cut
in two by a zigzag line enabling those who consult it subsequently to be sure that
the two parts are uniquely matched.
F1’s
will his Vouchers vouch … and double onestoo here plausibly replaces Q2’s
will vouchers vouch … & doubles.
conveyances … lands
legal documents pertaining to the purchases of his lands.
hardly
Q2’s
scarcelyand F1’s
hardlyare equally plausible.
this box
(1) this coffin; (2) this deed box.
the inheritor
the purchaser, owner.
They are … assurance in that
Any persons who place their trust in such legal documents are simpletons and fools.
Q2’s
which seekeand F1’s
that seekare equally plausible, though Q2 avoids a chiming repetition of
thatat the end of the sentence.
sir
A term of address to social inferiors.
F1’s
Siris likely to be a copyist’s or compositor’s sophistication of Q2’s
sirra.
Mine, sir. … is meet
Q2 incorrectly prints all of this as a single line of prose dialogue, with
orin place of F1’s
O,and then omits the second line of the song,
For such a guest is meet,which appears in the earlier singing of this song at TLN 3287-8.
and yet
F1’s
and yetand Q2’s
yetare equally plausible. F1’s correction could be editorial.
the quick
the living.
quick
nimble. (Punning on
quick,living, in the previous speech.)
absolute
precise.
by the card
i.e., precisely.
Literally, by marks indicated on a compass-card showing the points of the compass
for navigational use.
equivocation
quibbling.
these three … of it
F1’s
these three yeares I haue taken note of itand Q2’s this three yeeres I haue tooke note of it are equally plausible. F1’s
improvementscould be editorial sophistication, or could be authorial. Q1 reads
This seauen yeares haue I noted it.
the age … kibe
i.e., the world today has become so fastidious and refined that the lower classes
ape their social betters, following so closely at their heels as to chafe their
kibesor chilblains.
F1’s
the heeles of our Courtierpresents small revisions of Q2’s
the heele of the Courtierthat may be copying errors or editorial
improvements.Q1 prints
the heele of the courtier.
Of all the days
F1 here supplies the seemingly necessary
allthat may have been omitted from Q2 inadvertently.
o’ercame
F1’s
o’ercamecould be authorial, or a sophistication of Q2’s
ouercame.
the very day
F1 here may be a more authorial reading than Q2’s
that very day,in which the
thatmight be an anticipation of the same word after
day.
was mad
F1’s
was madcould be a copying error for Q2’s
is mad,or could be an authorial change.
him. There
F1’s
him, thereis perfectly possible, but could be an erroneous omission through oversight of one
therein Q2’s
him there, there.
losing
Q1/Q2/F1 all spell this
loosing.
ground
cause, reason. (But the Gravedigger answers in the sense of
land,
country.)
sexton
a minor functionary who tends to church property, ringing bells, digging graves, etc.
F1’s
sixeteeneis an error, perhaps owing to a misinterpretation of Q2’s
Sexten.
I’faith
Q1/F1’s
I’faithcould be an editorial sophistication of Q2’s
Fayth,or could be authorial.
pocky corses
diseased, rotten corpses; literally, riddled with the pox or syphilis.
nowadays
Q2 omits F1’s
now adaies,perhaps in error.
hold the laying in
hold together long enough to be buried.
sore
keen, veritable.
Here’s … this skull
F1’s replacement for Q2’s
heer’s a scull nowcould be authorial; the omission in Q2 could be inadvertent, prompted by the repetition.
has lain … earth
Q2’s colloquial
hath lyen you i’th earthis presumably authentic, as in the use of
youearlier in this speech and in line 79 (TLN 3356-7) above.
three-and-twenty years
F1 reads
three & twenty years,Q2
23 yeeres,Q1
this dozen yeare.
Rhenish
Rhenish wine.
This same … Yorick’s
F1’s repetition here could be emphatic, and is not uncharacteristic of the Clown’s
manner of speaking, but it could instead be an instance of Compositor E’s
pointless dittography(Hibbard, Arden 3). Q2 reads simply
this same skull sir, was sir Yoricks.F1’s
was Yoricksreplaces Q2’s
was sir Yoricks.
Let me see. Alas
F1 plausibly expands Q2’s
Alasto
Let me see. Alas.Q1’s
prethee let me see it, alastends to confirm the F1 reading.
borne
borne, carried.
F1 normalizes Q2’s
boreto
borne,offering plausibly the correct reading, even though, as Arden 3 notes,
borepotentially sets up wordplay with
abhorredin the next sentence. Q1 reads
caried.
how … imagination is
F1’s shorter version here is certainly intelligible, but could contain errors of transmission
from Q2’s
now how abhorred in my imagination it is.
My gorge rises
I feel nauseated.
The gorge is literally the throat or stomach.
gibes
gibes, taunts.
Q2 reads
gibes,F1
Iibes,Q1
iests.
gambols
skipping or leaping about in play.
No one
(1) No one; or, (2) Not one of your gibes or gambols.
F1’s
No onepoints to the first of these two possible readings, but Q2’s
Not onemay be the more authentic reading.
jeering
F1’s
Ieeringis certainly possible, but editors generally prefer Q2’s
grinning,in part because Shakespeare elsewhere associates death with grinning, as in 1 Henry IV, 5.3.59-60 (Arden 3).
chopfall’n
(1) lacking the lower jaw; (2) downcast, dejected.
Compare
choplessin line 39 and n. above.
chamber
Q1/F1’s
chamberis likely to be an authorial correction, to avoid Q2’s repetition of
tablein
set the table on a roare,where
tablepresumably means
dining or banqueting table.
favor
aspect, appearance.
Alexander
Alexander the Great.
Puh!
Q2 reads
pah,F1
Puh.
bunghole
hole in a cask or barrel for filling or emptying.
consider too curiously
consider too minutely, over-subtly.
F1’s
consider: to curiouslyis presumably a miscopying for Q2’s
consider too curiously.
with modesty … lead it
with moderation and plausibility.
as thus
The omission in Q2 of this F1 phrase could be inadvertent. Q1 elaborates:
as thus of Alexander.
returneth into dust
Arden 3 and other editions cite the Anglican burial service,
Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust,based in turn on God’s sentencing of Adam and Eve as they are expelled from the Garden of Eden:
Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return(Genesis 3.19). Cf. similar allusions to dust at 1.2.69 (TLN 251) and 4.2.5 (TLN 2636) above.
F1 replaces Q2’s
to dustwith
into dust.
loam
a mixture of moistened sandy clay and straw used to make bricks, plaster, or (in this
case) bungs for a beer-barrel.
Imperial Caesar
The term can apply to Julius Caesar, or to the emperors starting with Augustus Caesar
who adopted the title for themselves, or indeed to the Emperor Alexander and any powerful
emperor.
Q1/Q2’s
Imperiousis a form used more or less interchangeably by Shakespeare with F1’s
Imperiall.
that earth
i.e., Caesar’s body.
the winter’s flaw
wintry squalls and destructive force (with
flawas a spelling variant of
flowchosen to rhyme with
awein the previous line).
Q2’s
the waters flawis corrected in F1 to
the winters flaw.
Enter King … Lords attendant
F1 prints line 101 before the entry stage direction; Q2’s stage direction is in the
right margin opposite this line and the two that follow. Presumably, on stage the
entry begins as Hamlet speaks. F1’s is a
literaryplacement well designed for the reader. Q2’s placement of the entry a line earlier is, like many entry stage directions in Q2, designed to give the actors time to move onto the broad Elizabethan stage; the audience sees them enter as Hamlet observes the royal party at some distance. Q2 reads
Enter K. Q. Laertes and the corse,F1
Enter King, Queene, Laertes, and a Coffin, with Lords attendant,Q1
Enter King and Queene, Laertes, and other lordes, with a Priest after the coffin.
soft
gently, wait a moment.
aside
let us stand aside, conceal ourselves.
