. the Tragical History of . H A M L E T . Prince of Denmark . -:-:- Notes

Scene 1 [~ Who's There ~] (Act 1 Scene 1)

EH 1, to EH 2

Setting: Elsinore Castle, the capital of Denmark;

A guard post at a cannon platform outside the castle wall;
A cold, moonless night;
A distant church bell is tolling midnight.
(Francisco and Barnardo enter)
~-~-~

Elsinore Castle, the location of Hamlet, is built at the edge of the sea. Elsinore Castle is based on historic Kronborg Castle, Denmark, a castle beside the Øresund, the waterway between modern Denmark and Sweden. The Øresund connects the Baltic Sea to the North Sea, and is an important shipping channel. The Castle empowers the Danes to control shipping through the channel.

The platform, where this scene is set, is a large mound of hard-packed earth with a flat, leveled top. It provides an elevated position for cannons, and observers, outside the castle wall. The platforms outside the wall strengthen the castle defenses. The job of the sentinels is three-fold: guard the cannons; keep watch over the area, including ships sailing the Øresund; and be ready to sound an alert and summon cannoneers if they're needed.

The sentinel on duty walks back and forth to patrol the area, and to stay awake, but the sentinels do not march in the formal, parade style that guards would march for a public show. The sentinels are free to move about and inspect the area as they see fit.

Because there's a threat of war, as we'll learn, the sentinels do not have a fire, or bright lanterns, that an enemy could take aim at, or use to identify their exact position at night. Also, they do not want a bright light that would spoil their night vision. It's moonless on this night, or the moon is behind thick clouds, and it's dark enough that Barnardo and Francisco have to be close to each other to recognize each other as anything more than a human-looking shape in the darkness. They rely very much on sound.

The sentinels are not of high rank, or they would not have drawn such lonely, unpleasant duty. However, they are of high enough rank, and long enough service, to be considered thoroughly trustworthy.

Francisco is the sentinel on duty. Barnardo approaches to relieve Francisco at midnight.

EH 3, to EH 10

Barnardo: Who's there?
Francisco: Nay, answer me! Stand and unfold yourself!
Bar: Long live the King!
Fra: Barnardo?
Bar: He.
Fra: You come most carefully upon your hour.
~-~-~

Barnardo knows that Francisco is supposed to be on duty, but he has recently seen another human shape in that area, as we'll learn. As Barnardo approaches Francisco, and sees a human shape in the darkness, he calls out, to be sure of who - or what - it is.

Francisco, on duty, rightly responds that it's up to the one approaching to identify himself. Stand means "stop," and unfold means "reveal" in the sense of "identify." The word unfold has an undertone of mystery, which anticipates the later appearance of the Ghost, and some other things in the play.

Barnardo's response of Long live the King! is not a password or a watchword. The sentinels do not use any password or watchword, because nobody is allowed at that military location who is not known to them. The sentinels are all from the military garrison at Elsinore Castle, and they'll recognize the other military personnel. A password would be superfluous; they rely on personal recognition.

When Barnardo exclaims, Long live the King! he's saying the first thing he thinks of, that will declare him as friendly, and so that Francisco can recognize his voice. It's a reflexive response. Barnardo's choice of words is doubly ironic, since King Hamlet has recently died, and King Claudius is not going to live much longer, as we'll see. Barnardo thinks of the phrase because he has heard it recently being shouted for Claudius at Claudius's coronation. Barnardo probably shouted it, himself, at that time.

The sentinels do not shake hands, by the way. The correct gesture is a military salute. It's a tense military situation, not a social occasion.

Francisco thinks he recognizes Barnardo's voice, and Barnardo then identifies himself directly and simply. Your hour means "your appointed time." Francisco means that Barnardo is on time, or close enough. Francisco makes a remark about how carefully Barnardo approached, since Francisco is a little annoyed that Barnardo startled him.

EH 11, to EH 17

Bar: 'Tis now struck twelve; get thee to bed, Francisco.
Fra: For this relief, much thanks; 'tis bitter cold,
And I am sick at heart.
Bar: Have you had quiet guard?
Fra: Not a mouse stirring.
Bar: Well, good night;
If you do meet Horatio and Marcellus,
The rivals of my watch, bid them make haste.
~-~-~

Francisco thanks Barnardo sincerely. The thanks reveals that the men are friends, or at least friendly acquaintances. Much thanks means "many thanks." Francisco pauses to remark on the weather, and how he feels.

Bitter cold is short for "bitterly cold," and also has an undertone of meaning for the death of Hamlet Sr. Bitter can mean "sorrowful," or "grievous," so it implies that Francisco is feeling grief over the death of King Hamlet. Bitter cold can be read as "sorrowfully cold" or "grievously cold," in addition to the more usual meaning of "intensely cold." The coldness Francisco feels is not only from the weather, it's psychological, too. It might even be supernatural, as the time approaches for the Ghost to appear.

Francisco's remark about being sick at heart carries a sense of foreboding. It can be compared to Hamlet's remark in the last Scene of the play, where Hamlet will tell Horatio, "thou would'st not think how ill all's here about my heart." Francisco is worried about the way things are at Elsinore.

Barnardo's question to Francisco about quiet guard is his cautious way of asking whether the Ghost has already appeared, or anything else strange has happened. He doesn't mention the Ghost to Francisco. Francisco doesn't know about the Ghost (since Francisco goes off duty before it appears.) When Barnardo doesn't explain why he approached carefully, it shows he doesn't want to tell Francisco about seeing a ghost.

Not a mouse stirring means Francisco hasn't observed the slightest thing worth mention. He hasn't seen the Ghost. Also, the line is an anticipatory allusion to Claudius, the "mouse" of the 'Mousetrap Play' which Hamlet will arrange to try to "catch" Claudius. By contrast with Claudius's noisy carrousing which we'll see the next night, on this night the mouse Claudius is asleep.

In further significance, mouse is the first allusion in the play to Saint Gertrude of Nivelles, who is associated with the play's Queen Gertrude. Saint Gertrude of N. is, among other things, a patron against mice.

"Rival" originally meant a person who used water from the same river. A "rival" is therefore a known person, and not a stranger. The word usage follows on the idea that only known persons are allowed at this military position. With rivals of my watch Barnardo means Horatio and Marcellus are both known persons, and are his companions for the watch duty.

The idea, of rivals being known persons, relates to Hamlet's later instruction to Horatio to welcome what he sees as he would welcome a stranger. One is naturally more suspicious of strangers than of known persons.

The phrase rivals of my watch can be read as referring to persons who watch the same thing, the way the original rivals watched the same river. The night is cast as the "river of the night," and the men watch the night as it flows by. It's the idea that time flows like a river, and people watch events as time carries them by. The sentinels are rivals watching the river of the night.

Barnardo wants Horatio and Marcellus to hurry, because he doesn't want to face the Ghost alone if it appears again, or to be alone if some other strange thing looms out of the darkness.

EH 18, to EH 25

(Horatio and Marcellus enter)
Francisco: I think I hear them; stand ho, who is there?
Horatio: Friends to this ground.
Marcellus: And liegemen to the Dane.
Fra: Give you good night.
Marc: Oh . . . farewell, honest soldier; who has relieved you?
Fra: Barnardo has my place; give you good night.
(Francisco exits)
~-~-~

When Francisco hears Horatio and Marcellus, he challenges them according to proper military procedure. It's correct for the sentinels to make sure of persons who are there, even as they're going off duty.

Horatio announces as friends to this ground because he's there as a friend of Hamlet, the Prince of that "ground," and also he's a friend of the sentinels. His business in being there is friendship. He's an invited guest.

Marcellus announces as liegemen to the Dane because he's a soldier sworn in service to the King. The Dane is one of the ways the King of Denmark can be named. Marcellus's business in being there is official and formal, he's part of the military garrison.

