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. the Tragical History of . H A M L E T . Prince of Denmark .
(Notes)
- Scene 5 [~ Murder Most Foul ~] (Act 1 Scene 5)
hw 681, to hw 693- Setting: Near the Graveyard;
A few minutes later.
(the Ghost and Hamlet enter)
Hamlet: Whither wilt thou lead me? Speak, I'll go no further.
Ghost: Mark me!
Hamlet: I will.
Ghost: My hour is almost come
When I to sulphrous and tormenting flames
Must render up myself.
Hamlet: Alas, poor Ghost.
Ghost: Pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing
To what I shall unfold.
Hamlet: Speak, I am bound to hear.
Ghost: So art thou to revenge, when thou shalt hear.
Hamlet: What?
---
The Ghost has not led Hamlet toward the ocean, as Horatio had feared, but instead has led him toward the Graveyard. A location near the Graveyard is reasonable, because it's the proper place for the Ghost to call out from the earth, which it will do later in this Scene. A voice calling from the earth near a graveyard is a "voice of death," so to speak. It would be symbolically appropriate for the conversation between Hamlet and the Ghost to occur at a crossroads, with the Graveyard nearby in the background.
Hamlet decides he'd rather not enter the Graveyard at night, so he stops, and insists the Ghost speak to him.
The Ghost's first utterance is, in its wording, an unnecessary instruction to Hamlet to pay attention. There is really no doubt that Hamlet will do so. The Ghost has stopped in response to Hamlet's reluctance, and his purpose in saying Mark me is to assert control, again.
The Ghost first reveals that it must soon give itself up to sulphrous and tormenting flames, which sounds like hellfires. The Ghost does not necessarily mean Hell, since the fire of Purgatory was described by some to be similar to Hell, in one way or another. There were different views on Purgatory, in Catholic thought, in addition to the Protestant view that Purgatory did not exist.
Hamlet expresses pity for the Ghost, both as sympathy, and because of his dismay that suffering could continue after death. The Ghost is not there to seek sympathy, however.
Hamlet's What? is both question and exclamation. The word revenge has surprised him.
hw 694, to hw 709- Ghost: I am thy father's spirit,
Doomed for a certain term to walk the night,
And for the day confined to fast in fires,
'Til the foul crimes done in my days of nature
Are burnt and purged away; but that I am forbid
To tell the secrets of my prison house,
I could a tale unfold whose lightest word
Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood,
Make thy two eyes like stars start from their spheres,
Thy knotted and combined locks to part,
And each particular hair to stand on end,
Like quills upon the fearful porcupine;
But this eternal blazon must not be
To ears of flesh and blood; list, list, oh list,
If thou didst ever thy dear father love . . .
Hamlet: Oh, God!
---
The Ghost identifies itself as Hamlet's father, in confirmation of what Hamlet already thought, and explains how it can be there. The word purged implies Purgatory, as does the idea of temporary confinement. The Ghost says it's forbidden to tell Hamlet any more.
The certain term, during which the Ghost walks the night, is unspecified. As far as the men know, it's only been four nights, only until Hamlet can be brought to talk to the Ghost, and this is happening nearly two months after Hamlet Sr's death.
To fast is to suffer. Fasting refers, specifically, to suffering from hunger, but the Ghost is using the word in a more general way. It's a word on the Feast motif in the play.
Hamlet apparently wears his hair long, in a fancy style, braided and tied. When Hamlet sees the Ghost again later, in the Closet Scene, Gertrude will describe his hair standing on end, which is what the Ghost, here, says he could make it do. The Ghost is unintentionally predicting what will actually happen to Hamlet's hair in the later Scene.
The word blazon comes from heraldry, and means a description in words, as opposed to a picture. An eternal blazon would be a verbal description of eternity. The idea of eternity contradicts the Ghost's implication that its confinement is temporary. Blazon hints, through its sound, of "blaze," meaning "fire," so eternal blazon sounds like "eternal fire."
The Ghost's assertion, of what its story could do to Hamlet, is frighteningly unflattering, and an odd way for a loving father to talk about his son. It's as though the Ghost would enjoy frightening Hamlet that much.
Hamlet's Oh, God! is his emphatic interjection that, yes, indeed he did love his father.
hw 710, to hw 717- Ghost: . . . Revenge his foul, and most unnatural, murder.
Hamlet: Murder!?
Ghost: Murder most foul, as in the best it is;
But this, most foul: strange and unnatural.
Hamlet: Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift
As meditation, or the thoughts of love
May sweep to my revenge.
---
As in the best it is can be read two different ways. It can be read: "even at best, murder is a foul thing." Or, the phrase can be interpreted: "even the best murder is a foul one." For the second interpretation, it would be odd for the spirit of Hamlet's father to speak of a "best murder."
Unnatural means contrary to natural family feelings of affection. It's natural for family members to have affection for each other, or at least most people think so. Most people are also aware of sibling rivalry, however.
Meditation means "thought," usually as in pondering something. There is irony in Hamlet saying he'll sweep to revenge as soon as he can "think about it." But in plain meaning, it's quicker to imagine and plan taking an action than to physically do the action, in most cases, so Hamlet means he intends utmost speed.
Sweep is also ambiguous, with an ironic undertone, in that it can mean a fast action, like a hawk sweeping down on its prey, or it can mean a slow action.
Hamlet says my revenge. He has adopted the Ghost's cause as his own.
hw 718, to hw 728- Ghost: I find thee apt,
And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed
That roots itself in ease on Lethe wharf,
Wouldst thou not stir in this; now Hamlet, hear,
'Tis given out, that sleeping in my orchard,
A serpent stung me, so the whole ear of Denmark
Is by a forged process of my death
Rankly abused; but know, thou noble youth,
The serpent that did sting thy father's life
Now wears his crown.
Hamlet: Oh, my prophetic soul! My uncle?