F1’s
asideis perfectly plausible, and could be an authorial revision of Q2’s
awhile,even if it could instead be careless copying of Q2’s
a while.Compare
Couch we awhilein line 106 (TLN 3411) below.
that
F1’s
thatas a substitute for Q2’s
thiscould be authorial. The two are more or less equally plausible.
maimèd rites
truncated ceremonies.
desperate
F1 reads
disperate,Q2
desprat.
Fordo it
Destroy its.
some estate
of considerable social rank.
F1’s omission of Q2’s
ofbefore
someis presumably inadvertent.
Couch we
Let’s conceal ourselves, lie low.
obsequies
funeral rites.
enlarged
extended to the full ritual.
warrantise
F1’s substitution of
warrantis,i.e., warrantise, for Q2’s
warrantiemay be authorial.
doubtful
i.e., suspected of being a suicide.
but … order
were it not that royal command overrules the customary practice (as prescribed too
by our monastic order) of denying sacred burial to suicides.
She … have lodged … trumpet
She should have been buried in unsanctified ground awaiting the Day of Judgment, when
all souls will be condemned or saved for all eternity by divine decree.
Q2’s
been lodgedis presumably a shortened version of
have been lodged.F1 reads
haue lodg’d.
For
In place of.
prayer
F1’s
praiermay be a copying error of Q2’s
prayers.
Shards, flints
F1’s substituting
Shardes, Flintsfor Q2’s
Flintsmay well be authorial.
virgin rites
garlands betokening maidenhood.
F1’s substitution of
Riteshere for Q2’s
Crantsmay be the work of a copyist or compositor replacing an unfamiliar term with one that is more recognizable. The Norton Shakespeare notes that
crantsevokes the practice of hanging a garland of such flowers in church after the interment.
strewments
flowers strewn on a coffin.
the bringing … burial
laying the body to rest, to the tolling of the church bell and the recitation of the
burial ceremony.
sage requiem … rest
a solemn mass for the dead and other rituals beseeching heaven to grant rest to those
who have died at peace with God.
F1’s
sage Requiemmay be an authorial substitute for Q2’s
a Requiem.
peace-parted souls
the souls of those who have died at peace with God.
violets
Compare 4.5.172-4 (TLN 2927-37) and note, where violets are associated with fidelity
to a lost love.
liest howling
i.e., are lodged in hell.
Sweets … farewell
F1’s
Sweets, to the sweet farewellis presumably an inaccurate pointing of Q2’s
Sweets to the sweet, farewell.
t’have
Q2’s
hauecould easily be a misprint corrected in F1’s
t’haue.
terrible woe … treble
F1 reads
terrible woer, / Fall ten times trebble,suggesting perhaps that the F1 compositor had trouble with his copy. The seeming discrepancy of
trebleand
doublein Q2 (
treble woe / Fall tenne times double) might have seemed illogical. Arden 3 notes that the second line in Q2 is at the top of a new page, obliging the F1 compositor to compose this line without having the previous line in front of him.
thy most … thee of
deprived you of your fine, quick intelligence.
Leaps in the grave
This F1 stage direction is omitted in Q2. Q1 reads
Laertes leapes into the graue,followed two lines later by
Hamlet leapes in after Laertes.
the quick and dead
the living and the dead.
A set phrase, as in Dent Q12, in Acts 10:42:
was ordained by God to be the Judge of quick and dead,and in 2 Timothy, 4.1:
Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead.The phrase is incorporated in the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds.
flat
level place.
To o’ertop … Olympus
i.e., To tower above Greece’s highest mountains, including Olympus, the reputed home
of the Olympian gods. In Greek mythological legends, the rebellious Giants attempted
to scale Mount Olympus by piling still another mountain, Ossa (mentioned in line 169,
TLN 3480, below), on top of Pelion.
Q2 prints
To’retop,F1
To o’er top.
griefs
F1’s
griefesis possible, but could easily be a misprint of Q2’s
griefe,which agrees grammatically with the singular verb
Bearesin the next line.
Bears … emphasis
Is conveyed so forcefully.
whose phrase … wand’ring stars
whose sorrowful speech invokes the planets to come to his aid.
F1’s
Coniurewould appear to be a misprint for Q2’s
Coniures.
stand
remain stationary in their heavenly paths.
wonder-wounded
struck with amazement.
the Dane
A customary form of title for the King of Denmark, as at 1.1.17 (TLN 21), 1.2.44 (TLN
224), etc.
[Grappling with Hamlet]
A ballad
Elegy on Burbage,published in Gentleman’s Magazine, 1825, offers the observation,
Oft have I seen him leap into a grave,thereby seeming to confirm the stage direction of Q1 at this point:
Hamlet leapes in after Laertes.The difficulties of managing such action in the trap door of the Globe Theatre, where Ophelia has just been laid to rest, prompts some editors to posit instead that Laertes jumps out of the grave to attack Hamlet.
Q2/F1 lack a stage direction here. See note at 134.1 (TLN 3444) above.
Sir
F1’s
Siris possible, though it looks more like a copying error for Q2’s
For.
splenative and rash
hot-tempered.
F1’s
Spleenatiue, and rashe,is a plausible correction of Q2’s
splenatiue rash,where the omission of
andcould easily be an oversight.
something in me
Q1/F1’s
something in meis certainly possible as a deliberate inversion of Q2’s
in me something,even though it could be a copying error instead.
wiseness … Away
F1’s
wisenesse … Awayand Q2’s
wisdome … hold offare essentially interchangeable.
Hamlet, Hamlet!
Q2 follows the Queen’s utterance with a line,
All. Gentlemen.not found in Q1 or F1.
Gentleman
F1’s assignment of this speech to
Gen.instead of to Horatio as in Q2 is presumably a consequence of having deleted the previous line in Q2,
All. Gentlemen.
wag
move, flutter (as a sign that the person is still living).
their
F1’s
thereis presumably a misprint for Q2’s
theyr.
forbear him
let him alone.
Come
F1’s
Comeis presumably an expurgation substituted in place of Q2’s
S’wounds.
’thou’lt
Q2’s spelling is
th’owt,standardized in F1 to
thou’lt.Q1 reads
thou wilt.
Woo’t fight?
Following this phrase, F1 omits, perhaps inadvertently,
woo’t fast,as it is found in Q2.
eisil
vinegar.
To drink a bitter draft of vinegar (
eisil) would be an extravagant and self-flagellating way to express grief. Eating a crocodile would be no less self-punishing; the phrase may also refer to the crocodile’s fabled penchant for shedding crocodile’s tears as a deceptive way of feigning sorrow.
F1 spells the word
Esile,Q2
Esill.Q1 reads
vessels.
Dost thou
Q2’S
doostis perfectly intelligible, but F1’s emendation to
Dost thoucould be authorial.
quick
alive.
Compare line 135 (TLN 3445) above,
the quick and dead.
till … wart
until the vast acres of land that have been thrown on top of us, scorching the very
top of this huge mound by its nearness to the burning sun, make Mount Ossa seem comparatively
as small as a wart.
Ossa is mentioned in the note at lines 137-8, TLN 3447-8, above, as the mountain piled
on top of Mount Pelion by the Giants in their rebellious attempt to scale Mount Olympus,
home of the Olympian gods. Technically, the burning zone is that portion of the celestial
sphere lying on both sides of the equator, between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
an thou’lt mouth
if you want to rant.
King
F1/Q1 assign this speech to the King, but the sentiment expressed seems appropriate
to the Queen in her eagerness to excuse Hamlet’s erratic behavior. Copying errors
in speech headings are not uncommon in early modern texts. Editors are divided on
the issue; the speech could be made to work for the King as a piece of his deceptiveness.
Q1 assigns a shorter version of part of this speech to the King, while at the same
time allowing the Queen to insist that Hamlet’s behavior is the result of madness
— a sentiment that tends to support Q2’s assignment of lines 170-4 to the Queen.
mere
utter.
thus awhile
F1’s
thusis the more compelling and idiomatic choice here. Q2’s
thiscould well be an easy copying error. F1/Q2’s
a whileis equivalent to today’s
awhile.
golden couplet
baby pigeons clad in golden-colored down.
Pigeons are traditionally though to be gentle and patient.