Marcellus's Oh means he now recognizes Francisco. When Marcellus heard the challenge, he thought at first that it was Barnardo, who's supposed to be on duty at this time, and that Francisco had already left. But when Francisco says good night in his normal voice, Marcellus recognizes it. Marcellus then double-checks to be sure Barnardo is there, as he should be, and Francisco confirms that he is.

The variation in responses proves the military personnel are relying on personal recognition, either by visual appearance or voice, preferably both. The Ghost, which will appear soon, poses a special problem of recognition. They all recognize the appearance of the late King, but that does them no good, since the Ghost isn't a person. Their recognition system has failed, it can't provide security against the Ghost. The Ghost looks like a person they know, and should respect, but it isn't even any person, it's something else.

Horatio is there informally. The sentinels are bending the rules by including him. They've learned he's a university-educated man, and a friend of Hamlet, so they've invited him along in hopes he can assist with the problem the Ghost has caused them.

Since Marcellus is acting as Horatio's escort, it means he's of somewhat higher rank than Francisco and Barnardo. His higher rank is also indicated when he calls Francisco honest soldier, a phrase typically used in speaking to a subordinate. It makes Marcellus not a sentinel, himself, but the supervisor of the watch duty. That's why Marcellus is the one Barnardo told about the Ghost, when Barnardo first saw it on the earlier night: Barnardo was reporting it to his superior. Marcellus then went with Barnardo, and saw the Ghost, too. Then, Marcellus invited Horatio along on this night. Horatio probably met Marcellus, Barnardo, and other military personnel from the Castle, in the local town of Elsinore.

The sentinels have not tried to pass the word about the Ghost through the higher military chain of command, because they fear that their top military commanders would think either that they're unfit for duty, or they're trying to pull some stunt to get out of nighttime guard duty. They're afraid they wouldn't be believed, and might even be punished. With Horatio on their side, if they can show him the Ghost is real, they'll have more credibility, and also, they'll have a way to bypass the normal military chain of command, through Horatio's personal friendship with Hamlet.

EH 26, to EH 29

Marcellus: Holla, Barnardo.
Barnardo: Say . . . what, is Horatio there?
Horatio: A piece of him.
Bar: Welcome, Horatio; welcome, good Marcellus.
~-~-~

Holla means "hello." Marcellus and Horatio are not yet close enough to Barnardo that he can see them clearly and identify them by sight. Marcellus's call serves both as a greeting, and as identification by the sound of his voice.

Barnardo's Say . . . expresses his momentary hesitation because he sees a second human shape in the darkness near Marcellus. Barnardo asks about Horatio to be sure the second human shape he sees is Horatio, and not something else.

By A piece of him, Horatio means, on this bitterly cold night he feels that a piece of him is all that's left. In modern slang, Horatio would be expressing that he feels he's freezing part of his anatomy off, in the cold. The phrase is allusive, since a ghost is only a "piece of a person," so to speak. A ghost is a spirit, without the body. Barnardo was worried for a moment that Horatio might be the Ghost, and then when Horatio speaks to answer Barnardo, he inadvertently likens himself to the Ghost, when he uses the figure of speech about being only a piece of a person.

Barnardo is genuinely glad to see both of them, and he expresses it. The good in "good Marcellus" is a formal touch, in keeping with military courtesy, and it also indicates that he knows Marcellus. Barnardo's greeting to Horatio is a simple, friendly welcome. There's no real difference in Barnardo's pleasure at having each of them to accompany him.

EH 30

Hora: What, has this thing appeared again tonight?
~-~-~

Horatio begins the conversation which explains why he's there. If Barnardo has already seen the Ghost this night, or if Francisco saw it earlier, there's no point in Horatio remaining. Horatio is not convinced that it's really a ghost they've seen, but whatever it is, he wants to know if he's too late to see it. If Horatio has missed seeing the Ghost, he can leave at once, and go home to a nice warm fire. Horatio says thing because, of his own knowledge, he doesn't yet know what to call it.

EH 31, to EH 38

Bar: I have seen nothing.
Marc: Horatio says 'tis but our fantasy,
And will not let belief take hold of him
Touching this dreaded sight twice seen of us;
Therefore, I have entreated him along,
With us, to watch the minutes of this night,
That if again this apparition come
He may approve our eyes, and speak to it.
~-~-~

Barnardo informs Horatio that he hasn't seen the Ghost yet. By leaving Francisco unmentioned, he makes known that Francisco didn't see it earlier. There's a bit of wordplay in Barnardo's use of nothing after Horatio said thing. The play has more "thing" wordplay, later, in different ways.

Marcellus explicitly accounts for the presence of Horatio. He's not really telling Barnardo, or Horatio, anything they didn't already know. With his semi-formal statement, Marcellus is taking responsibility for Horatio's presence, which again indicates that Marcellus is the watch supervisor.

Of us means "by us." The Elizabethans in general, and the author in particular, were more free in their use of prepositions than modern usage is. Also, the author sometimes chose prepositions by the spoken sound of them in his dialogue, or because of the speech rhythm he wanted. He also sometimes chose the prepositions in Hamlet to create ambiguity, intentionally.

Minutes of this night means they're keeping close, careful watch, minute by minute, as the night goes by. There's a pun with the adjective "minute," meaning "small," to convey that they're watching for every small thing that happens, even a mouse stirring.

Approve our eyes means verify that their eyes are working correctly, or in other words, confirm what they're seeing. There's a Sense motif that runs through the play, with many references to eyes and ears, and also the senses of touch, smell, and taste. There is also "sense" wordplay, on the concept of whether things make sense. These mentions of sight and the eyes are early instances on the Sense motif.

Barnardo and Marcellus believe Horatio may be able to speak to the Ghost, because Horatio is a university-educated man, and he knows Latin. Latin was the language of established religion in those days, in addition to being the language of scholars. If the Ghost involves a religious issue, or some abstruse issue a scholar would know about, they hope Horatio can deal with it.

It was a superstition of the times that if a Ghost had something to say, it had to be spoken to first, before it could speak. Also, it was considered dangerous to speak to a Ghost, unless done in the right way. The sentinels, themselves, did not speak to the Ghost when they saw it earlier. They were afraid, and didn't know what to say.

EH 39, to EH 45

Hora: Tush, tush, 'twill not appear.
Bar: Sit down a while
And let us, once again, assail your ears
That are so fortified against our story,
What we two nights have seen.
Hora: Well, sit we down,
And let us hear Barnardo speak of this.
(Horatio sits back on a cannon)
~-~-~

Horatio is sceptical. Tush, tush is approximately equivalent to a modern remark of "nonsense," used as a mild expression of doubt or reproof. Horatio is polite about it, but he doesn't expect to see anything important.

Barnardo's invitation to sit is to Horatio. He's the "guest." The location is a cannon platoform, so a cannon is all there is to sit on.

Now that Barnardo has company he becomes talkative. His remarks are in the play to explain to the audience what's going on, and they also characterize Barnardo as a congenial fellow. Even if what he says is nothing new, Barnardo would rather talk with friends than stand silently.

The military terms, that the story must assail Horatio's fortified ears, goes along with the sentinels' responsibility of guarding Elsinore Castle against attack. The idea is that Horatio has been guarding his ears, against the Ghost story, the way the sentinels guard the castle, figuratively speaking.

What we two nights have seen is an appositive for story, and does not require "with" in front of it.

Two nights is wordplay with "two knights." Barnardo and Marcellus are both military men, and Barnardo happens to use phrasing that can be read to call them two knights. Barnardo himself doesn't mean "knights," it's punning from the author.

Horatio doesn't mind hearing Barnardo talk, even if what he hears is nothing new to him, so he easily agrees. It's more pleasant and friendly talking than standing silent in the middle of a cold night.

