Hamlet: Selected Key Passages Jenkins Arden Shakespeare, acts, scenes, lines and the Enfolded Hamlet, through line numbers Stay, Illusion. I. i. 72-147 -- 85-141 85 Hor This bodes some strange eruption to our state. 86 Mar Good, now [1] sit down and tell me, he-that-knows, 87 Why this same strict and most observant watch 88 So nightly toils the subject of the land, [2] 89 And why such daily cast of brazen cannon 90 And foreign mart for implements of war, [3] 91 Why such impress[4] of shipwrights, whose sore task 92 Does not divide the Sunday from the week. 93 What might be toward[5] that this sweaty haste 94 Doth make the night joint laborer with the day, 95 Who is't that can inform me? 96 Hor That can I. 97 At least the whisper goes so. Our last king, 98 Whose image even but now appeared to us, 99 Was as you know by Fortinbras[6] of Norway 100 Thereto pricked on[7] by a most emulate[8] pride, 101 Dared to the combat; in which our valiant Hamlet 102 (For so this side of our known world esteemed him) 103 Did slay this Fortinbras, who by a sealed compact 104 Well ratified by law and heraldry, 105 Did forfeit with his life all those his lands 106 Which he stood seized of, to the conqueror -- 107 Against the which a moiety competent[9] 108 Was gaged[10] by our king, which had returned 109 To the inheritance of Fortinbras, 110 Had he been vanquisher. As by the same covenant 111 And carriage[11] of the article designed, 112 His fell to Hamlet. Now sir, young Fortinbras 113 Of unimproved mettle,[12] hot and full, 114 Hath in the skirts[13] of Norway here and there 115 Sharked[14] up a list of lawless[15] resolutes[16] 116 For food and diet to some enterprise 117 That hath a stomach in't,[17] which is no other -- 118 As it doth well appear unto our state -- 119 But to recover of us by strong hand 120 And terms compulsatory, those foresaid lands 121 So by his father lost. And this, I take it, 122 Is the main motive of our preparations, 123 The source of this our watch, and the chief head 124 Of this posthaste[18]and rummage[19] in the land.[20] 124+1 Bar I think it be no other but e'en so. 124+2 Well may it sort[21] that this portentous figure 124+3 Comes armed through our watch so like the king 124+4 That was -- and is -- the question of these wars. 124+5 Hor A mote it is to trouble the mind's eye: 124+6 In the most high and palmy[22] state of Rome, 124+7 A little ere the mightiest Julius fell, 124+8 The graves stood tenantless and the sheeted[23]dead 124+9 Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets -- 124+10 As stars with trains of fire and dews of blood -- 124+11 Disasters[24] in the sun -- and the moist star[25] 124+12 Upon whose influence Neptune's empire stands, 124+13 Was sick almost to doomsday with eclipse. 124+14 And even the like precurse[26] of fear events -- 124+15 As harbingers preceding still[27] the fates 124+16 And prologue to the omen coming on -- 124+17 Have heaven and earth together demonstrated 124+18 Unto our climatures[28] and countrymen.[29] 125 Enter Ghost again 126 But soft, behold, lo where it comes again! 127 I'll cross it though it blast me![30]--Stay, Illusion! It spreads his arms[31] 128 If thou[32] hast any sound or use of voice, 129 Speak to me. If there be any good thing to be done 130 That may to thee do ease, and grace to me, 130 Speak to me. 131 If thou art privy to thy country's fate 132 Which happily foreknowing may avoid, 132 O speak. 133 Or if thou hast uphoarded in thy life 134 Extorted treasure in the womb of earth 135 For which, they say, you spirits oft walk[33] in death, The cock crows 136 Speak of it. Stay and speak -- stop it Marcellus! 137 Mar Shall I strike it with my partisan?[34] 138 Hor Do, if it will not stand. 139 Bar 'Tis here. 140 Hor 'Tis here. 141 Mar 'Tis gone. Exit Ghost [1] "good now" can mean "please" or "very good" but Quarto 1 separates them with a comma, which is more playable [2] why so late toil the subjects of this land [3] bronze cannon and shopping for armaments [4] forced service [5] soon happening [6] Fortinbras = Fr., Strong-Arm [7] spurred [8] envious [9] similar portion [10] pledged [11] terms [12] crude courage [13] far reaches [14] indiscriminately gobbled [15] can also be "landless resolutes," which makes Fortinbras seem a bit less barbarous [16] desperadoes [17] requiring courage [18] galloping haste [19] uproar [20] A few lines ago, Horatio gave his comrades physical descriptions of the king on two