F1’s
Cupletis possible in reference to a single pair of eggs laid by the dove (Arden 3), but may be a copying error for Q2’s
cuplets.
disclosed
hatched.
loved
F1’s
loud’is presumably a typographical error for Q2’s
lou’d.
Let … day
i.e., Despite all that Hercules himself could do (or Laertes and all his rant), my
day will come.
Cf. the proverbial Every dog has his day (Dent D487).
Exit … [Exit Horatio]
Q2 prints
Exit Hamlet and Horatioas a single stage direction in two lines, to the right of lines 178 and 179 as numbered in F1, TLN 3491. F1 prints
Exitto the right of 178, providing no exit for Horatio; Q1 prints
Exit Hamlet and Horatiobelow 178 (as numbered in F1).
I pray you
F1’s use of the formal
youis certainly possible as a substitute for Q2’s
thee.
wait upon
attend.
[Exit Horatio]
This exit SD is omitted in F1. Q2 reads
and Horatio.See note at 178.1, 179.1 above.
then you[r]
F1’s
then youis presumably an error for Q2’s
your.
Thenmay be an erroneous repetition of the last four letters of
strengthen.
in
i.e., by recalling.
present push
immediate test.
a living monument
i.e., a lasting memorial—and perhaps with the suggestion, for Laertes’s ears only,
that this memorial will be accomplished by the death of the now-living Hamlet.
shortly
F1’s
shortlyoffers a more compelling reading than Q2’s
thereby,and may be authorial.
Till then
Q2’s
Tell thenwould appear to be a typographical error for F1’s
Till then.
[5.2]
Location: The castle.
So … the other
Hamlet and Horatio enter in mid conversation. Hamlet’s
thismay refer to what he has told Horatio about his abortive voyage to England,
the otherto what Hamlet is about to add to that account.
See 4.6.8, TLN 2985-3002.
F1 emends Q2’s
now shall you seeto
now let me see,suggesting that Hamlet is searching his memory, and is a plausible reading, or perhaps a confused transcription. The event being recalled is vivid for both Hamlet and Horatio.
Remember … lord!
i.e., How could I ever forget such a thing?
Methought
It seemed to me that.
F’s
me thoughtoffers an obvious and needed corrective to Q2’s misprint,
my thought.
mutines … bilboes
mutineers in shackles.
The word
bilboesis from Bilbao in Spain, famed for its excellent swords and presumably also for high-quality iron instruments of confinement that could be used to restrain English prisoners aboard Spanish war vessels.
Q2’s
bilbois apparently a misprint for F1’s
Bilboes.
Rashly
On impulse. (The adverb looks forward to lines 12 ff., TLN 3512 ff.)
praise be
praise be to.
F1’s
praise beis intelligible, but is probably a typographical error for Q2’s praysd be.
know
acknowledge.
indiscretion
an action that is not premeditated. (Hamlet does not mean an action that is indiscreet
or reckless.)
sometimes
Shakespeare uses
sometime(the Q2 form) and
sometimes(F1) more or less interchangeably. Q2 has a more reliable line of transmission.
dear
precious.
F1’s
deareis defensible as a reading, but could be a miscopying of Q2’s
deepe,arguably a more incisive reading.
pall
lose strength, falter, fade away.
The reading of Q2 uncorrected and of F1,
paule,i.e., pall, falter or fade away, may well be the correct reading, even though the proofreader responsible for Q2’s corrected state seems to have turned away from the perhaps unfamiliar
pauleto
fall.
OED supposes
pallto be an aphetic form of “appal” in its earliest meaning,
to wax pale or dim.
teach
F1’s
teachcould be an authorial alteration of Q2’s
learne,but it could instead be an editorial choice introduced by a copyist or compositor to reflect a recent trend in popular idiom.
Learnis closer to the German
lehren,to teach.
Rough-hew
Shape roughly.
sea-gown
seaman’s coat.
scarfed
loosely wrapped, as with a scarf.
find out them
find Rosencrantz and Guildenstern out, uncover their villainy.
Fingered
Pilfered, lifted.
in fine
finally, in conclusion.
unseal
F1’s
vnsealemay well be an authoritative correction of Q2’s
vnfold,though both are intelligible.
Oh
Q2’s
Acould be modernized as
Ah,but could also be left as the indefinite article (Arden 3). F1’s
Ohcould be authoritative, even if
Ohand
Ahare essentially interchangeable choices.
Larded
Garnished.
several
different, separate.
reason
F1’s
reason;could easily be a typographical error for Q2’s
reasons,which agrees grammatically with
several sorts.
Importing
Concerning, relating to.
With, hoo! … life
i.e., With all sorts of imagined fanciful terrors if I were allowed to remain alive.
(
Bugsare bugbears, hobgoblins.)
F1’s
hoocould simply be a spelling variant of Q2’s
hoe,or Hamlet could be making a derisive hooting sound at the expense of such
royal knavery.
That … bated
That on the reading of this commission, no delay being permitted.
stay
await.
grinding
sharpening.
hear me
F1’s
heare meis certainly defensible, and could be an authorial correction of Q2’s
heare now,though it might also be the result of miscopying.
villains
Q2/F1’s
villaines(
Villaines) is plausibly emended to
villainiesby Capell and Arden 2, among others.
Ere … play
Before I could consciously formulate a scheme for proceeding further, the parts of
my brain had started working on a plan all by itself.
Q2’s
Orcould be a spelling variant of F1’s
Ere,the more modern and familiar form.
me
myself.
fair
in the formal handwriting used in official documents.
hold
regard.
statists
statesmen.
A baseness
As something beneath my dignity.
It … yeoman’s service
i.e., It stood me in good stead, by providing me with secretarial handwriting skills.
Though not listed in Dent or OED as proverbial, the phrase is listed by Brewer as meaning “effectual service, characterized
by hard and steady work … referring to the service of yeomen in the English armies
of former days” and also to yeomen of the Free Companies (Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 1870, revised edition, 1959). The rank of yeoman today in the U. S. Navy signifies
secretary. Shakespeare’s usage here, with its fine wordplay on the meanings of (1) hardworking
person of the yeoman class and (2) secretary or copyist, deserves major credit for
the extent to which the phrase has taken on the status of a familiar and set phrase.
The effects
F1’s alteration of Q2’s
Th’effectto
The effectscould be the result of miscopying or sophistication.
conjuration
entreaty.
tributary
country obligated to pay tribute money, usually as a result of having been subjugated
militarily.
See 3.1.140-2 (TLN 1825-7), where Claudius announces his intention of sending Hamlet
to England
For the demand of our neglected tribute.Compare also 1.1.83-99 (TLN 96-112), where Horatio describes how Norway became a tributary state to Denmark through the defeat of the Danish king Fortinbras by old Hamlet.
as … should flourish
The palm branch was traditionally a symbol of festive triumph and flourishing; cf.
Psalms, 92:12,
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree.
F1’s
as the Palmecould be a copying error for Q2’s
like the palme.F1’s
shouldin place of Q2’s
might,on the other hand, is plausibly authorial.
still
always.
wheaten garland
A symbol of peace and fruitful plenty.
And … comma
i.e., And stand as a link uniting two entities that, though separate, are closely
integrated.
A period or semicolon would signify a greater break.
And … charge
And many similarly weighty clauses, each introduced (as in formal legal documents
or proclamations) by
Asor
Whereas.(With wordplay on
'as’esand
asses.)
F1’s
Assisis modernized by most editors as
as’es.Q2’s
as siris a defensible reading if
siris interpreted as a flowery way of addressing the English king, or as a parenthetical way of addressing Horatio, whom Hamlet elsewhere addresses this way; but
as’esdoes better to preserve the sequence of
asclauses in the document’s flowery rhetoric.
know
knowledge.
F1’s
knowis possible; OED sb. 2 cites this instance in the sense of
knowledge(Arden 3). But the F1 reading could be a miscopying of Q2’s
knowing.
Without … less
Without any further discussion. (Hamlet continues to speak mockingly in legal jargon.)
the bearers
F1’s
the bearerscould be an authorial alteration of Q2’s
those bearers,or it could be a copying error.
shriving time
time for confession and absolution.
ordinate
ordinant, ordaining, directing.