Horatio's pronouns we and us are not literal. He's facetiously using "royal" language, that a king would use. He's making a joke because he's invited to sit while they stand. They're "treating him like a king," although the "thing" they want him to see is supposed to be the king. So Horatio good-naturedly uses royal pronouns. He's poking fun at the "king" idea. His joke is, "hey, is this thing, that I'm supposed to see, the king, or is it me?" Horatio rests back on a cannon, with his arms folded.

EH 46, to EH 51

Barnardo: Last night of all,
When yond same star that's westward from the pole,
Had made his course t'illume that part of heaven
Where now it burns, Marcellus and myself,
The bell then beating one . . .
(the Ghost enters)
~-~-~

Last night of all is a verbose, or emphatic, way of saying simply "last night." The phrase of all is ominous, however. Literally, the last night of all would be the last night of the existence of the world. For a man, the last night of all would be the last night of his life.

The pole means the North Pole, marked by the star Polaris. The star to the west, that Barnardo points out, might be Capella. Capella is in the constellation Auriga, the Charioteer. In mythology, the Charioteer is associated with the ideas of serpents and madness, which are significant ideas in the play. It should not be taken that Barnardo is giving the position of a certain star exactly. The star is mentioned for its symbolism in relation to the play.

The word pole offers an allusion to the Polonius character. Although Polonius isn't the star of the play, some tragic events in the play "revolve" around him, so to speak, especially the events of the Nunnery Scene, which will be Polonius's idea, and also the Closet Scene, which is also his idea. An analogy exists between the way the stars in the sky revolve around the pole, and the way tragedy revolves around Polonius.

His course means "its course." The word "his" was often used as the neuter pronoun when Hamlet was written. The word "its" was only starting to come into use, in the evolution of English, during Elizabethan times.

The term t'illume is a poetic shortening of "to illuminate."

The word beating offers an allusion to music. A clock bell, and a drum, are both used to beat time, in their different ways. Music concepts are frequent and significant in the play.

While Barnardo speaks of the Ghost appearing on the previous night, it suddenly appears again.

Speak of the . . . well, there's an old saying.

A distant church bell strikes one o'clock as the Ghost appears. Time in the play is adjusted for dramatic purposes, and it would be pointless to try to "clock" the scene in real time.

EH 52, to EH 58

Marcellus: Peace, break thee off; look where it comes again!
Barnardo: In the same figure like the King that's dead.
Marc: Thou art a scholar, speak to it, Horatio.
Bar: Looks he not like the King? Mark it, Horatio.
Horatio: Most like; it horrows me with fear and wonder.
Bar: It would be spoke to.
Marc: Speak to it, Horatio!
~-~-~

As Marcellus mentioned earlier, Horatio was invited to see the Ghost, and also speak to it. Upon seeing the Ghost, Horatio is astounded, and has trouble finding anything to say. Scholar means a person who's well educated and fluent, particularly in Latin, as already mentioned.

In the same figure means the Ghost is the image of King Hamlet, as much like him as a mirror image would be. The Mirror idea is recurrent in the play.

Barnardo is so impressed by the Ghost that he calls it he once. His use of he is not so very different from saying "it," since, as already mentioned, the use of the neuter pronoun "it" was only gradually coming into use in Elizabethan times. The change of word is still a sign of Barnardo's amazement. The Ghost looks so real that Barnardo doesn't know whether to call the Ghost a he or an it.

Horrows is the word in the original Second Quarto [Q2] printing of 1604-1605. It can be read as a combination of "horrors" and "harrows." Horatio means that it horrifies him, and harrows him. The "harrow" idea comes from the archaic phrase "to harrow Hell," which refers to the legend that Jesus descended to Hell to rescue souls. Barnardo spoke of Horatio's scepticism as a fortification, and Horatio is now saying that the sight of the Ghost has broken through his defenses, as deep as his soul. It's a religious experience for him, or akin to one, and he is now a true believer. The fear and wonder of it all has conquered his doubt.

The others coax Horatio to speak to the Ghost, as Horatio tries to collect himself and think of something to say. He wasn't well prepared, because he didn't expect to see anything important.

EH 59, to EH 66

Hora: What art thou that usurp'st this time of night
Together with that fair and warlike form
In which the Majesty of buried Denmark
Did sometimes march? By Heaven, I charge thee, speak!
Marc: It is offended.
Bar: See, it stalks away.
Hora: Stay, speak! Speak, I charge thee, speak!
(the Ghost exits)
~-~-~

To usurp is to take something unjustly, without right. The word offers advance allusion to how Claudius became the King. Although Claudius's attainment of the crown was not usurpation in the legal, technical sense, it was unjust, as we'll learn.

As Horatio recovers from his shock, he becomes indignant that the Ghost has appeared to frighten them, in the shape of the former King. He sees it as improper that a figure which ought to be revered, and has recently been highly honored, should now be frightening, instead. He's also upset at having his scepticism so dramatically shaken.

Together with means "put together in," or in other words "shaped as." Fair means "handsome." Hamlet Sr was a handsome man. Denmark is a name for the King, as well as the nation. The monarch is the embodiment of the state, in a monarchy. The phrase Majesty of buried Denmark means the majesty of the buried King Hamlet. In undertone, the phrase casts an aspersion on the new king, Claudius, implying that the majesty of the country of Denmark was buried when King Hamlet was.

Stalks means the Ghost walks in a haughty way, which goes along with it being offended. The word also carries an implication of hunting. We'll find out that the Ghost is "hunting" for Hamlet.

Horatio was so flustered he forgot to try Latin. He ended up merely insisting the Ghost speak, the same way the others urged him to speak.

Marcellus perceived that the Ghost was offended since it frowned at them, which Horatio will mention as the Scene continues. The exact reason why the Ghost would take offense is unclear. If it's the genuine spirit of King Hamlet, it could be offended at being spoken to in such a disrespectful way. Marcellus's remark, that it's offended, comes immediately after the line that contains By Heaven, so, if it's an evil imposter, from Hell, it could be offended at being asked to do something "by Heaven." There's a question whether the Ghost is genuinely the spirit of the late King Hamlet, or an evil imposter.

EH 67, to EH 77

Marcellus: 'Tis gone, and will not answer.
Barnardo: How now, Horatio, you tremble and look pale;
Is not this something more than fantasy?
What think you on it?
Horatio: Before my God, I might not this believe
Without the sensible and true avouch
Of mine own eyes.
Marc: Is it not like the King?
Hora: As thou art to thyself.
Such was the very armor he had on
When he the ambitious Norway combated;
~-~-~

Barnardo is pleased at being proven right, although the Ghost, itself, still worries him. Now that Horatio has seen for himself, with his own eyes, he needs no more persuasion. Sensible refers to the use of the senses, vision in this case, and is another instance on the Sense motif. Also, Horatio takes the evidence of his own eyes as something sensible, (reasonable,) even if he doesn't immediately understand it. So, sensible carries a double meaning.

There are many, many words and phrases in Hamlet that are intentionally written to have a double meaning. In some cases, the author found a way to give a word or phrase more than two meanings.

The idea of pale recurs in the play, especially in contrast with redness. In most cases, paleness implies fear, or illness, and redness implies shame, or anger. The contrast of pale with red in Hamlet compares with the red and white of Moth's song in Love's Labours Lost.

Avouch means "affirmation." Horatio's own eyes have affirmed what he was told.

Horatio recognizes the armor probably because he saw it recently on display as part of the memorial exhibits for King Hamlet. The public has been allowed to view King Hamlet's armor, weapons, and other things he had during his life. (This corresponds to a modern museum display, such as that in the Tower of London, where the public can view the armor and other things of King Henry VIII of England.)

