Had he the motive and the cue for passion, 1 A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak, Ha! Why, I should take it: for it cannot be, A scullion! 8 the cue for passion,] The hint, the direction. This phrase is theatrical, and occurs at least a dozen times in our author's plays. 9 Like John a-dreams,] John a-dreams, i. e. of dreams, means only John the dreamer; a nickname for any ignorant silly fellow. unpregnant of my cause,] Not quickened with a new desire of vengeance; not teeming with revenge. 2 A damn'd defeat was made.] Defeat, for destruction. Fye upon't! foh! About my brains!* Humph! I have heard, That guilty creatures, sitting at a play, They have proclaim'd their malefactions; For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak I'll tent him to the quick; if he do blench,6 [Exit. ACT III. SCENE I.-A Room in the Castle. Enter King, Queen, POLONIUS, OPHELIA, ROSENCRANTZ, and GUILDENSTErn. King. And can you, by no drift of conference Get from him, why he puts on this confusion; 4 About my brains!] Wits, to your work. Brain, go about the present business. 5 tent him-] Search his wounds. 6 if he do blench,] If he shrink, or start. 7 More relative than this:] More nearly related, closely connected. Grating so harshly all his days of quiet Ros. He does confess, he feels himself distracted; When we would bring him on to some confession Queen. Did he receive you well? Ros. Most like a gentleman. Guil. But with much forcing of his disposition. Ros. Niggard of question; but, of our demands, Most free in his reply. Queen. To any pastime ? Did you assay him Ros. Madam, it so fell out, that certain players To hear of it: They are about the court; Pol. 'Tis most true: And he beseech'd me to entreat your majesties, To hear and see the matter. King. With all my heart; and it doth much con tent me To hear him so inclin❜d. Good gentlemen, give him a further edge, And drive his purpose on to these delights. Ros. We shall, my lord. King. [Exeunt ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN. Sweet Gertrude, leave us too: For we have closely sent for Hamlet hither; 8 o'er-raught on the way:] O'er-raught, is over-reached, that is, over-took. Affront Ophelia : 9 Her father, and myself (lawful espials,)1 Will so bestow ourselves, that, seeing, unseen, That thus he suffers for. Queen. I shall obey you : And, for your part, Ophelia, I do wish, That your good beauties be the happy cause Of Hamlet's wildness: so shall I hope, your virtues To both your honours. Oph. Madam, I wish it may. [Exit Queen. Pol. Ophelia, walk you here: - Gracious, so please you, We will bestow ourselves: Read on this book; [TO OPHELIA. That show of such an exercise may colour Your loneliness. We are oft to blame in this, - The devil himself.. King. [Aside. Pol. I hear him coming; let's withdraw, my lord. [Exeunt King and POLONIUS. 9 Affront Ophelia:] To affront, is only to meet directly. 1 espials,] i. e. spies. 2 'Tis too much prov'd,] It is found by too frequent experience. 3 more ugly to the thing that helps it,] That is, compared with the thing that helps it. Enter HAMLET. Ham. To be, or not to be, that is the question: - And, by opposing, end them?-To die, to sleep, The heart-ach, and the thousand natural shocks Devoutly to be wish'd. 'tis a consummation To die; — to sleep; To sleep! perchance to dream;-ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, 4 Must give us pause: There's the respect, That makes calamity of so long life: 5 6 For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, " That patient merit of the unworthy takes, With a bare bodkin?7 who would fardels bear, But that the dread of something after death, 4 5 6 shuffled off this mortal coil,] i. e. turmoil, bustle. There's the respect,] i. e. the consideration. the whips and scorns of time,] It may be remarked, that Hamlet, in his enumeration of miseries, forgets, whether properly or not, that he is a prince, and mentions many evils to which inferior stations only are exposed. JOHNSON. 7 might his quietus make With a bare bodkin ?] The first expression probably alluded to the writ of discharge, which was formerly granted to those barons and knights who personally attended the king on any foreign expedition; and were therefore exempted from the claims of scutage, or a tax on every knight's fee. This discharge was called a quietus. A bodkin was the ancient term for a small dagger. |