---
In mythology, the Lethe is the river of forgetfulness that flows through Hades. The souls of the dead drank from the Lethe to forget their earthly lives. A weed which grew along the Lethe would be a thing both inanimate and without memory. The Ghost uses, for his metaphor, the name of a river in Hades, and he mentions a detail, almost in a way to imply he's seen Hades.
The word fat anticipates Gertrude later calling Hamlet "fat and scant of breath," in the final Scene.
Wharf means "shore" or "bank," a meaning now obsolete. The river Lethe did not have a dock. The weed is probably the mythological lotus, from Homer's Odyssey, which caused those who ate it to forget everything else, and only want to eat more lotus. The lotus reinforces the idea of forgetting.
In literature, Aristophanes' Frogs contains the first recorded mention of the Lethe. The river was named for the goddess of oblivion. The play contains more reference to Aristophanes, later.
Orchard means "garden." The King's garden would have included fruit trees, vegetable plantings, herbs, and also decorative plants and shade trees. The idea of a serpent in the garden relates to the Biblical story of the Garden of Eden, where the serpent was the Devil, in disguise.
The Ghost reveals that the popular story about Hamlet Sr's death was a false report, and that Claudius killed him. Stung means "bit" in this case.
Forged process implies legal proceedings. There was a legal inquiry into Hamlet Sr's death, of course. The legal process was either manipulated, or its conclusion was simply wrong. The person with most to gain, by a false conclusion from the inquiry, was Claudius.
Hamlet's prophetic soul exclamation relates back to the earlier Scene where he said he suspected foul play (of some kind.) It does not mean he had suspicion of Claudius as a fratricide. If Hamlet had had such specific suspicion of Claudius, he would not have spoken so charitably of him in the previous Scene, using the phrases "flaw of nature" and dram of evil. Killing a brother is more than a "dram" of evil, by far.
hw 729, to hw 733- Ghost: Aye, that incestuous, that adulterate beast;
With witchcraft of his wits, with traitorous gifts,
(Oh wicked wit, and gifts that have the power
So to seduce,) won to his shameful lust
The will of my most seeming virtuous Queen;
---
Incestuous refers to the social convention against marrying a brother-in-law or sister-in-law. Adulterate means "corrupt," and also carries the implication of adultery. The Ghost makes no direct accusation of adultery, but insinuates it. If the Ghost is what it appears to be, the implication of adultery is a revelation, but if the Ghost is evil, it's slander against Gertrude. Slander is one of the motifs of the play.
Gifts is ambiguous. It can mean "presents," or "talents." The word gifts occurs here in connection with wits, which denotes "talents," meaning that such slyness, as the Ghost describes, is a talent. Gifts appears in the play with the meaning of "presents," also. In the Dumb Show, at the Mousetrap play, which Hamlet will arrange, the murderer will woo the Queen with presents, called gifts there.
Will means "consent," also implying desire. Seeming virtuous means "seemingly virtuous;" the shortening is for poetic rhythm. The idea of what is seemly, or unseemly, is also suggested.
The Ghost's parenthetial interjection, (Oh wicked wit, and gifts that have the power So to seduce,) is ambiguous. It would apparently mean Claudius. However, the "wickedest wit" of them all is the Devil, and the lines could also be read as the Ghost's aside about the seduction of Hamlet into evil by a "wicked wit." The question about the Ghost being good, or evil, continues.
hw 734, to hw 742- Oh, Hamlet, what falling off was there
From me, whose love was of that dignity
That it went hand-in-hand, even with the vow
I made to her in marriage, and to decline
Upon a wretch whose natural gifts were poor,
To those of mine; but virtue, as it never will be moved,
Though lewdness court it in a shape of Heaven,
So, but though to a radiant angel linked,
Will sort itself in a celestial bed,
And pray on garbage;
---
Falling off is another term for decline. The utterance praises Hamlet Sr, and denigrates Claudius, as Hamlet will later do in the Closet Scene to Gertrude, where he'll also picture the change as a decline, going from a mountain to a moor. The Ghost said Mark me, and Hamlet is doing so, since he makes use of the Ghost's characterization later.
The marriage vow is typically "till death do us part," which is presumably the vow Hamlet Sr made. Hamlet Sr is, needless to say, dead at this point. His spirit would not have actual grounds for complaint in respect to the marriage vows, since the marriage is terminated, so his mention of the marriage vow does not support his argument.
The Ghost remarks that virtue is immovable, even if lewdness courts it in the shape of Heaven. In relation to Gertrude, this can be read in two ways. First, that Gertrude is not really virtuous, since she was "moved" to marry Claudius, an evil man. Second, that although Gertrude married Claudius, her virtue is unchanged despite that. It's unclear exactly what the Ghost intends to say, whether Gertrude is virtuous, or not.
The virtue - moved line can also be read in reference to Hamlet. If Hamlet is truly virtuous, he cannot be moved to evil, even though lewdness "courts" him in the shape of Heaven. In this reading, the Ghost would be a lewd imposter, in the shape of his father, (who's in Heaven,) attempting to seduce Hamlet into evil.
Additionally, the virtue line can be read with some reference to Ophelia. Ophelia will pray for Hamlet, in the later Nunnery Scene, when he "throws away" their love, as she views it. The Ghost's remarks are intricately allusive.
The radiant angel is Lucifer. Gertrude is linked to the Devil by her marriage to Claudius, a murderer. Whether Hamlet is now linked to the Devil via the Ghost, is the question. Uncertainty about the Ghost continues.
Sort itself in means "make its way into" or "find itself in," and celestial bed means "Heavenly resting place." The Ghost says that real virtue can never be changed, and will make its way to Heaven. Virtue could refer to Gertrude, or to Hamlet, or both.