The word Norway can refer to either the nation, or its king, the "old Norway" who will be mentioned later. It will be worthwhile to keep in mind Horatio's description of Norway as ambitious.

The combat with Norway was between armies, not personal combat. We know that because neither man died in that battle. Old King Norway is still alive, and King Hamlet did not die in combat, as we'll learn during the play. Also, this battle between Denmark and Norway is not the same as the personal combat between King Hamlet and Fortinbrasse Sr that will be described further on. Fortinbrasse Sr was old King Norway's brother.

It's significant that the armor is the same that King Hamlet wore when he fought ambitious Norway. The fact is not just atmosphere for the play. It has meaning. The same armor implies Denmark battling Norway, again.

EH 78, to EH 80

So frowned he once, when in an angry parley
He smote the sleaded Pollax on the ice.
'Tis strange.
~-~-~

When Horatio mentions the "frown," he's probably referring to an expression he's seen in artwork. The battle with the Poles is an historic event, in terms of the play, and we're supposed to understand that the battle has been commemorated in art. Some surviving paintings from the Elizabethan era are excellently done, well detailed and virtually photographic. A good painting done to commemorate the battle of King Hamlet against Poland would show his facial expression very well. There are several significant mentions of paintings in later Scenes in Hamlet.

A parley would literally be a truce talk, but the term is not to be taken literally in this case. It's understood as "military confrontation," and refers to a battle which King Hamlet and his army won, against Poland. The battle was on frozen water somewhere, the ice. It may have been a glacier, a frozen lake, or a field covered with ice and snow.

The phrase sleaded Pollax requires lengthy explanation. Sleaded means three different things, and Pollax means two different things, while alluding to a third, all at the same time. The reader must have patience, and follow along carefully. Shakespeare could be extremely ingenious with words, and where he made free use of some of his word power, it gets complicated.

First - In the English pronunciation of Elizabethan days, the word sleaded, if drawled very slightly, sounded like "slay dead." Also, the word "poll" means "head." So, by pronunciation, the phrase sleaded Pollax means "slay dead head axe." For this, it means that in the battle against the Poles, King Hamlet swung his Danish battle axe like an executioner swinging a "slay dead head axe." King Hamlet was a fearsome warrior, and when he swung his axe, somebody died.

The concept of a "slay dead head axe" has further significance in the play. Claudius will scheme to have Hamlet beheaded by the executioner's axe in England, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern will die that way.

Second - the word sleaded puns with, or at least strongly suggests, "sledded." Then, the word Pollax puns with "Polacks," a term for the people of Poland. By this, we're told that the Polish military forces were using sleds, or sledges, for transportation in the icy battlefield conditions.

By the way, "Polack" was a fairly ordinary term for a person of Poland when Hamlet was written, and was not the insulting word it later became. Denmark and Poland were traditional enemies, so the term is not complimentary as it appears in the play, however, it is not an outright insult.

Third - sleaded also means "sleided," which is a weaver's term. A variant spelling of "sleided" uses an 'a'. "Sleided" refers to threads being arranged in orderly lines, for weaving cloth. The concept is figurative here, that the Polish military was well arrayed, in even lines. It implies a large number of men, many lines, which means Denmark achieved a major victory against a large, well organized Polish army.

Altogether, we're told Denmark, led by King Hamlet, fought a major battle against Poland, under icy battlefield conditions. There was enough ice and snow that the Poles were using sledges as transport. The Polish army was large, and well arrayed. King Hamlet led the Danes to victory, swinging his battle axe like a "slay dead head axe."

Further, in undertone, Horatio's mention of angry parley is also an advance allusion to Hamlet's "mad" talk with Gertrude in the later Closet Scene. In this undertone, the author alludes to Hamlet "smiting" Polonius (the "Pol-" character) while Polonius is hidden behind the arras in Gertrude's room, during Hamlet's "angry parley" with her. Horatio's he becomes a reference to Hamlet, Polonius is the "Polack," and "sleided" refers to the woven silk tapestry, behind which Polonius will be hiding when Hamlet "smites" him.

Hamlet contains a huge number of undertones and allusions that connect from one event in the play to another, and puns, or more complicated wordplay, are often involved. The various allusions and undertones can either be in anticipation of a future event, or may refer, in retrospect, to a previous event. One thing that makes Hamlet so difficult, is that it is not written in merely a "linear" way, like the usual kind of story. There are many "threads" of ideas that run through the play, connecting between earlier passages and later ones. So, Hamlet is written in an interwoven way, as a "web of ideas," in addition to being a linear story, as well.

When the characters make allusions to other events in the play, they never know what they're saying. They do it accidentally. The characters sometimes even predict their own fates, unintentionally, in some obscure way that the characters, themselves, don't realize. Here, Horatio hasn't the slightest idea that he's predicted, in a way, that Hamlet will kill Polonius. Shakespeare brilliantly used the "accidental allusion" technique as part of "weaving" the play into a tapestry of words.

So, the original Q2 spelling "sleaded pollax" was used to convey multiple ideas at once. It refers to the Polish army, well organized in orderly lines, and using sledges; it refers to King Hamlet's behavior and ability as a warrior; and there is also advance allusion to the Closet Scene, and the "angry parley" between Hamlet and Gertrude, when the "Pol-" character Polonius hides behind the "sleided silk" arras, and is killed. Nearly every line in the play has to be read carefully for multiple meanings, which may involve special spellings and special phrasings, and finding those multiple meanings may require intimate knowledge of all the significant events of the play. Unless you know rather a lot about Hamlet, you don't really know any of it well. This is not to discourage anybody, only to caution that Hamlet is a serious study, which takes time and effort, that's all. It's well worth it.

Oh, and that's not even to mention the action of the play, which was also composed to be ambiguous, intentionally, in some cases. Shakespeare was not an essayist, he was a playwright. The words he wrote go along with certain actions. The play, itself, is the actions by the characters, not the words on paper. In Hamlet, the actions perceived can often depend on the point of view. That's another story. In the Bard's writing on paper, you're only seeing a small part of his true genius.

Horatio has no immediate conclusion to offer about the Ghost, he merely remarks that it's strange. The idea of "strangeness" is one of those threads of ideas, just mentioned. After Hamlet sees the Ghost, later, Horatio will remark about strangeness, again, at that time. In the next-to-last Scene, the Gravedigger Clown will remark about strangeness. The "strangeness" thread also connects to the idea of rivals mentioned in the Notes above. A "rival" is a known person, as opposed to a stranger. The concept of familiar persons, versus strangers, runs all through the play, and is only one thread, of many. Although the Ghost looks like a familiar person, nevertheless, it's strange, i.e. a stranger. You can't always tell by how something looks.

EH 81, to EH 85

Marc: Thus, twice before, and jump at this dead hour,
With martial stalk, hath he gone by our watch.
Hora: In what particular thought to work, I know not;
But in the gross and scope of mine opinion,
This bodes some strange eruption to our state.
~-~-~

Jump means "exactly." It also implies the Ghost made them jump.

This dead hour means that hour in the dead of night. The phrase also has allusion to the Ghost of the dead King. This particular hour of night, for the sentinels, has become the hour of the dead.

Martial stalk means "military stride," as of a soldier marching to war. The word stalk further implies hunting, so the phrase implies hunting in a military way. It's as if the Ghost is hunting something. Or somebody.

The phrase strange eruption implies an outbreak of strangeness. We'll see that the characters will behave strangely, and sometimes behave as if they're strangers to each other. The phrase also anticipates what the Ghost will later say about the effect of poison he suffered, a strange eruption of his skin. What Horatio means to say is that he doesn't know what thought to try to work out, in particular. He thinks that, in the general way, the Ghost is an omen, of something unfamiliar.