occasions. Later, he will say that he saw the late king once (TLN 375). Now he has just described hand-to-hand combat between King Hamlet and the king of Norway. So Horatio could not have seen this fight, nor the sledded Poles on the ice. [21] it may well be why [22] prosperous [23] enshrouded [24] There is a missing word or line, but the sense is that the stars and sun foretold disasters. [25] the moon [26] same portents [27] always [28] regions [29] The scholar Horatio is teaching about Rome -- maybe his speeches about Norway and Poles on the ice are just tropes. In a way, it seems like eye-witness testimony, but Horatio may be using poetic license like a university don. [30] I will face it, cross its path. [31] reading from the 2nd Quarto [32] By convention, sixteenth century English speakers addressed God (and the supernatural) with the intimate pronoun -- thee, thou, thine -- which later Hamlet will use with the Ghost. [33] Horatio knows the reasons the dead are restless: to finish an incomplete good deed or to repair an ill deed; to warn of impending catastrophe; or to visit stolen or ill-gotten gold -- standard Elizabethan lore. [34] pike
|  85 This bodes some strange eruption to our state. 86 Mar. Good now sit downe, and tell me he that knowes, 87 Why this same strikt and most obseruant watch 88 So nightly toiles the subiect of the land, 89 And {with} <why> such dayly {cost} <Cast> of brazon Cannon 90 And forraine marte, for implements of warre, 91 Why such impresse of ship-writes, whose sore taske 92 Does not deuide the Sunday from the weeke, 93 What might be toward that this sweaty hast 94 Doth make the night ioynt labourer with the day, 95 Who ist that can informe mee? 96 Hora. That can I. 97 <nn5> At least the whisper goes so; our last King, 98 Whose image euen but now appear'd to vs, 99 Was as you knowe by Fortinbrasse of Norway, 100 Thereto prickt on by a most emulate pride 101 Dar'd to the combat; in which our valiant Hamlet, 102 (For so this side of our knowne world esteemd him) 103 Did slay this Fortinbrasse, who by a seald compact 104 Well ratified by lawe and {heraldy} <Heraldrie,> 105 {B2v} Did forfait (with his life) all {these} <those> his lands 106 Which he stood seaz'd {of} <on>, to the conquerour. 107 Against the which a moitie competent 108 Was gaged by our King, which had {returne} <return'd> 109 To the inheritance of Fortinbrasse, 110 Had he bin vanquisher; as by the same {comart,} <Cou'nant> 111 And carriage of the article desseigne, 112 His fell to Hamlet; now Sir, young Fortinbrasse 113 Of vnimprooued mettle, hot and full, 114 Hath in the skirts of Norway heere and there 115 Sharkt vp a list of {lawelesse} <Landlesse> resolutes 116 For foode and diet to some enterprise 117 That hath a stomacke in't, which is no other 118 {As} <And> it doth well appeare vnto our state 119 But to recouer of vs by strong hand 120 And tearmes {compulsatory} <Compulsatiue>, those foresaid lands 121 So by his father lost; and this I take it, 122 Is the maine motiue of our preparations 123 The source of this our watch, and the chiefe head 124 Of this post hast and Romadge in the land. 124+1 { Bar. I thinke it be no other, but enso;} 124+2 {Well may it sort that this portentous figure} 124+3 {Comes armed through our watch so like the King} 124+4 {That was and is the question of these warres.} 124+5 { Hora. A moth it is to trouble the mindes eye:} 124+6 {In the most high and palmy state of Rome,} 124+7 {A little ere the mightiest Iulius fell} 124+8 {The graues stood tennatlesse, and the sheeted dead} 124+9 {Did squeake and gibber in the Roman streets} 124+10 {As starres with traines of fier, and dewes of blood} 124+11 {Disasters in the sunne; and the moist starre,} 124+12 {Vpon whose influence Neptunes Empier stands,} 124+13 {Was sicke almost to doomesday with eclipse.} 124+14 {And euen the like precurse of feare euents} 124+15 {As harbindgers preceading still the fates} 124+16 {And prologue to the Omen comming on} 124+17 {Haue heauen and earth together demonstrated} 124+18 {Vnto our Climatures and countrymen.} 125 Enter Ghost <againe>. 126 {B3} But soft, behold, loe where it comes againe 127 Ile crosse it though it blast mee: stay illusion, {It spreads} 128 If thou hast any sound or vse of voyce, {his armes.