By the way, Will sort is the verb that goes with the noun virtue, which I mention because there has historically been some question about the grammar, about whether the word virtue is followed by a verb. It does have a verb; the grammar is correct. Some early commentators apparently did not look far enough ahead to identify the verb. The construction is as follows, with some word equivalents substituted, and slightly rearranged in the conventional style:
... virtue - since it never will be moved,
Although lewdness courts it in a shape from Heaven -
Thus, although linked to a radiant angel,
(Virtue) Will make its way to a celestial bed,
And will pray on garbage;
Garbage means "something that gets thrown away." On is the author's typical loose usage of a preposition; he made free use of prepositions for sound and rhythm. The Ghost predicts that Gertrude will pray over something that is going to get thrown away.
hw 743, to hw 758- But soft, methinks I scent the morning air;
Brief let me be; sleeping within my orchard,
My custom always of the afternoon
Upon my secure hour, thy uncle stole
With juice of cursed Hebona in a vial,
And in the porches of my ears did pour
The leprous distillment, whose effect
Holds such an enmity with blood of man,
That, swift as quicksilver, it courses through
The natural gates and alleys of the body,
And with a sudden vigor it doth posset
And curd, like aigre droppings into milk,
The thin and wholesome blood: so did it mine,
And a most instant tetter barked about,
Most lazarlike, with vile and loathsome crust,
All my smooth body;
---
The Ghost smells the morning air, and decides it's time to be factual and get to the point. The Ghost says it'll be brief, but then speaks about 30 lines; it must have been taking lessons in brevity from Polonius.
Secure hour means his quiet time in private, the time he set aside to relax without worrying about government affairs. The word usage is ironic; Hamlet Sr thought he was "secure," but he was not. Stole means "snuck up," and also with allusion to "stealing" Hamlet Sr's security. The Ghost's thy uncle is in affirmative response to Hamlet's earlier My uncle?
Hebona is the author's mythical poison. It is not from any particular plant. As the character Lucianus will later describe at the Mousetrap play, it's made from a mixture of the most poisonous plants, collected at the witching hour of midnight, and cursed with the strongest of black magic. The "ebon" in the name means "black." Hebona can be thought of as the ultimate "black" (evil) poison.
The author formed the word, Hebona, by first adding an "H" at the front of "ebon," which he began with, for the idea of "black." The "H" is because of the name, Hecate, mentioned later at the Mousetrap. He then added the suffix "-a" to give a feminine ending, because in Greek mythology Hecate is a goddess. The word is correct to the author's hand as Q2 shows it.
The Elizabethans strongly condemned poisoning, and viewed it as an especially despicable and cowardly thing to do. Which it is.
Porches means the entrances to the ears, the ear canals. Leprous means "causing leprosy," taken here as a horrid skin disease, as the Ghost goes on to describe. Distillment means the liquid distilled from, or extracted from, the plants.
Enmity with blood of man means the poison "hates" blood and attacks it. "Blood of man" is also a phrase referring to the human race. The undertone is of Claudius hating his fellow man, his brother in particular.
Quicksilver, the element mercury, was a known poison, so its mention is consistent with the talk of poison. Gates and alleys means the channels of the body through which fluid could flow. This cannot be taken as an early reference by the author to the exact way in which blood circulates. The archaic theory of humors had it that the humors, liquids, circulated through and permeated the body.
Posset is a beverage made with curdled milk; the author uses the word here to mean "coagulate" or "congeal." The phrase posset And curd means to coagulate, and to form curds. Q2 says "possess," but since posset goes with curd, I take it that the Folio change to posset is a proper correction of the playscript. The author's habit of pairing synonyms and near-synonyms is one of the ways he built his amazingly large vocabulary. Vigor means "power."
Aigre is a word from French, meaning "acid." Q2 shows a spelling of "eager," which is the same as Horatio's word at the beginning of Scene 4, when he spoke of the "eager air." It's the same idea, again, of both sourness and biting. The poison "bit" Hamlet Sr's blood, and killed it. Acid dropped into milk can "sourly kill" the milk and make it curdle.
Tetter is a general term for skin disease. A most instant tetter means "a very instantaneous skin disease," or in other words, a skin disease appeared instantly. Barked refers to the bark of a tree, here used as a verb to mean the disease spread over his skin like bark on a tree.
Lazarlike means "like Lazarus" in the Bible. This does not refer to the Lazarus who was raised from the dead by Jesus, (St John 12,) but rather the diseased beggar, St Luke 16:20. The idea of being raised from the dead is relevant, however, as the Ghost speaks to Hamlet in the image of his dead father, and the Biblical story of the diseased beggar also does include mention of a person being raised from the dead (St Luke 16:31.)
Any puncture wounds from a serpent's fangs would have been hidden by the skin disease the Ghost describes. This would help explain why the serpent story was accepted even though no fang wounds could have been found, since there was not really a snake bite.
hw 759, to hw 765- Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother's hand
Of life, of crown, of Queen, at once dispatched;
Cut off even in the blossoms of my sin,
Unhouseled, disappointed, unaneled,
No reckoning made, but sent to my account
With all my imperfections on my head;
O horrible; O horrible, most horrible!
---
Dispatched means "sent away" and Of means "from." Change the word order of the second line to see the meaning as it would be expressed in modern English: "sent away from life, from crown..." Dispatched can also be read as "deprived," for an approximate equivalent.
In the blossoms means "in full bloom," which in turn means at the height, or at the peak. Flowers are at their best when in full bloom. Sin "in full bloom" would be at its worst. It's odd for the Ghost to use phrasing which is usually taken to mean "best" in talking about sin.
Sin is correctly singular, although blossoms is plural. The image is that the Ghost's sin is one "plant" with many "blossoms." The metaphor of plants in bloom goes along with Hamlet Sr dying in his garden. Also, St Gertrude of Nivelles, who is associated with Gertrude in the play, is a patron of gardeners.