EH 86, to EH 95

Marc: Good, now sit down, and tell me, he that knows:
Why this same strict and most observant watch
So nightly toils the subject of the land;
And why such daily cost of brazen cannon
And foreign mart, for implements of war;
Why such impress of shipwrights, whose sore task
Does not divide the Sunday from the week;
What might be toward, that this sweaty haste
Doth make the night joint laborer with the day;
Who is it that can inform me?
~-~-~

Marcellus says Good in reply to Horatio because he agrees. He also thinks the Ghost portends something. He suspects it has to do with the nation's military buildup, which he describes, and then asks about. It isn't that he has no ideas of his own about the situation, but he wants to hear what the others have to say, especially Horatio, who offers an independent perspective. The sentinels have had no official word, and although they're expecting war, they don't even know for sure whether Denmark is planning to defend against an enemy, or to attack. All sorts of rumors have been heard around the barracks, we can be sure, as the soldiers have talked among themselves.

Marcellus's phrase Good, now can also be read as "Good now," which was an expression used at the time to mean "please." The ambiguity in the phrasing is intentional, from Shakespeare. He wrote many lines in the play so that they can be read in more than one way, and this is just one little example. As already mentioned above, intentional ambiguity of phrasing is a facet of the play that makes it extremely complex, and fascinating, but difficult to understand.

In saying that the watch ... toils the subject of the land, Marcellus poetically casts the land as their servant, that the sentinels are forcing to work all night. It's as though the sentinels are being a cruel master to their servant, the land, by watching it all through the night, not letting the land rest. It's actually the sentinels' own complaint, lack of sleep, that Marcellus is expressing in a depersonalized way. Also, the subject of the land is Fortinbrasse's subject of interest, referring to the land his father lost, as we'll hear.

Marcellus then comments on the cost of cannons and foreign trade for war materiel. Foreign mart means "foreign trade," that is, the purchase of imported goods. Marcellus is not an accountant, but he knows it's all costing a lot of money. Cost also puns with "cast," in connection with the cannon, since cannons were made at that time by casting metal. Further, a foreigner is a stranger, so foreign mart implies dealings with strangers, which continues the "strangeness" and "stranger" concept.

Brazen cannon further implies the cannons being used in a brazen way. On the following night we'll see Claudius firing the cannons brazenly, after midnight.

Impress has the denotation of shipwrights being drafted, but the usage is loose here. Marcellus means that the sense of urgency, not a draft law, is forcing shipwrights to work even on Sunday. The shipwrights are hired men; the mention of them follows on cost. Also, to impress is to mark, and shipwrights will indirectly make their mark on the play, so to speak, when Hamlet is captured by pirates.

Marcellus says sore task because he takes it that working on Sunday is a hardship. On the idea of the night being a time of work like the day, later in the play we'll see most of the major character up all night, as if it were daytime, after the 'Mousetrap Play,' when Claudius will be in a sweaty haste to get Hamlet out of the country.

What might be toward means "what might it be towards," and is a question about the goal of all the activity, and still with the Ghost in mind as a possible omen.

Inform has an obsolete meaning of "to give form to." Under that definition, Marcellus would be asking, in his last line above, "who can shape me?" The literal answer at the time Hamlet was written was: Shakespeare can. Shakespeare could "give form to" Marcellus, and did. Hamlet contains a few such tongue-in-cheek allusions, where the author gets his own word in. For himself, the Marcellus character is asking who can give him information.

EH 96, to EH 106,

Hora: That can I;
At least the whisper goes so: our last King,
Whose image even but now appeared to us,
Was, as you know, by Fortinbrasse of Norway,
Thereto pricked on by a most emulate pride,
Dared to the combat, in which our valiant Hamlet,
(For so this side of our known world esteemed him,)
Did slay this Fortinbrasse, who by a sealed compact
Well ratified by law and heraldry,
Did forfeit (with his life) all these, his lands,
Which he stood seized of, to the conqueror;
~-~-~

Horatio offers what he's heard, and tells about King Hamlet's victory in personal combat over Fortinbrasse Sr. With his victory, King Hamlet won the land on which Elsinore Castle is situated. Horatio thinks this might be relevant in connection with the Ghost.

Whisper means "rumor," which is a motif in the play. The Rumor motif can be understood to include slander, a subject which will arise later. The word image is on the Mirror motif.

This Fortinbrasse Sr was the brother of the Norwegian king, old King Norway. Horatio describes Fortinbrasse Sr as a man motivated by ambitious pride. Emulate means wanting to emulate a king, wanting to become a king. It means, essentially, being ambitious to be a king. Both old Norway and Fortinbrasse Sr have now been called ambitious, and that's something for a reader to keep in mind.

Horatio describes single combat, under a sealed contract, between Fortinbrasse Sr and King Hamlet. The contract was legal, and was proper according to the formal traditions of heraldry. But the word "herald" can also refer to predicting the future, so Horatio's line goes along with the question of whether the Ghost is an omen.

King Hamlet won the single combat, by killing Fortinbrasse Sr, and with the victory he won the land that includes Elsinore Castle. Since Fortinbrasse Sr was not a king, Elsinore was apparently his dukedom, which Fortinbrasse Jr would have inherited, if his father hadn't foolishly wagered it, and lost it.

King Hamlet did not need Elsinore to be the King of Denmark. Earlier, he would have ruled from Copenhagen, and would have resided in the palace there. We may take it that after King Hamlet won Elsinore, by killing Fortinbrasse Sr in the combat under the agreement, he moved to Elsinore Castle to secure his victory, and to ensure the land was properly incorporated into Denmark.

Seized of is a legal term, referring to rightful possession. Fortinbrasse Sr legally held the land he wagered. This is a significant legal technicality that Horatio mentions, because it would not have been legal for Fortinbrasse Sr to wager land he didn't own. Horatio, the university scholar, is filling in legal details.

EH 107, to EH 124

Against the which, a moiety competent
Was gaged by our King, which had return
To the inheritance of Fortinbrasse
Had he been vanquisher; as by the same covenant,
And carriage of the article design,
His fell to Hamlet; now, sir, young Fortinbrasse,
Of unimproved mettle, hot and full,
Hath in the skirts of Norway, here and there,
Sharked up a list of lawless resolutes
For food and diet to some enterprise
That hath a stomach in't; which is no other,
As it doth well appear unto our state,
But to recover of us by strong hand
And terms compulsory, those 'foresaid lands
So by his father lost; and this, I take it,
Is the main motive of our preparations,
The source of this, our watch, and the chief head
Of this posthaste and Romeage in the land.
~-~-~

Horatio's training as a scholar shows in how thorough he is in his description. He makes clear that King Hamlet risked an equal value of land, a moiety competent, under the agreement, so it was a fair, even bet.

Gaged means "wagered," or "pledged." Return means "yield." The land wagered by King Hamlet would have been yielded to Fortinbrasse Sr if he had won, by killing King Hamlet. Horatio is dotting all the I's, and crossing all the T's, legally speaking, to emphasize that the agreement was legal and proper.

The ideas of a wager, and a personal combat, have advance allusion in anticipation of the fencing match near the end of the play, in the final Scene.

Speaking in most general terms, an "heir" is anybody who lawfully receives property upon the death of a person. So the word inheritance simply means Fortinbrasse Sr would have received the property that was wagered, if he had killed Hamlet Sr. One usually thinks of a child as the proper heir, so there is an undertone to the use of inheritance. With his victory, and under the agreement, King Hamlet became Fortinbrasse Sr's "heir," in place of Fortinbrasse Jr, who would typically be his father's heir. Fortinbrasse Jr lost his inheritance because of his father's bet.