F1’s
ordinatecould be a variant of Q2’s
ordinant,or a miscopying. Both forms were in use. Shakespeare uses the term only this once.
signet
small seal.
model
duplicate, likeness.
writ
written document.
Folded … the other
Folded the written document just as its predecessor had been folded.
F1 makes sense, but could easily be a miscopying of Q2’s
in the forme of th’other.
Subscribed
Signed (forging the King’s name).
Q2’s
Subscribeis presumably an easy misprint for F1’s
Subscribed.
gave’t th’impression
sealed it by stamping the official seal into the wax.
The changeling
i.e., The substituted document. (Literally, an elfish child substituted by fairies
for a human child they steal.)
was sequent
followed.
F1’s
was sementmight possibly mean
was added,taking
sementto mean
cement(Tronch-Prez, cited by Arden 3), but more plausibly may have been a typographical error for Q2’s
was sequent.
Why … employment
This line in omitted, perhaps inadvertently, in Q2. It appears to be genuinely authorial.
Their debate
The question of how their fate should be handled (?).
F1’s
debatemay well be an error for Q2’s
defeat,though Richard Proudfoot posits that the text should perhaps read
decease,based on a copy spelling
desease(Arden 3).
Debatecould be a recollection of
debatementin line 45 (TLN 3547).
insinuation
intrusive intervention, ingratiating themselves with the King by doing his dirty business.
when … opposites
i.e., when persons of lower social station and capability come between the deadly
and enraged weapon-thrusts of two such mighty opponents such as the King and Hamlet.
It is the King and Hamlet who are enraged; this attribute is poetically transferred
from them to their weapons.
think’st thee
Q2’s
think theeis intelligible, but F1’s
thinkst theemay be an authorial correction.
stand … upon
become incumbent on me now.
F1’s absence of any punctuation mark after
vponcould be an inadvertent omission; Q2 has a question mark. A dash, as supplied in Oxford and in the present text, supposes that
He that hath killed … cozenagein lines 64-7 (TLN 3568-71) is a series of points in apposition to
stand me now vpon.
th’election … hopes
i.e., between me and my hopeful expectation of being
electedto the Danish kingship after the death of my father.
Succession to the Danish throne is assumed in this play to have been the choice of
a small body of noble electors, like those of the Hapsburg empire or of the papacy.
Polonius is presumably such an elector. See lines 274-5 (TLN 3844-5) below, where
Hamlet, with his
dying voice,predicts that
th’electionwill light on Fortinbras, and 1.2.107 (TLN 291), where Claudius proclaims Hamlet
the most immediate to our throne.
angle
fishing hook and line.
my proper life
my very life, my own life.
cozenage
deception.
To quit … here?
These fourteen lines of dialogue in F1 are omitted in Q1/Q2.
To let this canker … evil?
To allow this ulcerous sore that afflicts human nature commit further evil?
Than to say one
Than it takes to count to one.
count his favors
take note of and enumerate Laertes’ best qualities.
F1’s
countis possible, but is often emended by editors (beginning with Rowe) to
court.
bravery
extravagance.
Enter young Osric
Q2 reads
Enter a Courtier.Q1 reads
Enter a Bragart Gentleman.
Osric
The Q2 speech prefix, here and throughout this conversation, is
Cour.F1 reads
Osr.Q1 reads
Gent.
humbly
Q2’s
humbleis presumably a misprint for F1’s
humbly.
water-fly
i.e., a giddy, superficial person.
gracious
blessed.
Let … mess
Provided a man, no matter how beastlike, is rich in livestock and possessions (as
Osric appears to be), he may eat at the King’s meal-table. (A crib is a manger or
trough for feeding livestock.)
chough
(1) chuff, boor, churl; (2) chatterer, jackdaw.
Q2’s spelling,
chough,and F1’s spelling,
Chowgh,underscore the sense of
jackdaw.The modern spelling form is
chuff.
as I saw
as I understood the situation.
F1’s
as I sawis conceivable, but presumably a misprint for Q2’s
as I say.
spacious … dirt
a large landowner.
if … at leisure
i.e, if your friendly feeling toward me would incline you to grant me a hearing.
F1’s
your friendshipis possible, and is preferred by some editors as an affected mannerism of speech, but may be a miscopying of Q2’s
your Lordshippe.
receive it
F1 omits Q2’s
Sirafter
receiue it,perhaps in error.
with all
Q2’s
withallis presumably a misprint intended for F1’s
with all.
Put your bonnet
Put your hat.
Presumably Osric has doffed his hat as a token of respect. Gentleman normally wore
hats indoors.
F1 is probably an authorial correction of Q2’s
your bonnet.
his
its.
indifferent
somewhat, rather.
Methinks … complexion
The Q2 reading,
But yet me thinkes it is very sully, and hot, or my Complexion,makes sense as an incomplete thought that is interrupted by Osric in his eagerness to seem agreeable. F1’s
Mee thinkes it is very soultry, and hot for my Complexionoffers plausible corrections in
soultryfor
sullyand
forfor
or.On the other hand, F1’s omission of
But yetcould be an omission of oversight in copying.
complexion
constitution, temperament.
sultry
Here Q2 spells the word
soultery,F1
soultry.
But, my lord
F1 offers a persuasive correction of Q2’s
my Lordand may be authorial.
Nay, in good faith … in good faith
A polite declining of Hamlet’s adjuration to Osric that he put on his hat.
Following this speech and
Sir,F1 omits TLN 3610.1-3610.24, possibly for reasons of length in performance, though some editors find the passage unnecessary for the plot. Shakespeare may have acceded to this and other cuts in production. In line 93, Q2 reads
Nay good my Lord for my ease in good faith,F1
Nay, in good faith, for mine ease in good faith.F1’s repetition of
in good faithmay suggest a copying error of Q2, perhaps as a result of revising F1 in anticipation of a long cut in F1 that is to follow.
Sir, you are
F1’s
Sir, you areas a correction for Q2’s
You areis the result of its coming at the end of a lengthy excision from the Folio text.
at his weapon
F1 substitutes this phrase for two speeches in Q2 by Hamlet and Osric, TLN 3612.1-4,
cut perhaps to shorten the play for performance.
Rapier and dagger
Gentlemanly duellists in the early modern period often fought with a rapier (a straight
two-edged fencing weapon with a narrow pointed blade) in one hand and a dagger in
the other.
but well
but never mind that.
The King, sir
F1’s
The sir Kingappears to be a erroneous copying of Q2’s
The King sir.
waged
F1’s
wag’dcould be a careless copying of Q2’s
wagerd.Q1 reads
hath layd a wager.
Barbary horses
Arabian horses, originally from the Barbary region of northern Africa, especially
(today) Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.
he imponed
Laertes has staked, wagered.
F1’s
he impon’dmay be a spelling variant or copying error of Q2’s
he has impaund,or could be a sample of Osric’s affected speech.
poniards
daggers.
assigns
accessories.
girdle
sword belt.
hangers, or so
straps on the girdle or sword belt from which the sword hung, and so on.
F1’s reading could be an authorial correction of Q2’s
hanger and so.Both are plausible.
carriages
Another term for
hangers,straps (as Osric explains in line 99, TLN 3623, below).
are very … conceit
are very appealing to the
fancyor imagination, decoratively matched as they are with the hilts or the cases for the swords, finely wrought in workmanship, and elaborately designed.
What … carriages?
What are you referring to when you say
carriages?
Q2 follows this speech with Horatio’s sotto voce comment to Hamlet,
I knew … had done,TLN 3622.1. It is omitted in F1.
carriages
F1’s
carriagesmay be an authoritative correction, especially since Hamlet has asked about
carriagesin line 98, but Q2’s
carriageis allowable idiom.
The phrase …
hangerstill then
Hamlet’s satirical point is that the term
carriagesis best reserved for gun carriages on which cannon are mounted, rather than pretentiously applied to mere straps used to hold rapiers and their hilts.