The fourth line refers to proper religious rites according to the Catholic Church. Unhouseled means he did not receive Holy Communion; disappointed is probably best understood as "unconfessed" (by appointment with a priest;) and unaneled means without the rite called "extreme unction," which includes annointment with oil.
The word unaneled is spelled "vnanueld" in Q2, so the literal modern equivalent would be "unanviled." The original spelling is probably intentional, as wordplay, to mean Hamlet Sr was not "beaten into shape" for his passage to Heaven, as in shaping iron on an anvil. Oil is used for extreme unction, to annoint the dying, and oil is also used in tempering metal at a forge. Hamlet will later question whether the Ghost was damned, trying to fool him, and will then mention Vulcan's forge, which would have included an anvil.
The word disappointed carries a legal undertone, in that "appointment" refers to a designation of beneficiaries and the distribution of property under a will. Apparently King Hamlet did not have a chance to speak out clearly about his son Hamlet succeeding him; this resulted in legal "disappointment" for Hamlet when Claudius became king.
Reckoning and account are a business analogy, meaning the "books were not balanced." The Ghost died "in debt," in the religious sense, for his sins.
In historical commentary, there has been speculation that the horrible - horrible line should be spoken by Hamlet, instead of the Ghost, but that can't be right, since it runs counter to something in the Ghosts's appearance in the later Closet Scene. The line is correctly attributed in Q2.
Imperfections refers to religious imperfections, sins. The complaint is that Hamlet Sr did not receive the correct religious preparation to be immediately admitted into Heaven, so this is the Ghost's explanation of why it's stuck in Purgatory (although without the Ghost saying explicitly that Purgatory is where it is.)
hw 766, to hw 776- If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not!
Let not the royal bed of Denmark be
A couch for luxury and damned incest;
But, howsomever thou pursues this act,
Taint not thy mind nor let thy soul contrive
Against thy mother, aught; leave her to Heaven
And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge
To prick and sting her; fare thee well, at once;
The glowworm shows the matin to be near,
And 'gins to pale his uneffectual fire;
Adieu, adieu, adieu; remember me!
(the Ghost exits)
---
Nature means natural family feeling, in this case, Hamlet's love for his father. Luxury implies "lust," the sexual kind of self-indulgence or extravagance, in particular. Incest again refers to the social convention of the time which would ordinarily have forbidden the marriage of Gertrude and Claudius, since they were in-laws.
Howsomever means "in whatever way." Although the Ghost is insistent on revenge, he provides Hamlet with no specific guidance on what to do. It's left entirely up to Hamlet, as to how he'll proceed.
Taint means Hamlet is not to "poison" his mind against his mother, leading him to take some action against her. Aught means "at all." But merely in mentioning the subject, the Ghost implies some unspecified wrongdoing by Gertrude.
The Ghost could have an ulterior motive in telling Hamlet not to be concerned with his mother on the issue. Hamlet has shown that he's obedient to his mother, and if he approached her on the subject she might be able to talk him out of revenge, or flatly forbid it, and he might obey, which would thwart the Ghost's desire.
The reference to thorns means Hamlet is to leave Gertrude to the punishment of her own conscience, whatever that may be. The Ghost says her conscience will hurt her. Heaven implies the Ghost thinks Gertrude will go to Heaven, despite his depreciation of her.
Matin means "morning," used here in the sense of "dawn" or "daybreak." The word comes from a root of Latin 'Matuta,' the name of the Roman goddess of dawn. Matin is also a religious term for morning prayers, so it continues the religious ideas.
Uneffectual fire means the firefly's light is cool, so it would not be effectual in burning away sin, like the hot fires of Purgatory (or not effectual in punishing sin, like the hot fires of Hell.) Pale is used in a contrary way; "pale" usually implies lightness, but here it means the firefly dims its light, becoming darker. Also, a "pale" is a boundary; the firefly's "paling" signifies the boundary between night and day.
The Ghost did not tell Hamlet to kill Claudius. He left the howsomever of revenge up to Hamlet. The killing of Claudius would be the typical expectation.
The Ghost did not express any fatherly love for Hamlet, did not ask Hamlet anything about how he was, and gave Hamlet no opportunity to question him. He called Hamlet noble youth once, which doesn't sound much like "beloved son." Noble youth is the same thing Hamlet will later call Laertes, a mere acquaintance.
hw 777, to hw 789- Hamlet: O all you host of Heaven! O earth! What else?
And shall I couple Hell? O fie! Hold, hold my heart;
And you, my sinews, grow not instant old,
But bear me swiftly up; remember thee?
Aye, thou poor Ghost, whiles memory holds a seat
In this distracted globe, remember thee!
Yea, from the table of my memory
I'll wipe away all trivial, fond records
All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past,
That youth and observation copied there,
And thy commandment, all alone, shall live
Within the book and volume of my brain,
Unmixed with baser matter; yes, by Heaven!
---
Fie means "shame." Hamlet first invokes Heaven, then the earth, and then asks himself whether he should also invoke Hell. He "shames" himself for the last thought. One is not supposed to appeal to Hell for strength and guidance. He would not normally even think of doing so; something about the Ghost suggested the thought.
With hold Hamlet is telling his heart to be strong, or in other words, he's telling himself to "get a grip." Hold can mean "stop," which is irony; Hamlet is not really intending to tell his heart to stop.
Instant old means "instantly like those of an old man." Hamlet suddenly feels old - we'll see more on that, later.
Swiftly means "readily," in the sense of being ready for action. It follows Hamlet's mention of swift wings, to sweep to his revenge.
Globe means "head" or "skull." The phrase a seat In this distracted globe has been seen as a possible reference to the Globe Theater, and it's possible. In the plain reading, seat means "throne," and Hamlet means he'll remember as long as he's "king" of his own mind. It relates back to Horatio's reference to sovereignty of reason. Further, Hamlet means as long as the concept of memory has a place in the world. Claudius has tried to tell him that the concept of memory, in relation to his father, does not have a place in the world of Elsinore.