Design means intent, and carriage means the agreement was carried out when Hamlet Sr won. The agreement was enforced, and fulfilled, in compliance with its intent, and Hamlet Sr took the land. In the last Scene, we'll see carriage used in reference to carrying a sword, and the design of Claudius and Laertes will fail when the foil of Laertes, who'll be described as being of great article, will "fall" to Hamlet. So the carriage line offers subtle, advance allusion to Laertes and the fencing match. Horatio knows nothing of that, the allusion is accidental by him (but not accidental from Shakespeare.)

Covenant means "formal contract." The word has Biblical significance in relation to the Death theme, a major theme of the play. See the Bible, the Book of Isaiah, 28:15-18: "We have made a covenant with death ... then shall ye be trod down by it." (Geneva wording.) It's known the author had good familiarity with the Bible, and "covenant with death" is a well-known Bible quote. In light of the Bible passage, the word covenant is ominous. It implies the characters being "trod down," and we'll see that, by the end of the play, all the major characters will indeed be "trod down," except for Horatio, who speaks the word here.

Then Horatio gets to his real point. Fortinbrasse Jr is raising an army. It's feared he'll try to recover Elsinore Castle, and the surrounding land his father lost, through the use of armed force.

Mettle refers to character or spirit, and unimproved means that Fortinbrasse Jr is like his father, not more tame or civilized. The phrase, unimproved mettle, means "just like his father." Fortinbrasse Jr is an ambitious warrior, the same type of character as his father was.

Sharked up means "scavenged," in an aggressive way. It implies Fortinbrasse has gone outside the normal military recruitment methods to assemble his army. In turn, that implies he's raising the army unofficially. But whether Horatio knows the whole truth about the situation, based on rumor he's heard, remains to be seen. Rumor is not always the truth, and Horatio did say he was repeating rumor, as far as the activity of Fortinbrasse Jr goes.

In those days, land was money, for an aristocrat. Aristocrats obtained their income as landlords, by receiving a share of what their tenants produced. However, Fortinbrasse Jr's father lost his land, and financing an army takes a fortune. Where is Fortinbrasse Jr getting the money to finance an army? The question is not answered in this passage.

The word lawless has to do with whether Fortinbrasse Jr is going to obey the law under which King Hamlet won the land. Apparently, he doesn't want to, and it creates a military threat to Denmark.

For the enterprise to have a stomach means that it's hungry, so to speak. Fortinbrasse is figuratively feeding his recruits into his hungry enterprise. The recruits are nourishing the enterprise, to make it grow big and strong. The concern is that when the enterprise is full grown, nourished with thousands of soldiers, then its hungry eyes, and teeth, will turn toward Denmark, as an aggressive army. The figure of speech is that of a hungry shark, wanting to feed on a victim.

The concepts of Mouth and Feasting/Eating are significant motifs of the play, that we'll see again, many times.

The phrase strong hand is wordplay on the name "Fortinbrasse," which means "strong-in-arm." The worry is that Fortinbrasse will try to use "strong arm" methods to take back what his father lost.

Romeage has "rummage" as its plain meaning, for ordinary reading, but the word is spelled as shown in the original Second Quarto printing ("Garrick copy," British Library.) The unusual spelling was intentional, for wordplay. The Ghost, when it talks to Hamlet, later, will suggest that it's in Purgatory, which is a concept of the Roman Catholic Church. So, Romeage with "Rome-" in it provides wordplay in advance allusion to what the Ghost implies, about it being confined to Roman Catholic Purgatory. Thus, Horatio's phrase this Romeage alludes to "this Ghost," and we return to the Ghost, via that allusion, in Horatio's closing line. It's a nice pun, carrying significant undertone. The "rummage" meaning, itself, refers to the confused, frantic activity, of the Danish military buildup.

EH 124+1, to EH 124+4

Bar: I think it be no other, but even so,
Well may it sort, that this portentous figure
Comes armed through our watch, so like the King
That was, and is the question of these wars?
~-~-~

Barnardo agrees, that what Horatio described is the most likely explanation for the unusual military activity. But beyond the current facts, he's concerned about the future.

Portentous means "marvelous" or "amazing," which describes the effect the Ghost had on them. However, portentous carries a double meaning here, since a "portent" is an omen. Barnardo has combined his meanings, that the Ghost is amazing, and may also be an omen.

Sort means "sort out," or "turn out." Barnardo is asking whether the Ghost implies that events will turn out well for Denmark. It can also be understood that Barnardo is asking what "sort" of thing the Ghost is. Either way, he's asking Horatio to make a prediction.

EH 124+5

Hora: A moth it is to trouble the mind's eye;
~-~-~

Horatio is using moth as a figure of speech, to mean "an unpredictable thing." In practical experience, it's unpredictable where a moth will go, when it flutters around at night. Horatio is saying that he can't foresee how things will turn out, based on the Ghost, and it bothers him. He doesn't know where the Ghost moth will land, so to speak.

There is a pun on "mote" in connection with "eye." The "mote" pun has universally been used as the playtext word in printings of Hamlet in the past. However, "mote" does not carry an idea of unpredictability. Moth does. "Mote" is only the pun, and is not supposed to be the word in the playtext.

The moth figure of speech is also in advance of what the Ghost will say later. Although the fluttering of a moth is generally unpredictable, it's known that moths are attracted to light, such as firelight. Later, the Ghost will tell Hamlet that it renders itself up to sulfurous and tormenting flames. We'll learn the Ghost moth "flew" into flames. There's a well-known expression: "like a moth to a flame."

Further, when the men try to stop the Ghost, later in this Scene, it will flutter from one place to another, then disappear from sight. That's moth behavior.

As Horatio continues, he speaks of what he's heard about the dead, and about omens.

EH 124+6, to EH 125

In the most high and palmy state of Rome,
A little ere the mightiest Julius fell,
The graves stood tenantless, and the sheeted dead
Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets,
As stars with trains of fire . . . and dews of blood . . .
Disasters in the sun . . . and the moist star,
Upon whose influence Neptune's Empire stands,
Was sick almost to doomsday with eclipse;
And even the like precurse of fear events,
As harbingers preceding still the fates,
And prologue to the omen coming on,
Have heaven and earth together demonstrated
Unto our climatures and countrymen.
(the Ghost enters)
~-~-~

Mightiest means "most mighty." Rome, the center of Catholicism, is mentioned again, again relating to the suggestion of the Ghost being in Purgatory.

Polonius will later tell Hamlet that he acted the part of Julius Caesar in a play. With his mention of Caesar's death, Horatio is, again, unknowingly predicting the death of Polonius, based on seeing the Ghost. Recalling the "angry parley" lines, noted earlier, we see that Horatio has done it again: predicted Polonius's death, albeit in a roundabout way, without knowing it.

The sheeted dead are the "shrouded" dead, i.e. the dead bodies still clad in their burial shrouds. Sheeted dead, in Roman times, would have been dressed approximately as they had lived, since a toga is quite like a sheet of cloth wrapped around a body.

The three statements about stars, dews and Disasters are not supposed to make a grammatical sentence. Horatio is thinking of each of those things, momentarily, and then dismissing it. He and the sentinels have not seen any stars with trains of fire, or any dews of blood, or any disasters in the sun. All they've seen, that might be an omen, is the Ghost.

Stars with trains of fire means a meteor shower. If stars were singular it would refer to a comet, but the plural means meteors.

Dews of blood refers to dew with a red color. The color could be caused by a large amount of dust or smoke high in the air, that filters sunlight to make it red. The red light shining on dew would make it look red, like blood. An extremely red sunrise can have that effect.

Disasters in the sun probably means very large sunspots, large enough to be noticed without optical aid when the sunlight is dimmed by haze or other atmospheric phenomena (including the dust or smoke that would make sunlight red.) The earliest known illustrated account of sunspots is an English record by John of Worcester made in A.D. 1128, which shows two large sunspots observed with the naked eye.

