No jocund health,5 that Denmark drinks to-day, [Exeunt King, Queen, Lords, &c. POLONIUS, Ham. O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew !" Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God! Hyperion to a satyr: so loving to my mother, By what it fed on: And yet, within a month,- man! A little month; or ere those shoes were old, No jocund health,] The King's intemperance is very strongly impressed; every thing that happens to him gives him occasion to drink. 6 the king's rouse-] i. e. the King's draught of jollity. 7 resolve itself into a dew!] Resolve means the same as dissolve. 8 merely.] is entirely, absolutely. 9 Hyperion to a satyr:] Hyperion or Apollo is represented in all the ancient statues, &c. as exquisitely beautiful, the satyrs hideously ugly. 1 That he might not beteem-] i. e. permit, or suffer. Like Niobe, all tears;-why she, even she,— O heaven! a beast, that wants discourse of reason, Would have mourn'd longer,-married with my uncle, My father's brother; but no more like my father, Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears But break, my heart; for I must hold my tongue! Enter HORATIO, BERNARDO, and MARCELLUS. Hor. Hail to your lordship! Ham. I am glad to see you well: Horatio,―or I do forget myself. Hor. The same, my lord, and your poor servant ever. Ham. Sir, my good friend; I'll change that name' with you. And what make you3 from Wittenberg, Horatio?— Marcellus? Mar. My good lord, Ham. I am very glad to see you; good even, sir.But what, in faith, make you from Wittenberg? Hor. A truant disposition, good my lord. Ham. I would not hear 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. 2 be my 3 doing. I'll change that name-] I'll be your servant, you shall friend. what make you-] A familiar phrase for what are you Hor. My lord, I came to see your father's funeral. I think, it was to see my mother's wedding. Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables. Hor. My lord? Ham. In my mind's eye, Horatio. Where, Hor. I saw him once, he was a goodly king. I shall not look upon his like again. Hor. My lord, I think I saw him yesternight. Hor. My lord, the king your father. Ham. The king my father! Hor. Season your admiration for a while With an attent ear; till I may deliver, Upon the witness of This marvel to you. Ham. these gentlemen, For God's love, let me hear. Hor. Two nights together had these gentlemen, Marcellus and Bernardo, on their watch, In the dead waist and middle of the night, 8 4 the funeral bak'd meats-] It was anciently the general custom to give a cold entertainment to mourners at a funeral. In distant counties this practice is continued among the yeomanry. dearest foe in heaven-] Dearest is most immediate, consequential, important. 5 6 Season your admiration-] That is, temper it. 7 With an attent ear;] Attent for attentive. • In the dead waist and middle of the night,] This strange Been thus encounter'd. A figure like your father, Appears before them, and, with solemn march, Stand dumb, and speak not to him. This to me And I with them, the third night kept the watch: Form of the thing, each word made true and good, Ham. father; But where was this? Mar. My lord, upon the platform where we watch'd. Ham. Did you not speak to it? Hor. My lord, I did; Itself to motion, like as it would speak: Ham. 'Tis very strange. Hor. As I do live, my honour'd lord, 'tis true; And we did think it writ down in our duty, To let you know of it. Ham. Indeed, indeed, sirs, but this troubles me. Hold you the watch to-night? phraseology seems to have been common in the time of Shakspeare. By waist is meant nothing more than middle. 9 with the act of fear,] Fear was the cause, the active cause that distilled them by the force of operation which we strictly call act in voluntary, and power in involuntary agents, but popularly call act in both. JOHNSON. Hor. O, yes, my lord; he wore his beaver up." Ham. I would, I had been there. Hor. It would have much amaz'd you. Very like: Stay'd it long? Very like, Hor. While one with moderate haste might tell a hundred. Mar. Ber. Longer, longer. Hor. Not when I saw it. Ham. His beard was grizzl'd? no? Hor. It was, as I have seen it in his life, A sable silver'd. Ham. I will watch to-night; I warrant, it will. Perchance, 'twill walk again. Hor. 9 wore his beaver up.] Though beaver properly signified that part of the helmet which was let down, to enable the wearer to drink, Shakspeare always uses the word as denoting that part of the helmet which, when raised up, exposed the face of the wearer and such was the popular signification of the word in his time. |