Table means "tablet" or "notebook." Hamlet likens his memory to a notebook. Fond means "foolish," although with the undertone that Hamlet is fond of the education he's acquired as a scholar. Saws means the precepts, or rules, that he's learned from books. Forms and pressures mean "shapes" and "impressions," and refer to his own ideas that he's formulated. He's "erasing" all his old ideas, to make a new beginning. He characterizes his old notions as something from his youth, meaning he suddenly feels grown up, with a heavy responsibility.
Commandment implies the Ten Commandments of the Bible, especially since it follows the various references to religion. Hamlet says, of what the Ghost told him, thy commandment will be his only one. Baser means "less important."
The First Commandment, as it appears in Catholic and Protestant theology, is: "thou shalt have no other gods before me." Hamlet implies he'll adopt that "commandment," in relation to the Ghost, as his only one. He implies the Ghost has become his god. He says he'll ignore the other Commandments, the less important ones, (which would include "thou shalt not kill.")
Having placed the Ghost's "commandment" ahead of any other Commandments, Hamlet then, ironically, swears to Heaven.
hw 790, to hw 796- Oh, most pernicious woman!
Oh, villain, villain, smiling damned villain!
My tables: meet it is I set it down
That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain,
At least I am sure it may be so in Denmark;
So, uncle, there you are; now to my word,
It is: "adieu, adieu, remember me!"
I have sworn it.
---
Pernicious means "wickedly harmful," and comes from a root meaning of "kill." He's apparently blaming his mother in connection with his father's death. The Ghost told Hamlet not to taint his mind against his mother, but Hamlet has already strayed from the Ghost's "commandment" by speaking of Gertrude in such a way. The Ghost's remarks are working on his mind, to influence his view of his mother. In the order of his thoughts, he places his mother before Claudius, however. He still thinks of her first.
Tables again is a reference to notebooks. Hamlet's training as a scholar comes to the fore, as he makes a note. His reference to Claudius as a smiling villain means Claudius was smiling while he lectured Hamlet earlier. Hamlet was offended by Claudius's smiling at the time, and is now even more so. It's elementary that not all smiles are sincere, but an elementary note is appropriate as Hamlet's first new note on his new subject. This is scholarly practice; one begins with fundamentals, and works from there. The making of a note helps Hamlet to focus his thoughts, and indulging his scholarly habit helps him get back to normalcy.
Tables, and set it down, also suggest food being set on tables in a dining hall. This is subtly on the Feast motif. Hamlet intends to "serve" Claudius the "dish" Claudius deserves.
Hamlet, himself, is smiling as he makes the note, which is an irony, since he now has "villainous" intent against Claudius. Hamlet's line contains self reference.
Hamlet's adieu is spelled "adew" in Q2, which is an intentional spelling to connect back to his earlier expressed wish to be resolved into "a dew." Hamlet's former self, when he wished to be "a dew," has now "risen" to a new resovle, figuratively the way dew rises, in popular expression.
Word means "promise" or "oath." Hamlet is swearing he will rise to the challenge, and take revenge on Claudius.
Hamlet's adieu is spoken, first, rhetorically to the Ghost, who rather rudely exited without giving Hamlet a chance to say "goodbye" to him, albeit he left Hamlet rather speechless for the moment, anyway. In a second meaning, Hamlet is saying farewell to his former life, as he sets out to seek revenge against Claudius, and is urging himself to remember how he used to be. His former self, the resentful boy, is only the "ghost" of what he has become, a serious seeker of revenge.
hw 797, to hw 813- (Horatio and Marcellus enter)
Horatio: My Lord, my Lord!
Marcellus: Lord Hamlet!
Hora: Heavens secure him.
Hamlet (aside): So be it.
Marc: Hillo, ho, ho, my Lord!
Hamlet: Hillo, ho, ho, boy come, and come!
Marc: How is it, my noble Lord?
Hora: What news, my Lord?
Hamlet: Oh, wonderful!
Hora: Good, my Lord, tell it.
Hamlet: No, you will reveal it.
Hora: Not I, my Lord, by Heaven.
Marc: Nor I, my Lord.
Hamlet: How say you, then, would heart of man once think it,
But you'll be secret?
(They both reply): Aye, by Heaven.
---
Although the Ghost said dawn was near, it's still dark as Horatio and Marcellus enter, and they don't see Hamlet at first, until he calls and they get near him. Horatio's use of secure is ironic following the Ghost's mention of Hamlet Sr's secure hour when Hamlet's father thought it was safe to nap. Hamlet hears Horatio's good wish, and acknowledges it with an "amen" to himself.
The Hillo, ho, ho is in the style of falconers calling their hawks. Boy is not a demeaning term here, it's simply the style of the language. Marcellus and Hamlet both call to each other as if they were both hawks. The falconer's style was apparently adopted for general use in calling someone at a distance.
Hamlet's wonderful means "amazing" or "incredible." He also implies he feels good to have a serious purpose.
With heart of man Hamlet means, if he told them that their former King was murdered, he feels in his heart that they couldn't help talking about it. He strongly believes they'd be compelled to tell others.
Hamlet refuses to tell them because taking revenge on Claudius is his own job to do. He is not going to involve his friends in a conspiracy against the reigning King.
hw 814, to hw 817- Hamlet: There's never a villain,
Dwelling in all Denmark . . .
But he's an arrant knave.
Hora: There needs no Ghost, my Lord, come from the grave
To tell us this.
---
Arrant means "out-and-out." Hamlet was charitable to Claudius earlier, allowing it that Claudius only had a flaw of nature, or bad habits, but he now sees Claudius as a complete villain.