Germaneis rendered as
Iermanin Q2,
Germainein F1. F1’s
cannonmay also be an authorial correction to Q2’s
a cannon.Q1 reads
the canon.The words
it might beare adopted here from F1 as a necessary emendation to uncorrected Q2’s
it beand corrected Q2’s
it be might.
But on. Six
F1’s
but on sixeappears to be a misprint for Q2’s
but on, six.
liberal-conceited
elaborately designed. (Hamlet mockingly throws back at Osric the highfalutin term
the courtier has used at line 97 (TLN 3621) above.)
bet
F1’s
butis evidently a misprint for Q2’s
bet.
imponed,as
F1 changes Q2’s
allto
impon’d as.Hamlet mockingly uses the pretentious term Osric introduced at line 97 (TLN 3617) above. Evidently an authorial correction.
The King … nine
Seemingly, though the phrasing is difficult and the F1 text appears to be corrupt,
the King has
laidor wagered that, in a dozen
passesor bouts of fencing, the total number of hits scored by Laertes will not exceed Hamlet’s total by three; to win, Laertes would have to win at least eight to Hamlet’s four, two to one odds.
Perhaps inadvertently, F1 omits
sirwhere Q2 reads
hath layd, sir.Q2’s
betweene your selfeand F1’s
betweene youare equally plausible. F1’s
hath one twelue for mineappears to be an erroneous copying of Q2’s
layd on twelue for nine,or perhaps
laid on’t twelve for nineas printed in this edition. F1’s
mineis almost certainly an error for Q2’s
nine.
that would
F1’s
that wouldmay be a careless copying of Q2’s
it would.
vouchsafe the answer
be so good as to accept the challenge.
How … no?
By replying in pretended ignorance as though he has been asked for a simple
yesor
noanswer, Hamlet mischievously refuses to acknowledge that the polite formula in which the challenge has been delivered to him requires that he acquiesce.
the breathing … day
time for exercise.
Let
i.e., If.
and the King
This could conceivably mean “if the King,” since
andoften signifies
if,and since, in Q2/F1,
purposeis followed by a semicolon; but the likelier meaning is “and the King.” The next such expression in this sentence,
if I can,is represented in Q2 by
and I canand in F1 by
if I can.
redeliver … e’en so
report your answer in this way?
F1’s
redeliuer you ee’n soseems plausibly authorial as a revision of Q2’s
deliuer you so.
I commend my duty
I dedicate my service. (A conventionally polite phrase of departure.)
Yours, yours
F1’s
Yours, yoursis a plausibly authorial alteration of Q2’s
Yours.
He does … for’s turn
He needs to commend his own virtues; no one else will do it for him.
Compare the proverb, He must praise himself since no man else will (Dent P545.1.)
Hamlet thus gives a sardonic twist to Osric’s formulaic
I commend my dutyin line 108, TLN 3646.
F1’s correction of Q2’s
doo’sto
hee doesmends what may be imperfect in Q2, but may also provide an editorial sophisticaion of what may have been intended to be
’A doesin Q2. F1’s
for’s tongueis almost certainly an error for Q2’s
for’s turne,prompted by
tonguesearlier in the line, and is here corrected to the Q2 reading.
lapwing
plover, a wading bird known to flap its wings and scurry about in a wily fashion calculated
to draw intruders away from the nest. According to legend, a newly hatched bird was
thought to run around with the shell still on its head.
Cf. the proverb,
Like a lapwing that runs away with the shell on its head(Dent L69). Horatio satirically alludes to Osric’s fatuous mannerisms and to his confusion about wearing or not wearing his hat.
He did comply … dug
He bowed ceremoniously to his mother’s or nurse’s breast.
For Q2’s
'A did so, sir,F1 reads
He did Complie; the change to
Hecould be editorial sophistication (as also in F’s
hee suck’t itfor Q2’s
a suckt it), but
Complieis plausibly authorial.
Thus … bubbles are out
Thus has he—and many more of the same sort that our frivolous age dotes on—acquired
the trendy manner of speech of the time and formulaic conversation with courtiers
of their own kind: a kind of frothy repertoire of current phrases which enables such
gallants to pass themselves off as persons of the most select and well-sifted views;
and yet do but test these creatures by merely blowing on them, and their bubbles burst.
(
Fanned and winnowedmeans sifted and separated out, like grain in the process of threshing).
Q2’s
has he and many moreappears to have been miscopied in F1’s
had he and mine more.On the other hand, Q2’s
the same breedeis plausibly corrected in F1’s
the same Beauy,i.e. the same bevy. Similarly, F1’s
outwardis a plausible correction of Q2’s
out of an,though Q2 here can be read to make sense. F1’s
yesty,i.e. yeasty, seems a necessary correction of Q2’s
histy,not known as a word and plausibly a misprint, confusing
hand
y.Q2’s
prophane and trennowed,as a sibstitute for F1’s
fond and winnowed,could mean
both vulgar and selective(Arden 3), if
trennowedis a misprint for
winnowed.F1’s
fondis probably be intended for
fanned,as emended here, following Hanmer and some other editors. F1’s
trialsappears to be a copying error for Q2’s
trial.Following this speech, Q2 prints an entry direction and six exchanges between Hamlet and an entering lord that are cut from F1 (TLN 3657.1-13), perhaps for shortening in performance.
will lose this wager
F1’s
will lose this wagermay be an authorial revision of Q2’s
will loose.
at the odds
according to the wager as defined by the King at line 101 (TLN 3630-2) above, which
have given Hamlet favorable odds.
But thou … heart
F1’s
but thoumay be an authorial revision of Q2’s
thou.But Q2’s
would’st not thinke how ill all’s heereseems more complete and logical than F1’s
wouldest not thinke how all heere.
gaingiving
misgiving.
Q2’s
gamgauingis plausibly corrected by F1’s
gain-giuing.
obey
F1 could be mistaken in omitting
itfrom Q2’s
obay it.
repair
coming.
Not a whit
Not at all.
augury
i.e., superstition, or hunches. Literally, divination from auspices or omens, such
as the flight of birds.
There’s … sparrow
Providential direction oversees even the smallest details of human history.
Calvinist preachers especially were fond of quoting Christ’s teaching in Matthew 10:29:
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your father.See also Matthew 6:28-30:
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin … Wherefore, if God so clothe the grasses of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?Luke 12:27-8 is closely similar.
Q1’s
predestinate providenceunderscores the Calvinist interpretation of these passages. Q2’s reading,
there is speciall prouidence,is an equally viable reading; F1’s version could be authorial, or a result of imperfect copying.
If it be now
F1’s
If it be nowsets up Hamlet’s antithetical construction more explicitly than Q2’s
if it be,where the omission of
nowcould easily be an oversight. Q1 reads
if danger be now.
The readiness … betimes?
Being in readiness is the crucially important thing, since no one can truly be said
to possess the worldly goods and physicality that must be left behind at the moment
of death. Why then should it matter if one must leave those things
betimes,i.e., earlier rather than later?
Q2’s
the readines is all, since no man of ought of what he leaues, knowes what ist to leaue betimesdiffers in emphasis and meaning from F1’s version. Both are eloquent and viable readings; the rewording in F1 may be authorial, although most editors emend the punctuation by changing F1’s
all, sinceto
all. Sinceand
leaues. Whatto
leaves, what.F1 omits (perhaps intentionally, perhaps by oversight) the utterance that follows
betimesin Q2:
Let be.
Enter … wine on it
Trumpets and drums are not mentioned in F1/Q1’s stage directions. They are specified
in Q2, and seem called for by the ceremoniousness of the entry, as earlier in the
play. Laertes’s name appears in Q2. Osric’s name is omitted in all the early texts,
but he and Laertes have important parts to play in the fencing match, and must be
implicitly included in Q2’s
and all the state(meaning “the entire court”) and in F1’s
Lords.
Cushionsare provided in Q2’s stage direction, presumably so that the courtiers can sit. Thrones may have been brought on for the King and Queen. Q2 and F1 provide a table, which in F1 serves to accommodate
Flagons of Wine; the flagons are not mentioned in Q1 or Q2, but are clearly necessary. Gauntlets are gloves worn with medieval armor to protect hands and wrists.