} 129 Speake to me, if there be any good thing to be done 130 That may to thee doe ease, and grace to mee, 130 Speake to me. 131 If thou art priuie to thy countries fate 132 Which happily foreknowing may auoyd 132 O speake: 133 Or if thou hast vphoorded in thy life 134 Extorted treasure in the wombe of earth 135 For which they say {your} <you> spirits oft walke in death. {The cocke} 136 Speake of it, stay and speake, stop it Marcellus. {crowes.} 137 Mar. Shall I strike <at> it with my partizan? 138 Hor. Doe if it will not stand. 139 Bar. Tis heere. 140 Hor. Tis heere. 141 Mar. Tis gone. <Exit Ghost.> NOTES Denmark is again on the verge of war with Norway, the country is filled with anxiety and anticipation. Horatio and his companions know that armaments are being manufactured seven days a week, night and day, armies levied, preparations for war proceeding furiously. Now an image of the late king has appeared in full battle dress. What does this foretell about war and the fate of Denmark? 124+5 Unlike the others, Horatio has Latin (note the pun: H + oration). The language of scholars is also the language of exorcism -- demons can best be addressed in Latin. His reflex under stress, he continues to teach his anxious friends as if they were in a classroom (and he must cordially wish he were somewhere safe). This time it's a classics lesson. He reaches back, not just thirty years, but back to ancient Rome -- and to another ruler dead, another throne usurped. For the second time in a few lines, Horatio alludes to usurpation. Brave and knowledgeable, he is the man to bring on a mission -- Elizabethan audiences knew that crossing the path of a supernatural being courts destruction. ("I'll cross it" has nothing to do with making the sign of the cross. Besides, Horatio styles himself as pagan, not Christian. Moreover, Horatio knows how to ask unquiet spirits what they need. It's important here for the director to decide how to play this face-off between man and ghost. The Second Quarto says "It spreads his armes," TLN 126-7. Horatio's gestures could be warding off the Ghost, to stop it approaching -- or begging it not to leave -- or both. 127 Time stands still. Stay, Illusion! Horatio here speaks for all humankind -- Stay, Illusion! While the apparition seems to be the late king bearing a prophecy of war, it might be an unclean spirit. Pagan notions of the supernatural blend with the narrative of Christianity. Later in the scene after the Ghost has left, the thoughts of the three men, relieved now to be safe, turn to the season of Advent. These passages further characterize Horatio: I do in part believe it. Is Horatio saying that he believes a part of the story or that part of him believes the story? At first skeptical of its existence, Horatio now has an intuition: the Illusion will speak to Hamlet. Time flies in situations of high emotion: Only 160 or so lines elapse between "midnight" and "dawn," yet the audience accepts the passage of five hours as perfectly real, and this happens the following night as well. Here, both of the Ghost's entrances interrupt a narrated episode in the past tense, so two "clocks" are ticking -- one in the oral history being reported, and one that starts the instant the Ghost stops the first clock. But present time compressed into the narrative past tense becomes only a moment. Shakespeare creates a world onstage so real that its version of elapsed time is the one we accept, not audience-time. The first scene ends with a dozen questions raised and the audience honed to the edge of suspense. The character of Horatio has been established, a renaissance man living the examined life. (Hamlet is set in medieval Denmark, not the Renaissance, but Shakespeare delights in anachronisms. He seems deliberately to leave time "out of joint." As Bloom puts it, sometimes he was "... wonderfully careless on matters of time and space." Poem Unlimited, p 6.)Note on the text: The primary source here is the Enfolded Hamlet of Bernice W. Kliman, ©1996, a conflation of the 1604/05 Second Quarto and the First Folio of 1623. (at www.leoyan.com/global-language.com/ENFOLDED/) Through Line Numbers (TLNs) are based on the Folio. Depending on what readings seem most sensible and accessible to the modern ear, textual choices have been made on a line-by-line, within-line, and word-by-word basis from the melded version. The First Quarto of 1603 has been consulted where possible in an attempt to resolve conflicts in meaning between the Folio and Second Quarto. Spelling is updated to US English, and each line has been repunctuated in accordance with my understanding of the text -- J Groves |