Hamlet started to say "like Claudius" but quickly changed his mind, and turned his sentence into an innocuous remark. Horatio is sceptical that the Ghost would tell such an inane truism to Hamlet, which Hamlet would then call "wonderful." Horatio is right.
hw 818, to hw 824- Hamlet: Why, right, you are in the right,
And so, without more circumstance at all,
I hold it fit that we shake hands and part;
You, as your business and desire shall point you,
(For every man hath business and desire,
Such as it is,) and for my own poor part,
I will go pray.
---
Circumstance means, literally, "to stand around." Hamlet says he doesn't want to stand around talking about it. It also means "to talk around" a subject, from the idea of "standing around" while talking. In the latter sense, Hamlet means if they talked more, he'd only have to talk around the real issue.
Part, in the next-to-last line, is a reference to the role he has assumed, or which has been thrust upon him, the role of avenger. He recognizes that it's a poor thing, not a great one, that he must take revenge against his own uncle. He is also feeling poorly fitted for the role of avenger. Poor additionally anticipates Hamlet later calling himself a "beggar."
Hamlet means there's really nothing he can tell them, without inevitably telling them too much. He thinks they should merely go their separate ways, and he should go pray. Praying would be a very reasonable thing for Hamlet to do at this point.
hw 825, to hw 837- Hora: These are but wild and whirling words, my Lord.
Hamlet: I am sorry they offend you; heartily,
Yes, faith, heartily.
Hora: There's no offense, my Lord.
Hamlet: Yes, by Saint Patrick, but there is, Horatio,
And much offense, too, touching this vision here;
It is an honest Ghost, that let me tell you;
For your desire to know what is between us,
O'ermaster it as you may; and now, good friends,
As you are friends, scholars, and soldiers,
Give me one poor request.
Hora: What is't, my Lord? We will.
Hamlet: Never make known what you have seen tonight.
---
Horatio does not understand, which is not surprising. Hamlet's words make no sense to him. Horatio is not expressing annoyance, he is expressing concern for Hamlet's state of mind. Horatio is correct that Hamlet's mind is in a whirl.
Hamlet's thoughts are elsewhere, and he misunderstands, taking it that Horatio is offended Hamlet will not tell him what the Ghost said. Horatio replies that he takes no offense.
Saint Patrick is associated with snakes in legend, with credit for driving the snakes out of Ireland. Hamlet's mention of St Patrick is because he intends to rid Elsinore of his "serpent" uncle.
Additionally, St Patrick is associated with Purgatory, and there is a place in Ireland called Saint Patrick's Purgatory, so this connects with the Ghost's implication of being in Purgatory. The feast day of Saint Patrick, March 17, is the same as the feast day of Saint Gertrude of Nivelles, who is associated with Gertrude in the play.
Hamlet plays on the word offense, using it in the sense of "crime," but without making it explicit what he means. In his wordplay, and with Claudius's crime so much on his mind, he can't help hinting there's some offense he knows of, because of the Ghost.
With honest Ghost Hamlet primarily means only that it's honestly a Ghost that they saw. It's truly a ghost. Additionally, honest means "honorable." Horatio and Marcellus already know the Ghost is the image of Hamlet's 'honorable' father, so he tells them nothing new with his description.
Honest consistently has the larger meaning of "honorable" throughout Hamlet, in Hamlet's own utterances. Being truthful is a part of being honorable, but Hamlet is not specifically intending to tell them the Ghost was truthful, because it would lead to the immediate question, "about what?" and Hamlet is avoiding telling them "about what."
With O'ermaster Hamlet tells them to gain mastery of their curiosity as best they can. The word additionally suggests "Master," which is a term referring to Jesus, the "master" of Christian men. We'll see Jesus as "Master" later, in something Ophelia says.
Poor request means "small request," and Hamlet asks them never to tell what they've seen.
hw 838, to hw 845- (They both reply): My lord, we will not.
Hamlet: Nay, but swear it.
Hora: In faith, my Lord, not I.
Marc: Nor I, my Lord, in faith.
Hamlet: Upon my sword!
Marc: We have sworn, my Lord, already.
Hamlet: Indeed? Upon my sword, indeed!
(the Ghost cries out from the earth)
Ghost: Swear!
---
They affirm they won't tell, but Hamlet wants them to swear in a more formal way, and looks for a way for them to do that. Horatio's not I is not a refusal to swear, but is his affirmation that he won't tell.
Hamlet decides that the proper way for them to swear is on his sword. Marcellus points out that they have already sworn. He's reluctant to swear on Hamlet's sword, because he knows what it means.
A sword is a deadly weapon, and when Hamlet asks them to swear on his sword, he is implying that he intends to kill somebody. He's showing them it's a very serious business, and is asking them to take a blood oath. This is on the very prominent Death theme of the play. The death implication, of Hamlet demanding an oath on the sword, is tragically ironic in view of the play conclusion.
Additionally, a sword was used for oaths because the hilt formed a cross, so it was symbolic of a solemn oath before God. Swearing on the sword is symbolic of swearing on the cross. We'll see that again, in the later Closet Scene, where Hamlet will swear on the "rood" (the cross.)
When the Ghost cries out from the earth, he means, "Swear - to me!" The Ghost is demanding they swear to him, in addition to swearing to Hamlet, although Horatio and Marcellus do not grasp that. With both Hamlet and the Ghost telling them to swear, any oath they take would be to both Hamlet and the Ghost.
hw 846, to hw 856- Hamlet: Ha, ha, boy, say'st thou so? Art thou there, Truepenny?
Come on, you hear this fellow in the cellerage;
Consent to swear.
Horatio: Propose the oath, my Lord.
Hamlet: Never to speak of this that you have seen;
Swear by my sword.
Ghost: Swear!
Hamlet: Hic, and ubique? Then we'll shift our ground;
- Come hither, gentlemen,
And lay your hands again upon my sword;
Swear by my sword,
Never to speak of this that you have heard.