But … knows
Q2 prints this as one verse line; it is somewhat irregular, but still possible. F1
here prints in two lines.
presence
royal assembly.
punished … sore distraction
afflicted by a serious mental disturbance.
Punishedmay suggest that Hamlet’s mental distraction can be interpreted as deserved punishment; compare
heaven hath pleased it so / To punish me with this, and this with me,4.3.179-80 (TLN 2549-50).
F1 omits the
ain Q2’s
With a swore distraction,perhaps inadvertently.
What I have done
Both Q2 and F1 include this phrase in line 123, as printed here.
exception
disapproval, dissatisfaction.
faction
party.
Sir … audience
This F1 line is omitted in Q2, perhaps inadvertently.
Let … evil
Let my denial of having had any evil intention.
mother
The idea that Hamlet has offended his mother, though conceivable, seems improbable
here. The entire speech is about the offense he has given to Laertes.
Q1/Q2 both read
brother.
in nature
i.e., as to my personal feelings.
Whose motive
The promptings of which.
will
desire, will allow.
Till … ungorged
Until by the official judgment of those gentlemen of the court who preside over the
duel I can obtain an authoritative pronouncement and previous instance of a similar
reconciliation to keep my reputation unthrottled or unsated.
Laertes declares himself ready to let the outcome of the duel determine whether Hamlet
has wronged him or not, following the medieval custom of trial by combat (as in Act
I of Richard II).
The word
keepin line 164 is missing in Q2, and is here supplied from F1 (
keepe). The omission in Q2 is presumably inadvertent. F1’s
vngorg’d,as a replacement for Q2’s
vngord,is conceivable but is more probably a typographical error. Both Q2 and F1 read
presidentfor
precedent.
till that time
Although Q2’s
all that timeis intelligible, F1’s
till that timemakes better sense and is presumably authorial.
And will not … for me
F1 improves Q2’s lineation of these lines. Part of F1’s arrangement is to augment
Hamlet’s
Giue vs the foilesin Q2 to
Give vs the Foyles: Come on.F1’s addition to Q2 could be an undeleted false start of the next speech, or it could be genuine.
do embrace
F1’s reading could be an authorial correction of Q2’s
embrace,or could be mistaken copying.
freely
voluntarily and without ill feeling.
foil
Hamlet puns on the term. Literally, a thin metal background used to set off and enhance
the brilliance of a jewel. Hamlet modestly suggests that he will make Laertes look
good in fencing by means of a contrasting comparison of the two.
ignorance
i.e., comparative inexperience in fencing.
Hamlet’s modesty here is polite and tactical; at line 134 (TLN 3660) above, he has
assured Horatio that he has been
in continual practicesince Laertes went into France, and that Hamlet expects to win
at the odds.
Stick fiery off
Stand out brilliantly.
laid … side
bet on the weaker side.
since he is bettered … odds
i.e., since Laertes is the favored contestant, we have settled on odds according to
which Laertes will have to win at least eight of the twelve bouts of fencing to your
four (as announced by Osric at line 116 (TLN 3630-2) above.
F1’s
is better’dreplaces Q2’s
is better,is a better fencer. The two readings are equally plausible. F1 could be authorial.
likes
pleases.
have … length
are equal in length.
Prepare to play
[They] prepare to fence.
This F1 stage direction is missing in Q2. Compare Q1,
Heere they play.
stoups
flagons.
F1 reads
Stopes,Q2
stoopes.Compare 5.1.25 (TLN 3250).
Or quit … exchange
Or shows himself a worthy opponent of Laertes by winning on the third exchange.
Let … fire
Let the soldiers stationed on the battlements or parapets fire their cannon.
Q2’s
ordnanceis spelled
Ordinancein F1, clearly the same word, though
ordinancein more recent usage has come to mean
decree, order.
better breath
better energy and performance.
an union
an exceptionally fine pearl, which the King may intend to be dissolved in the wine.
(The King calls it a pearl at line 182 (TLN 3749) below.) An onyx (the corrected Q2
reading) is literally a precious stone, a translucent chalcedony (a kind of quartz)
in parallel layers of different colors.
Pliny tells the story (probably unreliable) that Cleopatra once dissolved a pearl
in a cup of wine and drank it off in order to win her wager with Marc Antony that
she could stage a more expensive and magnificent banquet than he. (This account is
not told in Antony and Cleopatra, though a pearl is mentioned as a gift from the absent Antony to the queen, 1.5.42-3.)
Uncorrected Q2 reads
Vnice,possibly a misreading of
Vnioor
Vnionein the manuscript. It is emended to
Onixein the corrected version of Q2, perhaps an attempt to make sense out of
Vnice(Arden 3). F1 reads
vnion,i.e.,
union.It is called a
unionin Pliny’s Natural History, 9.25, presumably because each pearl is unique.
kettle
kettledrum (and the drummer).
trumpets
trumpet and trumpeter.
F1’s
Trumpetsin line 176 could be a copying error or a sophistication for Q2’s
trumpet,though both readings are plausible. F1’s
Trumpetin the next line tends to confirm the Q2 reading in both lines.
cannoneer
the soldier(s) firing the cannon.
the heaven to earth
Q3’s emendation of Q2/F1’s
heauen(
Heauen) to
heavensis inviting, in light of the preceding phrase,
The cannons to the heavens.
[Trumpets the while]
The trumpeters sound their trumpets while the King drinks.
This Q2 stage direction is omitted in F1/Q1.
Come on, sir
This
Come on, sirassigned to Laertes in F1 may be an erroneous repetition of the previous line assigned to Hamlet. In Q2, Laertes answers, more appropriately to the difference in their social rank,
Come, my lord.
They play
They fence.
This F1 stage direction is omitted in Q2.
Stay
Stop.
shot
cannon fire.
F1’s stage direction,
Trumpets sound, and shot goes off,replaces Q2’s
Drum, trumpets and shot. Florish, a peece goes off.
Set [it] by awhile
Q2 reads
set it by a while,providing
itwhich is perhaps unintentionally missing here in F1.
A touch … I do confess
F1 here offers what is plausibly an authorial emendation for Q2’s
I doe confes’t.Q1 reads
I, I grant, a tuch, a tuch.
fat
not physically fit, out of training.
The Queen need not mean
overweight.Hamlet has said of himself, to Horatio,
Since he [Laertes] went into France, I have been in continual practice(5.2.134, TLN 3659-60). The Queen may be expressing a motherly protective anxiety.
Here’s a napkin
Here’s a handkerchief.
Q2’s
Heere Hamlet take my napkinscans better in this verse line than does F1’s
Heere’s a Napkin,which may be the result of miscopying.
carouses
drinks a toast.
’tis almost … conscience
F1 here scans more persuasively than Q2’s
it is almost against my conscience.F1 could be authorial.
Come … dally
Q2’s
Come for the third Laertes, you but dallyis perhaps more plausibly authorial than F1’s in two lines:
Come for the third. / Laertes, you but dally.Both are possible.
pass
thrust.
I am afeard … of me
I fear you are trifling with me, treating me as if I were a spoiled child.
F1’s
I am affear’dis a more natural idiom than Q2’s
I am sure that; the change seems authorial.
[They] play
This F1 stage direction is omitted in Q2.
In scuffling … change rapiers
As they fight they exchange rapiers.
Q2 omits any stage direction here. Q1 amplifies:
They catch one anothers Rapiers, and both are wounded, Laertes falles down, the Queene falled down and dies.The braketed stage directions here in this F1 text are based on Q1.
In many productions, Laertes unfairly nicks Hamlet with his sword during a pause in
the action, saying
Have at you now!,whereupon Hamlet, perceiving that Laertes’s sword is unbated, forces an exchange of weapons and attacks Laertes. Though Hamlet presumably does not know that Laertes’s sword is also tipped with poison, the poison does its work on Laertes, who realizes that he is
justly killedwith his own treachery (line 208, TLN 3785).
ho!
Q2 reads
howe,F1
hoa.
as a … mine springe
I am like that proverbially stupid bird, the woodcock, caught in my own trap.