Also, Disasters in the sun offers a sun/son pun, with the "son" being Hamlet, the son of King Hamlet. There are many sun/son puns in the play, both explicit and implicit. In undertone, when Horatio says the phrase, he is accidentally predicting disaster for Hamlet, the "son." Further, "disaster" has a root meaning of "star," and Hamlet is the star of the play. The phrase implies a "bad star" for the "son." Once again, Horatio has said a phrase that's predictive for the play, and he doesn't know it.

The moist star is the moon. Star is used in the very general sense, to mean a glowing object in the sky. According to the idea of the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water,) the moon is associated with water, because of its influence on the tides, and also because dew and fog are typically nighttime phenomena.

Queen Elizabeth I of England was poetically associated with the moon, from being represented in literature as the moon goddess, Diana. The idea of a Queen being associated with the moon is significant. Gertrude is the Queen in the play, so Horatio's mention of the moist star has allusion to her, and with sick almost to doomsday Horatio is unknowingly predicting what Gertrude will experience. Hamlet will speak of doom while lecturing Gertrude in the later Closet Scene. Further, Gertrude, herself, will later speak of sin as a sickness in her soul, and will express her fear of disaster. These are more "threads" in the "web of words," and ideas, in the tapestry of the play, as Shakespeare "spun" his story (like a spider spinning a web, to "trap" his readers, and capture them in the "madness" of it all.)

Precurse means "precursor." The shortening to emphasize "curse" is a nice poetic touch. Fear events are events to fear, or events of fear.

A prologue is a recital before a play, to introduce the play. Also, prologue can refer to the person who does that recital. Horatio doesn't intend to refer to a play, he's only trying to talk about whether the Ghost predicts something. Literally, however, he in fact does a prologue to the Ghost coming on again.

Our climatures means "our climes" and refers to Northern Europe. Horatio is saying that although he's been talking about Rome, in Southern Europe, the same kinds of omens have been observed in Northern Europe, where Denmark is. He mentions this to emphasize that, although he's been speaking of things in southern Europe, his remarks are relevant to northern Europe, too.

Promptly after mention of the omen coming on the Ghost enters again.

EH 126, to EH 127

(Horatio continues):
But soft, behold! Lo, where it comes again.
I'll cross it, though it blast me; stay, illusion!
(Horatio steps in front of the Ghost and spreads his arms;
the Ghost stops and also spreads its arms)
~-~-~

Soft means "quiet." Horatio is telling the others, and himself, to be quiet, in the sense of discontinuing the conversation about omens.

Horatio's I'll cross it means, in plain meaning, that he'll cross the Ghost's path to try to stop it. In undertone, it implies the use of the Christian cross against an evil spirit. The undertone is only wordplay; Horatio does not really hold up a crucifix at the Ghost.

Horatio is displaying bravery, because it was considered dangerous to get too close to a ghost. The ghost could contaminate a person's own spirit, and perhaps kill him. Ghostly spirits were thought to be contagious, like some diseases.

Blast means destroy, with an implication of poison or disease. In the later Closet Scene, Hamlet will speak of Claudius blasting his brother, King Hamlet. This sense of blast is essentially the definition that refers to a contagious disease of plants, that causes swelling and withering of stems. There is a Gardening motif in the play, to which this word usage connects. "Gardening" is another thread, or motif, that runs through Hamlet.

Horatio is now convinced the Ghost looks exactly like King Hamlet, but he calls it illusion because he still suspects deception of some kind. Although it looks exactly like the former King, it is certainly not the King, himself, in person, so it must be something else.

In the action of the play, Horatio steps in front of the Ghost and spreads his arms to try to make the Ghost stop. The Ghost halts, and spreads its arms. They stand there like mirror images. Paradoxically, after Horatio said I'll cross it, the Ghost is now "crossing" Horatio, mimicking him, and also imitating the posture of Christ on the cross. If the Ghost is a good entity, the gesture symbolizes an open, welcoming embrace. If the Ghost is evil, its pose, in imitation of Christ on the cross, is malicious mockery.

EH 128, to EH 141

(Horatio continues):
If thou hast any sound or use of voice,
Speak to me! If there be any good thing to be done
That may to thee do ease, and grace to me,
Speak to me!
If thou art privy to thy country's fate
Which happily foreknowing may avoid,
Oh, speak!
Or, if thou hast uphoarded in thy life
Extorted treasure in the womb of earth,
(For which they say your spirits oft' walk in death,)
(a cock crows)
(Horatio continues):
Speak of it. Stay and speak! Stop it, Marcellus!
Marcellus: Shall I strike it with my partisan?
Horatio: Do, if it will not stand.
Barnardo: 'Tis here!
Horatio: 'Tis here!
(the Ghost exits)
~-~-~

Horatio is better prepared this time, and he's encouraged when the Ghost responds to his presence by stopping. He's able to think of specific things to ask the Ghost.

Various reasons were known, or speculated, in Elizabethan times, as to why a ghost might appear. One reason was that the ghost needed to have something done so that it could rest in peace. This is the first possibility Horatio raises. He tells the ghost that he's willing to do a good deed (nothing criminal or sinful) if that would help. He'd only do something to his grace, meaning to his credit or honor, not something disgraceful.

Horatio pauses for a moment after each subject he mentions, to give the Ghost a chance to reply, if it's going to.

The second subject he raises is the issue that he and the sentinels have been discussing, the nation's future. Happily means both "luckily" and "cheerfully." Good luck is a cheerful thing. If the Ghost could tell them something to prevent a national calamity, that would be a lucky and cheerful outcome.

Another idea about ghosts was that if it was the spirit of a miserly person, the wealth the person had hoarded during his life might be so much on his mind that his ghost would point the way to his hidden treasure after his death. It does not seem a likely possibility for King Hamlet, but Horatio is not convinced of exactly what the Ghost is, so he asks.

Horatio's line, For which they say your spirits oft' walk in death, is not spoken to the Ghost, but to himself. He's excusing himself for mentioning treasure, since it's probably not relevant. The word your is impersonal and figurative, used as in raising a subject for discussion.

Another accepted possibility, for why a ghost might appear, was to reveal something about the person's death. The crowing of the rooster prevents Horatio from asking about that.

Observe that the cock crows immediately after Horatio says death.

A partisan is a long, heavy, spear-type weapon, with short blades or spikes projecting from the base of the spear head on each side. A partisan has greater reach than a sword or an axe, and is long enough, and heavy enough, to be used by footmen against cavalry, if necessary. The sentinels are well armed.

Stand means "stand still." Since the Ghost stopped in response to Horatio, he thinks the others may be able to stop it, also.

When the men try to attack it, the Ghost flutters from one place to another, like a moth, and disappears into the darkness.

EH 142, to EH 145

Marcellus: 'Tis gone;
We do it wrong, being so majestical,
To offer it the show of violence;
For it is as the air, invulnerable,
And our vain blows malicious mockery.
~-~-~

Majestical means that the Ghost looks like His Majesty, the late King, and is an imposing figure. Marcellus says it was wrong to symbolically attack the late King, and their attempt was useless anyway, since the Ghost has no physical body to harm.

Marcellus's use of majestical is ironically ambiguous. According to what the Ghost will later tell Hamlet, Claudius, the current Majesty of Denmark, killed his brother, King Hamlet. Thus, the sentinels were being "majestical" (king-like, like King Claudius) in trying to harm the figure of King Hamlet. They were imitating a king in trying to harm another king, or an image of a king. The kings in the play are not friendly to each other, which makes it a majestical act, like a king's behavior, to try to harm a king, in Hamlet.

So, this is a double meaning for majestical. Both the meanings apply, at the same time. The Ghost looks majestical, and also the men were being (ironically) "majestical" in trying to harm the figure of a king. There are many, many instances in the play where double meanings appear, for single words, phrases, and even more extended statements.