---
Hamlet is amused at first, at hearing the Ghost, and calls it "Truepenny." The name comes from Tom Truepenny, a character in the English comedy play Ralph Roister Doister (hereafter RRD in these notes.) RRD was written in 1553, and printed in 1567. It's the first comedy play known to have been printed in English. Hamlet says "Truepenny" because RRD contains the line, "Ye are a slow goer, sir." Hamlet is facetiously observing that although the Ghost said adieu, it has not left yet. The Ghost is a "slow goer."
Hamlet states expressly that Horatio and Marcellus do hear the Ghost, and the action requires them to hear it. It has sometimes been proposed that only Hamlet hears the voice, but that can't be correct.
When Horatio and Marcellus first heard the voice at their feet say Swear they stepped away in surprise. Hamlet goes to them and again asks them to swear on the sword. They have not sworn yet; the Ghost's voice interrupted them.
Hamlet's Hic, and ubique is another allusion to RRD, in which the characters speak of Tom Truepenny "always rushing around," and Truepenny is said to be "everywhere."
When Hamlet hears the Ghost's voice again at their feet, he realizes the Ghost wants Horatio and Marcellus to swear to it, in addition to swearing to him. Hamlet doesn't want them to swear to the Ghost, because he has in mind the possibility that the Ghost could be an evil spirit, an agent of the Devil, or the voice could be that of the Devil, himself. Hamlet knows it wouldn't be friendly of him to place his unsuspecting friends in the position of swearing, unknowingly, to the Devil (if it is.) So, Hamlet has Horatio and Marcellus move to a different place to try the oath again.
hw 857, to hw 862- Ghost: Swear by his sword!
Hamlet: Well said, old mole! Canst work i'the earth so fast?
A worthy pioneer; once more remove good friends.
Hora: Oh, day and night, but this is wonderous strange!
Hamlet: And therefore, as a stranger, give it welcome;
---
Pioneer, as spoken here by Hamlet, means "miner." The word "pioneer" is originally from a meaning of "foot soldier." In attacking a castle, some of the soldiers would dig under the castle wall to weaken the foundation and make the wall collapse. After the invention of gunpowder, in addition to undermining by digging, barrels of gunpowder were placed in the tunnel and detonated. The besieging army could then attack through the breach in the wall. Thus, the pioneer soldiers, who mined, "led the way" in attacking the castle. The meaning of "pioneer" later expanded to mean anybody who led the way into a new area.
The undertone of Hamlet's word pioneer is that the Ghost is leading his way, and "undermining" Elsinore Castle as ruled by Claudius.
Hamlet's Well said, old mole is another reference to RRD, which contains the line, "Well said, Truepenny."
Hamlet once more asks Horatio and Marcellus to move, so that they will only be swearing to him, and not to what might be the Devil.
Hamlet's as a stranger, give it welcome is a further reference to RRD, which contains the line, "whate'er thou be, heartily welcome hither;" the Truepenny character says that when welcoming a stranger. Additionally, RRD contains the line, "much heartily welcome from a strange land."
The Ghost has interrupted the oath again; Horatio and Marcellus have still not sworn on the sword.
hw 863, to hw 868- There are more things in Heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy; but come
Here as before; never, so help you mercy,
How strange or odd some'er I bear myself,
(As I perchance hereafter shall think meet,
To put an antic disposition on,)
---
Hamlet's your is not personal; he does not mean Horatio in particular. It's a figure of speech, the idea of presenting a subject to another person for consideration; the idea of a 'given.' Hamlet is referring Horatio to the subject of academic philosophy, in general. Hamlet means there's more to things than they were taught in school.
Hamlet has Horatio and Marcellus return to where they were at first. He realizes that his behavior looks quite odd to them, and also that the situation may cause him, in the future, to act in ways that are out of character for him.
As Hamlet asks the others to return to the original location, he puts his sword away. He has given up on the idea of having them swear on the sword, because he realizes he can't get away from the Ghost's voice, which could possibly be the voice of the Devil, or a minion of the Devil. He is not going to make his friends swear to the Devil (if it is) without knowing it. That wouldn't be friendly.
This is why there are no lines in the playtext for Horatio and Marcellus to speak the oath on the sword. They do not do so. Hamlet gives up on the oath, which looks even more odd to Horatio and Marcellus. First Hamlet insisted they had to swear on the sword, but then he puts the sword away without permitting them to swear on it.
Antic means "clownish." Hamlet explains that he may think it proper for him to be clownish, sometimes. Hamlet isn't telling the truth. He isn't being clownish intentionally, at this time, he's giddy from the strong emotion and confusion of his experience with the Ghost. However, he doesn't want his friends to think he's lost his mind, so he excuses himself with the idea that his strange behavior is intentionally clownish. He is not being intentionally clownish, however, he is having difficulty reacting to the unexpected events.
To understand the play, it's necessary to understand that Hamlet's antic disposition phrase is confined to this scene, where he says it (except for one, single event later where it will have significance.) He's making an excuse to his friends for his strange behavior. But it's an excuse which is not true, as he says it, except he realizes he has, indeed, put on an "antic disposition" in that he's acting funny. Hamlet does not have the foresight to know how events will proceed - nobody would, in reality, and the author knew it. Hamlet cannot, in a calculated, premeditated way, anticipate specific events, which means that he cannot truly compose an appropriate "antic disposition" to respond to events. It can't be done.
In other words, the author wrote Hamlet to be "real," as real as he could make it - and with the author's great talent, he made it very "real," indeed. What Hamlet goes through must be interpreted as "real," and not that he's only fooling around, if you want to get the true meaning of the play.
So, forget antic disposition as some kind of blanket explanation for what follows in the play. That will not be what is happening. You'll find books in which their authors or editors try to use "antic disposition" to explain just about everything in Hamlet, but that only means those authors, or editors, didn't understand Hamlet's character, or the play.