On the proverb (The fowler is caught in his own net, Dent F626), see Polonius’s reference
to
springes to catch woodcocksat 1.3.116 (TLN 581) above. Cf. also Claudius’s image of the
enginer / Hoised with his own petardat 3.4.212-13, TLN 2577.5-6. Laertes intensifies the idea of stupidity here by imagining a woodcock that has somehow managed to devise the trap into which it has fallen.
F1’s
mine Sprindgeis presumably a copying error of overlooking the
owne.
swoons
Q2/F1 both read
sounds,a normal early modern spelling.
[She dies]
Omitted in Q2/F1. Q1 reads
the Queene falles downe and diesa line earlier.
Ho!
Q2 reads
how,F1
How?
Hamlet. Hamlet
F1 plausibly repeats the name, as Q2 does not.
an hour of life
Q1/F1’s alternative for Q2’s
an houres lifecould be authorial, or a careless copying. Q1 tends to confirm F1’s reading.
thy
Q2’s
myseems erroneous, since Hamlet and Laertes exchanged weapons in the duel. F1’s
thyis confirmed by Q1.
Unbated
Not blunted with a button.
practice
plot, stratagem.
to blame
Q2/F1 read
too blame.
Hurts the King
This F1 stage direction is omitted in Q1/Q2.
Here, … damnèd Dane
Q2 reads
Heare,probably as a normal early modern spelling of
Here.F1 reads
Heere.F1 also persuasively reads
murdrousafter
incestuous,providing a fuller pentameter line than in Q2.
Drink off
Q2’s
Drinke ofcould mean
Partake of,but
ofis a common spelling of
off,the F1 reading here.
thy union
(1) the pearl, as at line 167 (TLN 3732) above; (2) your marriage.
See note at line 167 above. Q2’s
the Onixemay be a misreading of something close to F1’s
thy vnion,the preferred reading. The compositor evidently had difficulties with his material.
King dies
This F1 stage direction is omitted in Q2. Q1 reads
The king dies.
tempered
mixed.
Dies
This F1 stage direction is omitted in Q2. Q1 reads
Laertes dies.
chance
mischance.
mutes
(1) silent lookers-on; (2) actors with nonspeaking roles.
as … sergeant
since this remorseless arresting officer.
my causes right
F1’s wording here may be an imperfect copying of Q2’s
my cause a right.
antique Roman
i.e., one who embraces death, if necessary by suicide, before dishonor.
Cf. Brutus and Titinius in Act 5 of Julius Caesar, or Eros in 4.14 of Antony and Cleopatraa, who takes his own life rather than outlive his noble master Antony.
The phrase
antique Romanis rendered
anticke Romainein Q2,
antike Romanin Q1,
Antike Romanin F1.
have’t
Q2 reads
hate,F1
haue’t.
O good Horatio
F1’s reading is presumably an expurgated version to avoid the taking of God’s name
in vain in Q2’s
O god Horatio.Q1 reads
O fie Horatio.
shall live
F1’s
shall liueis clear in meaning, as is Q2’s
shall I leaue.Whether the F1 alteration is authorial is not clear. Q1’s
wouldst thou leaueapplies the phrase to Horatio, if he were to die.
March … within
This is F1’s stage direction. Q2 reads
A march afarre off.Omitted in Q1.
volley
simultaneous firing of weapons in a military salute.
o’ercrows
proclaims triumph over (like the winner of a cockfight).
voice
vote (in
th’electionreferred to in the previous line).
As crown prince and one who was named successor to the throne by Claudius, Hamlet
has a presumed right to be one of the electors of the royal succession. See line 65
(TLN 3569) and note above.
the occurrents … less
the events of greater or lesser importance.
solicited
moved, urged (me in what I have done or attempted, and in my wish to support the succession
of Fortinbras to the throne).
Oh, oh, oh, oh!
F1 registers thus Hamlet’s dying groan. Omitted in Q1/Q2.
Dies
F1’s stage direction (
Dyes) is omitted in Q2. Q1 reads
Ham. Dies.
crack
may it (the noble heart) crack.
F1’s
crackeis possible if read as meaning “let it crack”, but it more probably a misprint for Q2’s
cracks.
Enter … Attendants
Q2 reads
Enter Fortenbrasse, with the Embassadors.F1 alters Q2’s
Embassadorsto
English Ambassador.Q1 reads
Enter Voltemar and the Ambassadors from england. enter Foretinbrasse with his traine.The reference to
ambassadorsin the plural at TLN 3840 in both Q2 and F1 confirms the plural in the stage direction here.
His quarry … havoc
Death’s heap of corpses (literally, slaughtered game) loudly proclaims an general
slaughter.
Cry havocin battle is the signal for pillage, slaughter, and a total laying waste. Cf. Antony’s incitement of the Roman crowd with this cry in Julius Caesar, 3.1.275.
F1’s
His quarryis perhaps possible as referring to
Deathlater in this same line, but is more likely to be a misprint for Q2’s
This quarry.
O proud death, … cell
O thou insolent and mighty Death, what feasting on the slain is being prepared in
your everlasting dwelling place.
shoot
F1’s
shootemay be a variant spelling of Q2’s
shot,or a misprint, or possibly a noun of similar meaning.
so jump … question
so hard on the heels of this bloody business.
stage
platform.
th’yet
Q2’s
yetappears to be in error for F1’s
th’yet.
accidental judgments
retributive acts brought about by accident (such as the death of Polonius).
casual
chance.
Of deaths … forced cause
Of deaths gratuitously instigated by cunning stratagems and contrivances.
F1’s
death’sis presumably a copying error of Q2’s
deaths.Conversely, F1 persuasively substitutes
and forc’d causefor Q2’s
and for no cause.
deliver
report.
rights of memory
claims that must not be forgotten.
F1 reads
Rites of memory,Q2
rights, of memory.
Which … invite me
which my favorable position and opportunity invite me to claim.
F1 may be a misreading of Q2’s
Which now to clame my vantage doth inuite me.
always
F1’s
alwayesis intelligible, but seems less plausible than Q2’s
also,and may be a misprint.
And … on more
And speaking on behalf of Hamlet, whose vote will influence still others.
Q2’s
no moremay be a miscopying of F1’s
on more.
presently
immediately.
whiles
F1’s
whilesis a common form in Shakespeare. Here it may be an editorial sophistication or an authorial correction.
On plots
On top of plots.
put on
invested in royal office and thereby given the opportunity to prove what sort of ruler
he would be.
proved most royally
thrived in true royal fashion.
Q2’a
prooued most royallsuggests that, in Fortinbras’s commemoration of him, Hamlet would have turned out to be truly royal—perhaps a more convincing reading than F1’s
prou’d most royally,but both are plausible.
for his passage
to mark his passing from this world to the next.
The soldiers’ music
i.e., Muffled drumbeat.
rites
F1’s
ritesmay be correct in the plural, though Q2’s
rightis a normal spelling of rite.
Speak
(Let the beating drums) speak.
body
F1’s
bodymay well be authorial, but could instead be a copying error or editorial sophistication of Q2’s
bodies.
Becomes the field
Is most appropriate to a battlefield.
Exeunt … are shot off
F1’s stage direction here is more elaborate than Q2’s
Exeunt.Replaced in Q1 with
Finis.
FINIS
Printed at the end of the play in Q1/Q2/F1.
Characters
Hamlet
Ghost
Claudius
Queen
Polonius
Laertes
Ophelia
Reynaldo
Horatio
Rosencrantz
Guildenstern
Barnardo
Francisco
Marcellus
Voltemand
Osric
Gentlemen
Gentleman
FirstPlayer
Player
Prologue
King
Baptista
Lucianus
Fortinbras
Captain
Ambassador
Sailor
Clown
Other
Priest
Messenger
Servingman
Prosopography
Abby Flight
Remediator and encoder, 2024–present. Abby Flight completed her BA in English at the
University of Victoria in 2024, and is now an MA student focusing on Medieval and
Early Modern Studies.
