The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Part 37

[Footnote 12: Shakspere must have himself suffered from such clowns: Coleridge thinks some of their _gag_ has crept into his print.]

[Footnote 13: Here follow in the _1st Q._ several specimens of such a clown's foolish jests and behaviour.]

[Page 134]

_Enter Polonius, Rosincrance, and Guildensterne_.[1]

[Sidenote: _Guyldensterne, & Rosencraus_.]

How now my Lord, Will the King heare this peece of Worke?

_Pol_. And the Queene too, and that presently.[2]

_Ham_. Bid the Players make hast.

_Exit Polonius_.[3]

Will you two helpe to hasten them?[4]

_Both_. We will my Lord. _Exeunt_.

[Sidenote: _Ros_. I my Lord. _Exeunt they two_.]

_Enter Horatio_[5]

_Ham_. What hoa, _Horatio_? [Sidenote: What howe,]

_Hora_. Heere sweet Lord, at your Seruice.

[Sidenote: 26] _Ham_.[7] _Horatio_, thou art eene as iust a man As ere my Conversation coap'd withall.

_Hora_. O my deere Lord.[6]

_Ham_.[7] Nay do not thinke I flatter: For what aduancement may I hope from thee,[8]

That no Reuennew hast, but thy good spirits To feed and cloath thee. Why shold the poor be flatter'd?

No, let the Candied[9] tongue, like absurd pompe, [Sidenote: licke]

And crooke the pregnant Hindges of the knee,[10]

Where thrift may follow faining? Dost thou heare, [Sidenote: fauning;]

Since my deere Soule was Mistris of my choyse;[11]

[Sidenote: her choice,]

And could of men distinguish, her election Hath seal'd thee for her selfe. For thou hast bene [Sidenote: S'hath seald]

[Sidenote: 272] As one in suffering all, that suffers nothing.

A man that Fortunes buffets, and Rewards Hath 'tane with equall Thankes. And blest are those, [Sidenote: Hast]

Whose Blood and Iudgement are so well co-mingled, [Sidenote: comedled,[12]]

[Sidenote: 26] That they are not a Pipe for Fortunes finger, To sound what stop she please.[13] Giue me that man, That is not Pa.s.sions Slaue,[14] and I will weare him In my hearts Core: I, in my Heart of heart,[15]

As I do thee. Something too much of this.[16]

[Footnote 1: _In Q. at end of speech._]

[Footnote 2: He humours Hamlet as if he were a child.]

[Footnote 3: _Not in Q._]

[Footnote 4: He has sent for Horatio, and is expecting him.]

[Footnote 5: _In Q. after next speech._]

[Footnote 6: --repudiating the praise.]

[Footnote 7: To know a man, there is scarce a readier way than to hear him talk of his friend--why he loves, admires, chooses him. The Poet here gives us a wide window into Hamlet. So genuine is his respect for _being_, so indifferent is he to _having_, that he does not shrink, in argument for his own truth, from reminding his friend to his face that, being a poor man, nothing is to be gained from him--nay, from telling him that it is through his poverty he has learned to admire him, as a man of courage, temper, contentment, and independence, with nothing but his good spirits for an income--a man whose manhood is dominant both over his senses and over his fortune--a true Stoic. He describes an ideal man, then clasps the ideal to his bosom as his own, in the person of his friend. Only a great man could so worship another, choosing him for such qualities; and hereby Shakspere shows us his Hamlet--a brave, n.o.ble, wise, pure man, beset by circ.u.mstances the most adverse conceivable. That Hamlet had not misapprehended Horatio becomes evident in the last scene of all. 272.]

[Footnote 8: The mother of flattery is self-advantage.]

[Footnote 9: _sugared_. _1st Q._:

Let flattery sit on those time-pleasing tongs; To glose with them that loues to heare their praise; And not with such as thou _Horatio_.

There is a play to night, &c.]

[Footnote 10: A pregnant figure and phrase, requiring thought.]

[Footnote 11: 'since my real self a.s.serted its dominion, and began to rule my choice,' making it pure, and withdrawing it from the tyranny of impulse and liking.]

[Footnote 12: The old word _medle_ is synonymous with _mingle._]

[Footnote 13: To Hamlet, the lordship of man over himself, despite of circ.u.mstance, is a truth, and therefore a duty.]

[Footnote 14: The man who has chosen his friend thus, is hardly himself one to act without sufficing reason, or take vengeance without certain proof of guilt.]

[Footnote 15: He justifies the phrase, repeating it.]

[Footnote 16: --apologetic for having praised him to his face.]

[Page 136]

There is a Play to night before the King, One Scoene of it comes neere the Circ.u.mstance Which I haue told thee, of my Fathers death.

I prythee, when thou see'st that Acte a-foot,[1]

Euen with the verie Comment of my[2] Soule [Sidenote: thy[2] soule]

Obserue mine Vnkle: If his occulted guilt, [Sidenote: my Vncle,]

Do not it selfe vnkennell in one speech, [Sidenote: 58] It is a d.a.m.ned Ghost that we haue seene:[3]

And my Imaginations are as foule As Vulcans Stythe.[4] Giue him needfull note, [Sidenote: st.i.thy; heedfull]

For I mine eyes will riuet to his Face: And after we will both our iudgements ioyne,[5]

To censure of his seeming.[6] [Sidenote: in censure]

_Hora._ Well my Lord.

If he steale ought the whil'st this Play is Playing. [Sidenote: if a]

And scape detecting, I will pay the Theft.[1] [Sidenote: detected,]

_Enter King, Queene, Polonius, Ophelia, Rosincrance, Guildensterne, and other Lords attendant with his Guard carrying Torches. Danish March.

Sound a Flourish._ [Sidenote: _Enter Trumpets and Kettle Drummes, King, Queene, Polonius, Ophelia._]