Hamlet, with his later 'Mousetrap Play,' will offer "majestical" King Claudius a "show of violence," that is, a show intended to depict Claudius killing his brother, as we shall see. Marcellus's lines offer, in that subtle way, another advance allusion to events in a different Scene.

Marcellus concludes that their effort was useless. Malicious mockery means they ended up doing only a bad imitation, of an attack.

EH 146, to EH 155

Barnardo: It was about to speak when the cock crew.
Horatio: And then it started like a guilty thing,
Upon a fearful summons; I have heard,
The cock that is the trumpet to the morn,
Doth with his lofty and shrill-sounding throat
Awake the god of day, and at his warning,
Whether in sea or fire, in earth or air,
The extravagant and erring spirit hies
To his confine, and of the truth herein,
This present object made probation.
~-~-~

Barnardo points out that the Ghost's departure coincided with the rooster's crowing, and Horatio agrees. Horatio is still suspicious of the Ghost, and describes its behavior in terms of a guilty man being arrested. A summons is akin to an arrest.

Since the Ghost is a spirit, there is the implication in the word summons that the Ghost might somehow be summoned. We shall see about that.

The god of day in mythology is Hyperion, which Hamlet will mention later. For the god of day, the rooster is considered a sacred bird. Hyperion is identified with Helios, and also Apollo, in mythology. The poetic idea is that the cock awakens the god of the day, who then goes to work, and causes the sun to rise.

Horatio mentions the ancient belief that a ghost had to return to its tomb, or other place of confinement, before sunrise. Confine is a noun here.

The words extravagant and erring can both mean "wandering," but they have different connotations. Extravagant implies lack of proper restraint, which relates to confine. Horatio has it that the Ghost is wandering among men because it isn't properly restrained, for some reason. Erring suggests going astray, implying an error. Horatio casts the Ghost's wandering as unrestrained and erroneous.

Confine also anticipates Hamlet's later use of the word confines when he will speak of Denmark as a prison. Polonius will also use the word in the sense of imprisonment. In plain meaning, here, confine means wherever the Ghost usually stays, presumably a grave or tomb, but in undertone it continues the legalistic language of guilty and summons, by implying "prison." Horatio is suspicious that the Ghost has some wrongful intent; he speaks as though it has escaped from prison during the night.

This present object means the Ghost; object means "sight," to see. Object is a neutral, innocuous term, as Horatio attempts to be objective. Probation means "proof," a providing of evidence. The word also refers to a test of character, and has a legal sense, following on the other legalistic terms. Horatio is trying to judge the Ghost, in a reasonable way, and his judgment at this time is not very favorable. He has doubts.

EH 156, to EH 163

Marc: It faded on the crowing of the cock;
Some say that ever 'gainst that season comes
Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated,
This bird of dawning singeth all night long,
And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad,
The nights are wholesome, then no planets strike,
No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,
So hallowed and so gracious is that time.
~-~-~

Marcellus agrees about the Ghost reacting to the rooster's crowing. Fade means the Ghost faded from sight, into the darkness. Modern video production can use a special effect to make the Ghost literally fade, but that was not possible in Elizabethan stage production.

Wholesome means healthy in the broad sense, both mentally and physically. The word is used elsewhere in the play in reference to both physical and mental affliction, or the absence thereof. Also, the Ghost is not "whole," in that it's only a "piece" of a person, (the spirit without the body,) so wholesome carries a subtle allusion to the Ghost, itself. The Ghost is a "piece" of a man, not the whole man. A night with ghosts is not a wholesome night.

Strike refers to mental influence. In astrology, the planets are taken to have a mental influence, which can change a person's state of mind, often not for the better. The strike idea, referring to mental influence, is expressed in terms such as "moonstruck" and "thunderstruck," and in common phrases such as, "how does that strike you?"

Takes and charm both refer to the casting of spells. Fairies and witches were seen as having similar powers, to enchant or bewitch, which they mostly used mischevously or maliciously. In particular, a "taking" can mean the casting of a spell, and we'll see more on that idea.

Gracious means "blessed," in general referring to the bringing of happiness to men. It further means "charming," in the sense of a good charm, or a good spell.

The crowing of the rooster, as a blessed event, associated with sunrise, connects in a significant way with something much later in the play, in the final Scene, and will be noted there.

One might suppose Marcellus would know, from personal experience, whether roosters crow all night around Christmastime, but he doesn't ordinarily stay up all night. This all-night watch is out of the ordinary for him. Apparently he's never been awake all night at Christmas.

EH 164, to EH 174

Hora: So have I heard, and do in part believe it;
But look, the morn in russet mantle clad,
Walks o'er the dew of yon high eastern hill;
Break we our watch up, and, by my advice,
Let us impart what we have seen tonight
Unto young Hamlet; for, upon my life,
This spirit, dumb to us, will speak to him;
Do you consent we shall acquaint him with it,
As needful in our loves, fitting our duty?
Marc: Let's do it, I pray, and I this morning know
Where we shall find him, most convenient.
(they exit)
~-~-~

The part Horatio believes is about Christmas being a special time. He is not sold on the magical ideas about fairies and witches. Them, he hasn't seen.

Russet refers to homespun cloth having a red tint, and a mantle is a cloak. The russet mantle of the familiar, everyday sunrise contrasts with the sentinels' exotic experience of seeing the Ghost clad in armor. The sunrise means things returning to normal, as common people go about their ordinary business of the day. The familiar sun rises wearing its "everyday clothing," in contrast to the strange Ghost in armor.

Mantle puns with "mantel," the shelf above a fireplace. The pun likens the sunrise to a warm, comforting fire in a fireplace, as the sentinels see it, after their cold night on watch.

Walks, in this case, means "moves." The morning sunshine is moving across the dew, lighting it up. Poetically, the sunshine is moving along, step by step across the dew, like a person walking.

The word eastern, when spoken, sounds like east-urn. One must always keep in mind, while reading Hamlet, that the words were written to be spoken. The word "urn" can be used in a general way to refer to a tomb. Later in the play, Hamlet will speak of his entombed father as being "enurned." The "high east-urn hill" that Horatio points out is not a natural geographic feature. After seeing the Ghost in the image of King Hamlet, the men then see the sun rise directly over the large, impressive tomb of King Hamlet, which is prominent enough that it's like a hill on the landscape. King Hamlet's tomb is in the nearby graveyard.

The red-tinted sunrise also follows on Horatio's earlier mention of dews of blood, meaning dew that appears red. That visual appearance of dew would be caused by an extremely red sunrise, of which this russet sunrise gives only a hint, as the reddish sunlight sparkles on the dew. If the morning were extremely red, instead of only russet, the dew that Horatio sees would look like a dew of blood, but he doesn't realize that.

There is the old saying, "red sky at morning, sailor take warning," which means that storms may be approaching if a sunrise is red. The russet sunrise forecasts "stormy weather" ahead at Elsinore. The Author used even the friendly sunrise, by mentioning its redness, to carry through on the ominous implication of the Ghost.

Horatio is confident the Ghost will speak to Hamlet, since it almost spoke to him, and it's the image of Hamlet's father. Needful in our loves refers to the obligation of friendship, and applies primarily to Horatio, himself, since Horatio is there as Hamlet's friend. Fitting our duty refers primarily to the sentinels' duty of Marcellus and Barnardo, since Hamlet is the Prince of the state they're sworn to serve as soldiers.

Marcellus knows where Hamlet will be because Marcellus is a supervising officer who keeps track of guard assignments, including guards for the royalty. The men return to the Castle, intending to inform Hamlet. They walk in under a reddish sunrise that forecasts a storm, and if the redness of the light were more intense, it would be showing them a "dew of blood" all around them.

End of Scene 1

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