David Bevington
David Bevington was the Phyllis Fay Horton Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus
in the Humanities at the University of Chicago. His books include From
Mankindto Marlowe (1962), Tudor Drama and Politics (1968), Action Is Eloquence (1985), Shakespeare: The Seven Ages of Human Experience (2005), This Wide and Universal Theater: Shakespeare in Performance, Then and Now (2007), Shakespeare’s Ideas (2008), Shakespeare and Biography (2010), and Murder Most Foul: Hamlet Through the Ages (2011). He was the editor of Medieval Drama (1975), The Bantam Shakespeare, and The Complete Works of Shakespeare. The latter was published in a seventh edition in 2014. He was a senior editor of the Revels Student Editions, the Revels Plays, The Norton Anthology of Renaissance Drama, and The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Ben Jonson (2012). Professor Bevington passed away on August 2, 2019.
Donald Bailey
Eric Rasmussen
Eric Rasmussen is Regents Teaching Professor and Foundation Professor of English at
the University of Nevada. He is co-editor with Sir Jonathan Bate of the RSC William Shakespeare Complete Works and general editor, with Paul Werstine, of the New Variorum Shakespeare. He has received the Falstaff Award from PlayShakespeare.com for Best Shakespearean Book of the Year in 2007, 2012, and 2013.
James D. Mardock
James Mardock is Associate Professor of English at the University of Nevada, Associate
General Editor for the Internet Shakespeare Editions, and a dramaturge for the Lake
Tahoe Shakespeare Festival and Reno Little Theater. In addition to editing quarto
and folio Henry V for the ISE, he has published essays on Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and other Renaissance
literature in The Seventeenth Century, Ben Jonson Journal, Borrowers and Lenders, and contributed to the collections Representing the Plague in Early Modern England (Routledge 2010) and Shakespeare Beyond Doubt (Cambridge 2013). His book Our Scene is London (Routledge 2008) examines Jonson’s representation of urban space as an element in
his strategy of self-definition. With Kathryn McPherson, he edited Stages of Engagement (Duquesne 2013), a collection of essays on drama in post-Reformation England, and
he is currently at work on a monograph on Calvinism and metatheatrical awareness in
early modern English drama.
Janelle Jenstad
Janelle Jenstad is a Professor of English at the University of Victoria, Director
of The Map of Early Modern London, and Director of Linked Early Modern Drama Online. With Jennifer Roberts-Smith and Mark Beatrice Kaethler, she co-edited Shakespeare’s Language in Digital Media: Old Words, New Tools (Routledge). She has edited John Stow’s A Survey of London (1598 text) for MoEML and is currently editing The Merchant of Venice (with Stephen Wittek) and Heywood’s 2 If You Know Not Me You Know Nobody for DRE. Her articles have appeared in Digital Humanities Quarterly, Elizabethan Theatre, Early Modern Literary Studies, Shakespeare Bulletin, Renaissance and Reformation, and The Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies. She contributed chapters to Approaches to Teaching Othello (MLA); Teaching Early Modern Literature from the Archives (MLA); Institutional Culture in Early Modern England (Brill); Shakespeare, Language, and the Stage (Arden); Performing Maternity in Early Modern England (Ashgate); New Directions in the Geohumanities (Routledge); Early Modern Studies and the Digital Turn (Iter); Placing Names: Enriching and Integrating Gazetteers (Indiana); Making Things and Drawing Boundaries (Minnesota); Rethinking Shakespeare Source Study: Audiences, Authors, and Digital Technologies (Routledge); and Civic Performance: Pageantry and Entertainments in Early Modern London (Routledge). For more details, see janellejenstad.com.
Joey Takeda
Joey Takeda is LEMDO’s Consulting Programmer and Designer, a role he assumed in 2020
after three years as the Lead Developer on LEMDO.
Kate LeBere
Project Manager, 2020–2021. Assistant Project Manager, 2019–2020. Textual Remediator
and Encoder, 2019–2021. Kate LeBere completed her BA (Hons.) in History and English
at the University of Victoria in 2020. During her degree she published papers in The Corvette (2018), The Albatross (2019), and PLVS VLTRA (2020) and presented at the English Undergraduate Conference (2019), Qualicum History
Conference (2020), and the Digital Humanities Summer Institute’s Project Management
in the Humanities Conference (2021). While her primary research focus was sixteenth
and seventeenth century England, she completed her honours thesis on Soviet ballet
during the Russian Cultural Revolution. She is currently a student at the University
of British Columbia’s iSchool, working on her masters in library and information science.
Martin Holmes
Martin Holmes has worked as a developer in the UVic’s Humanities Computing and Media
Centre for over two decades, and has been involved with dozens of Digital Humanities
projects. He has served on the TEI Technical Council and as Managing Editor of the
Journal of the TEI. He took over from Joey Takeda as lead developer on LEMDO in 2020.
He is a collaborator on the SSHRC Partnership Grant led by Janelle Jenstad.
Michael Best
Michael Best is Professor Emeritus at the University of Victoria, BC. He is the Founding
Editor of the Internet Shakespeare Editions, of which he was the Coordinating Editor
until 2017. In print, he has published editions of works of Elizabethan magic and
huswifery, a collection of letters from the Australian goldfields, and Shakespeare on the Art of Love (2008). He contributed regular columns for the Shakespeare Newsletter on
Electronic Shakespeares,and has written many articles and chapters for both print and online books and journals, principally on questions raised by the new medium in the editing and publication of texts. He has delivered papers and plenary lectures on electronic media and the Internet Shakespeare Editions at conferences in Canada, the USA, the UK, Spain, Australia, and Japan.
Navarra Houldin
Training and Documentation Lead 2025–present. LEMDO project manager 2022–2025. Textual
remediator 2021–present. Navarra Houldin (they/them) completed their BA with a major
in history and minor in Spanish at the University of Victoria in 2022. Their primary
research was on gender and sexuality in early modern Europe and Latin America. They
are continuing their education through an MA program in Gender and Social Justice
Studies at the University of Alberta where they will specialize in Digital Humanities.
Rae S. Rostron
Rae is studying a BA in English Literature at Durham University. She is particularly
interested in representations of grief and trauma in literature and is currently researching
femicide in the novel. Rae has interned for Creative Media Agency (NYC) and is an
acting student researcher for King College London’s Psychology Department exploring
loneliness in students.
Tracey El Hajj
Junior Programmer 2019–2020. Research Associate 2020–2021. Tracey received her PhD
from the Department of English at the University of Victoria in the field of Science
and Technology Studies. Her research focuses on the algorhythmics of networked communications. She was a 2019–2020 President’s Fellow in Research-Enriched
Teaching at UVic, where she taught an advanced course on
Artificial Intelligence and Everyday Life.Tracey was also a member of the Map of Early Modern London team, between 2018 and 2021. Between 2020 and 2021, she was a fellow in residence at the Praxis Studio for Comparative Media Studies, where she investigated the relationships between artificial intelligence, creativity, health, and justice. As of July 2021, Tracey has moved into the alt-ac world for a term position, while also teaching in the English Department at the University of Victoria.
William Shakespeare
Orgography
LEMDO Team (LEMD1)
The LEMDO Team is based at the University of Victoria and normally comprises the project
director, the lead developer, project manager, junior developers(s), remediators,
encoders, and remediating editors.
University of Victoria (UVIC1)
https://www.uvic.ca/Metadata
| Authority title | Hamlet, Folio Modern |
| Type of text | Primary Source Text |
| Publisher | University of Victoria on the Linked Early Modern Drama Online Platform |
| Series | |
| Source |
This file has been converted from IML, the SGML markup language of the Internet Shakespeare
Editions platform. IML files do not indicate the copy or copytext transcribed. LEMDO
acknowledges that we are not the main source of transcription, and that we do not
know the witness transcribed in this transcription. As time permits, we will compare
this transcription to an open-access digital surrogate and align the transcription
that surrogate. If you have worked on ISE and/or may have an idea as to the source
of this file, please contact lemdo@uvic.ca.
|
| Editorial declaration | No editorial declaration available at this time. |
| Edition | |
| Encoding description | |
| Document status | IML-TEI |
| License/availability |