Hamlet is caught in a situation beyond his control, and the play is a study in how he tries to handle events as they happen, without knowing what's going to happen.
If you simply take it that, in later events, Hamlet is only play-acting, you will not grasp the "reality" of it, and you will not understand Hamlet. Hamlet will not be just pretending, in the course of the play. What he does, are his genuine reactions, and when he says something, he really means it, although the meaning may be obscure or ambiguous, and he will not always know the implications, or the effect, of his own remarks, nor will he always correctly perceive what he witnesses.
Antic is spelled "anticke" in the original printing of Q2, which is the same spelling later used for "antique." The original spelling, 'anticke' disposition, has an intentional double meaning, from the author. The author's word "anticke" refers to both being "clownish," and "old." So, Hamlet's phrasing further implies he will pretend to be an old man. That is not actually what Hamlet means as he says it, but we'll see later that Hamlet implies himself to be older than old Polonius, and other instances of young-old confusion will occur as the play continues. The young-old confusion links to Hamlet's earlier phrase in this Scene, where he called upon his sinews not to become "instant old," and to his phrase at the end of this Scene, about the time being "out of joint."
hw 869, to hw 879- That you, at such times seeing me, never shall
With arms encumbered, thus, or this head shake,
Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase,
As, "well, well, we know," or, "we could, and if we would,"
Or, "if we list to speak," or, "there be, and if they might,"
Or such ambiguous giving out, to note
That you know ought of me, this do swear;
So grace and mercy, at your most need, help you.
Ghost: Swear!
Hamlet: Rest, rest, perturbed spirit. So, gentlemen,
---
Hamlet tells his friends to ignore any odd behavior by him, if it happens again. He doesn't want them trying to help him, because it could interfere with revenge against Claudius. Also, if they tried to help, and drew attention to him, it would lead to others inquiring about what has happened. He doesn't want any such focus of attention, or inquiries.
Arms encumbered, thus means with the hands held out in front, palms upward, as though carrying something. Try it, yourself, while looking straight ahead, and you will immediately recognize the gesture. The phrase has historically been interpreted as meaning with the arms folded, but that is not right. The head shake he means, is the slow, side-to-side shake of the head that signifies disapproval or regret.
Doubtful phrase means statements that would express doubt about him, or raise doubt about him. There is facetious wordplay, in that the phrases Hamlet speaks are "doubtful" as to exactly what they mean. The individual doubtful phrases are so abbreviated, it's difficult to ascertain the exact meaning, and the author was aware of that when he wrote them. Hamlet's point is that he doesn't want Horatio and Marcellus raising questions about him, no matter how they might express themselves.
Here are probable meanings of Hamlet's phrases. For the first phrase, well, well, we know, he doesn't want Horatio or Marcellus implying they know what has disturbed Hamlet, because it would lead to questions of what they know, and how they know. Emphasis should be on we as the phrase is spoken.
We could, and if we would means "we could help him, if we would do (something.)" Hamlet doesn't want any idea going around that he needs help, because it could cause questions and interference.
If we list to speak, means "if we wanted to speak, we could tell you things." He wants no implication that they know a secret.
There be, and if they might, means "there are people who know things, and they might tell you." Again, Hamlet wants no implication of anybody knowing anything special about him.
The word ambiguous is sublime irony. The author knew the phrases he composed for this passage were ambiguous, and he intentionally wrote the entire play to be filled with phrases that have allusions and undertones, double meanings, and uncertain meanings. The author was a fine fellow, and a great creative genius, but he was also a scamp.
When Hamlet asks Horatio and Marcellus to swear they won't say such things, he means "promise me." He is not asking for an oath on the sword at this point; he has put the sword away.
The Ghost calls out Swear for a final time, still trying to get them to swear a blood oath to him. Hamlet is not going to have it that way, and he simply tells the Ghost to "relax." Rest also means "rest in peace."
hw 880, to hw 887- With all my love I do commend me to you,
And what so poor a man as Hamlet is,
May do t'express his love and friending to you
God willing, shall not lack; let us go in together,
And still, your fingers on your lips, I pray;
The time is out of joint, oh curs'd spite,
That ever I was born, to set things right;
Nay, come, let's go together.
(they exit)
---
Hamlet expresses his friendship to Horatio and Marcellus, and promises them he'll do the best he can for them. Friending means both "friendship," and also refers to acts of friendship. He says they should return to the Castle, and again asks, in an informal, conversational way this time, that they say nothing.
Commend means recommend. Hamlet is recommending himself to them.
The time is out of joint means things are "dislocated," not arranged and connected as they should be. The analogy is to a dislocated limb. Hamlet will try to "doctor" the situation, at Elsinore, and put things back as they should be.
Hamlet's time line further means that he feels older, because of the burden of revenge that's been thrust upon him. It's as though he has abruptly moved ahead through time, from carefree boyhood to responsible manhood, in a matter of minutes, rather than experiencing the gradual flow of growing up. The time seems not "joined" properly, for him, because he feels he's suddenly skipped ahead by years.
With spite he's referring to the cruelty of fate, the combination of the various events that have occurred to put him in this situation. The figure of speech is as though Fate were a person who had a grudge against him. He had no control over the earlier events, but he must now try to deal with the result. The word spite comes from a root meaning of "to look," so Hamlet is also cursing what he's seen, and it's another word on the Watch motif. With the root meaning of "spite" in mind, it may imply the Ghost being a "cursed sight."
Hamlet is aware of the possibility the Ghost may have been an imposter, and an evil spirit. But he believes what the Ghost told him about Claudius, and he intends to take action. He's going to try to kill Claudius, even if it may have been the Devil who called upon him for revenge.
When Hamlet says let's go together, he means he wants his friends to walk close beside him, as they return to the Castle in the cold darkness.
End of Scene5
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