The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Part 54

[Footnote 9: pretending despair over his madness.]

[Page 190]

_Ham._ For England?

_King._ I _Hamlet_.

_Ham._ Good.

_King._ So is it, if thou knew'st our purposes.

_Ham._ I see a Cherube that see's him: but [Sidenote: sees them,]

come, for England. Farewell deere Mother.

_King._ Thy louing Father _Hamlet_.

_Hamlet._ My Mother: Father and Mother is man and wife: man and wife is one flesh, and so [Sidenote: flesh, so my]

my mother.[1] Come, for England. _Exit_

[Sidenote: 195] _King._ Follow him at foote,[2]

Tempt him with speed aboord: Delay it not, He haue him hence to night.

Away, for euery thing is Seal'd and done That else leanes on[3] th'Affaire pray you make hast.

And England, if my loue thou holdst at ought, As my great power thereof may giue thee sense, Since yet thy Cicatrice lookes raw and red[4]

After the Danish Sword, and thy free awe Payes homage to vs[5]; thou maist not coldly set[6]

Our Soueraigne Processe,[7] which imports at full By Letters conjuring to that effect [Sidenote: congruing]

The present death of _Hamlet_. Do it England, For like the Hecticke[8] in my blood he rages, And thou must cure me: Till I know 'tis done, How ere my happes,[9] my ioyes were ne're begun.[10]

[Sidenote: ioyes will nere begin.]

_Exit_[11]

[Sidenote: 274] [12]_Enter Fortinbras with an Armie._ [Sidenote: with his Army ouer the stage.]

_For._ Go Captaine, from me greet the Danish King, Tell him that by his license, _Fortinbras_ [Sidenote: 78] Claimes the conueyance[13] of a promis'd March [Sidenote: Craues the]

Ouer his Kingdome. You know the Rendeuous:[14]

[Footnote 1: He will not touch the hand of his father's murderer.]

[Footnote 2: 'at his heels.']

[Footnote 3: 'belongs to.']

[Footnote 4: 'as my great power may give thee feeling of its value, seeing the scar of my vengeance has hardly yet had time to heal.']

[Footnote 5: 'and thy fear uncompelled by our presence, pays homage to us.']

[Footnote 6: 'set down to cool'; 'set in the cold.']

[Footnote 7: _mandate_: 'Where's Fulvia's process?' _Ant. and Cl._, act i. sc. 1. _Shakespeare Lexicon_.]

[Footnote 8: _hectic fever--habitual_ or constant fever.]

[Footnote 9: 'whatever my fortunes.']

[Footnote 10: The original, the _Quarto_ reading--'_my ioyes will nere begin_' seems to me in itself better, and the cause of the change to be as follows.

In the _Quarto_ the next scene stands as in our modern editions, ending with the rime,

o from this time forth, My thoughts be b.l.o.o.d.y, or be nothing worth. _Exit_.

This was the act-pause, the natural end of act iii.

But when the author struck out all but the commencement of the scene, leaving only the three little speeches of Fortinbras and his captain, then plainly the act-pause must fall at the end of the preceding scene.

He therefore altered the end of the last verse to make it rime with the foregoing, in accordance with his frequent way of using a rime before an important pause.

It perplexes us to think how on his way to the vessel, Hamlet could fall in with the Norwegian captain. This may have been one of Shakspere's reasons for striking the whole scene out--but he had other and more pregnant reasons.]

[Footnote 11: Here is now the proper close of the _Third Act_.]

[Footnote 12: _Commencement of the Fourth Act._

Between the third and the fourth pa.s.ses the time Hamlet is away; for the latter, in which he returns, and whose scenes are _contiguous_, needs no more than one day.]

[Footnote 13: 'claims a convoy in fulfilment of the king's promise to allow him to march over his kingdom.' The meaning is made plainer by the correspondent pa.s.sage in the _1st Quarto_:

Tell him that _Fortenbra.s.se_ nephew to old _Norway_, Craues a free pa.s.se and conduct ouer his land, According to the Articles agreed on:]

[Footnote 14: 'where to rejoin us.']

[Page 192]

If that his Maiesty would ought with vs, We shall expresse our dutie in his eye,[1]

And let[2] him know so.

_Cap._ I will doo't, my Lord.

_For._ Go safely[3] on. _Exit._ [Sidenote: softly]

[A]

[4] _Enter Queene and Horatio_.

[Sidenote: _Enter Horatio, Gertrard, and a Gentleman_.]

_Qu._ I will not speake with her.

_Hor._[5] She is importunate, indeed distract, her [Sidenote: _Gent_.]

moode will needs be pittied.

_Qu_. What would she haue?

_Hor_. She speakes much of her Father; saies she heares [Sidenote: _Gent_.]