The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Part 71

[Footnote 3: Note the temper, self-knowledge, self-government, and self-distrust of Hamlet.]

[Footnote 4: The eyelids last of all become incapable of motion.]

[Footnote 5: That he loved her is the only thing to explain the harshness of his behaviour to her. Had he not loved her and not been miserable about her, he would have been as polite to her as well bred people would have him.]

[Footnote 6: The gallants of Shakspere's day would challenge each other to do more disagreeable things than any of these in honour of their mistresses.

'_esil._ s.m. Ancien nom du Vinaigre.' _Supplement to Academy Dict._, 1847.--'Eisile, _vinegar_': Bosworth's _Anglo-Saxon Dict_., from Somner's _Saxon Dict._, 1659.--'Eisel (_Saxon), vinegar; verjuice; any acid_': Johnson's _Dict_.

_1st Q_. 'Wilt drinke vp vessels.' The word _up_ very likely implies the steady emptying of a vessel specified--at a draught, and not by degrees.]

[Footnote 7: --pretending care over Hamlet.]

[Footnote 8: Emphasis on _Be_, which I take for the _imperative mood_.]

[Footnote 9: The moment it is uttered, he recognizes and confesses to the rant, ashamed of it even under the cover of his madness. It did not belong _altogether_ to the madness. Later he expresses to Horatio his regret in regard to this pa.s.sage between him and Laertes, and afterwards apologizes to Laertes. 252, 262.

Perhaps this is the speech in all the play of which it is most difficult to get into a sympathetic comprehension. The student must call to mind the elements at war in Hamlet's soul, and generating discords in his behaviour: to those comes now the shock of Ophelia's death; the last tie that bound him to life is gone--the one glimmer of hope left him for this world! The grave upon whose brink he has been bandying words with the s.e.xton, is for _her_! Into such a consciousness comes the rant of Laertes. Only the forms of madness are free to him, while no form is too strong in which to repudiate indifference to Ophelia: for her sake, as well as to relieve his own heart, he casts the clear confession of his love into her grave. He is even jealous, over her dead body, of her brother's profession of love to her--as if any brother could love as he loved! This is foolish, no doubt, but human, and natural to a certain childishness in grief. 252.

Add to this, that Hamlet--see later in his speeches to Osricke--had a lively inclination to answer a fool according to his folly (256), to outherod Herod if Herod would rave, out-euphuize Euphues himself if he would be ridiculous:--the digestion of all these things in the retort of meditation will result, I would fain think, in an understanding and artistic justification of even this speech of Hamlet: the more I consider it the truer it seems. If proof be necessary that real feeling is mingled in the madness of the utterance, it may be found in the fact that he is immediately ashamed of its extravagance.]

[Page 244]

_Kin_.[1] This is meere Madnesse: [Sidenote: _Quee_.[1]]

And thus awhile the fit will worke on him: [Sidenote: And this]

Anon as patient as the female Doue, When that her golden[2] Cuplet[3] are disclos'd[4]; [Sidenote: cuplets[3]]

His silence will sit drooping.[5]

_Ham_. Heare you Sir:[6]

What is the reason that you vse me thus?

I loud' you euer;[7] but it is no matter:[8]

Let _Hercules_ himselfe doe what he may, The Cat will Mew, and Dogge will haue his day.[9]

_Exit._ [Sidenote: _Exit Hamlet and Horatio._]

_Kin_. I pray you good Horatio wait vpon him, [Sidenote: pray thee good]

Strengthen you patience in our last nights speech, [Sidenote: your]

[Sidenote: 254] Wee'l put the matter to the present push:[10]

Good _Gertrude_ set some watch ouer your Sonne, This Graue shall haue a liuing[11] Monument:[12]

An houre of quiet shortly shall we see;[13]

[Sidenote: quiet thirtie shall]

Till then, in patience our proceeding be. _Exeunt._

[Footnote 1: I hardly know which to choose as the speaker of this speech. It would be a fine specimen of the king's hypocrisy; and perhaps indeed its poetry, lovely in itself, but at such a time sentimental, is fitter for him than the less guilty queen.]

[Footnote 2: 'covered with a yellow down' _Heath_.]

[Footnote 3: The singular is better: 'the pigeon lays no more than _two_ eggs.' _Steevens_. Only, _couplets_ might be used like _twins_.]

[Footnote 4: --_hatched_, the sporting term of the time.]

[Footnote 5: 'The pigeon never quits her nest for three days after her two young ones are hatched, except for a few moments to get food.'

_Steevens_.]

[Footnote 6: Laertes stands eyeing him with evil looks.]

[Footnote 7: I suppose here a pause: he waits in vain some response from Laertes.]

[Footnote 8: Here he retreats into his madness.]

[Footnote 9: '--but I cannot compel you to hear reason. Do what he will, Hercules himself cannot keep the cat from mewing, or the dog from following his inclination!'--said in a half humorous, half contemptuous despair.]

[Footnote 10: 'into immediate train'--_to Laertes_.]

[Footnote 11: _life-like_, or _lasting_?]

[Footnote 12: --_again to Laertes_.]

[Footnote 13: --when Hamlet is dead.]

[Page 246]

_Enter Hamlet and Horatio._

_Ham._ So much for this Sir; now let me see the other,[1]

[Sidenote: now shall you see]

You doe remember all the Circ.u.mstance.[2]

_Hor._ Remember it my Lord?[3]

_Ham._ Sir, in my heart there was a kinde of fighting, That would not let me sleepe;[4] me thought I lay [Sidenote: my thought]

Worse then the mutines in the Bilboes,[5] rashly, [Sidenote: bilbo]

(And praise be rashnesse for it)[6] let vs know, [Sidenote: prayed]

Our indiscretion sometimes serues vs well, [Sidenote: sometime]

When our deare plots do paule,[7] and that should teach vs, [Sidenote: deepe should learne us]

[Sidenote: 146, 181] There's a Diuinity that shapes our ends,[8]

Rough-hew them how we will.[9]

_Hor._ That is most certaine.

_Ham._ Vp from my Cabin My sea-gowne scarft about me in the darke, Grop'd I to finde out them;[10] had my desire, Finger'd their Packet[11], and in fine, withdrew To mine owne roome againe, making so bold, (My feares forgetting manners) to vnseale [Sidenote: to vnfold]

Their grand Commission, where I found _Horatio_, Oh royall[12] knauery: An exact command, [Sidenote: A royall]

[Sidenote: 196] Larded with many seuerall sorts of reason; [Sidenote: reasons,]

Importing Denmarks health, and Englands too, With hoo, such Bugges[13] and Goblins in my life, [Sidenote: hoe]

That on the superuize[14] no leasure bated,[15]

No not to stay the grinding of the Axe, My head shoud be struck off.

_Hor._ Ist possible?

_Ham._ Here's the Commission, read it at more leysure: