Whose motive, in this case, should stir me most And will not wrong it. Ham. I embrace it freely; And will this brother's wager frankly play. Give us the foils; come on. Laer. Come, one for me. Ham. I'll be your foil, Laertes; in mine ignorance Your skill shall, like a star i'the darkest night, Stick fiery off indeed. Laer. You mock me, sir. Ham. No, by this hand. King. Give them the foils, young Osric. - Cousin Hamlet, You know the wager? Ham. Very well, my lord; Your grace hath laid the odds o'the weaker side. Ham. This likes me well: These foils have all a [They prepare to play. length? Osr. Ay, my good lord. King. Set me the stoups of wine upon that table:If Hamlet give the first or second hit, Or quit in answer of the third exchange, Let all the battlements their ordnance fire; The king shall drink to Hamlet's better breath; 7 But since he's better'd, we have therefore odds.] These odds were twelve to nine in favour of Hamlet, by Laertes giving him three. 8 the stoups of wine—] A stoup is a kind of flagon. And in the cup an union shall he throw, In Denmark's crown have worn; Give me the cups; And let the kettle to the trumpet speak, The trumpet to the cannoneer without, The cannons to the heavens, the heaven to earth, And you, the judges, bear a wary eye. Ham. Come on, sir. King. Stay, give me drink: Hamlet, this pearl is thine;' Here's to thy health. Give him the cup. [Trumpets sound; and Cannon shot off within. Ham. I'll play this bout first, set it by awhile. Another hit; What say you? Come. Laer. A touch, a touch, I do confess. Queen. [They play. He's fat, and scant of breath. Here, Hamlet, take my napkin, rub thy brows: The queen carouses2 to thy fortune, Hamlet. King. Gertrude, do not drink. Queen. I will, my lord;- I pray you, pardon me. King. It is the poison'd cup; it is too late. [Aside. Ham. I dare not drink yet, madam; by and by. 9 And in the cup an union-] A species of pearl. 1 this pearl is thine ;] Under pretence of throwing a pearl into the cup, the king may be supposed to drop some poisonous drug into the wine. Hamlet seems to suspect this, when he afterwards discovers the effects of the poison, and tauntingly asks him,-“ Is the union here?" 2 The queen carouses-] i. e. (in humbler language) drinks good luck to you. Queen. Come, let me wipe thy face. I do not think it. Laer. And yet it is almost against my conscience. [Aside. Ham. Come, for the third, Laertes: You do but dally; I pray you, pass with your best violence; I am afeard, you make a wanton of me.9 Osr. Nothing neither way. Laer. Have at you now. King. [They play. [LAERTES wounds HAMLET; then, in scuffling, they change Rapiers, and HAMLET wounds LAERTES. Part them, they are incens'd. Laer. Why, as a woodcock to my own + springe, Osric; I am justly kill'd with mine own treachery. Ham. How does the queen? King. She swoons to see them bleed. Queen. No, no, the drink, the drink, O my dear Laer. It is here, Hamlet: Hamlet, thou art slain n; you make a wanton of me.] You trifle with me as if were playing with a child. you Hath turn'd itself on me; lo, here I lie, Envenom'd too! - Then, venom, to thy work. Osr.& Lords. Treason! treason! [Stabs the King. King. O, yet defend me, friends, I am but hurt. Dane, Drink off this potion: - Is the union here? 4 Follow my mother. Laer. He is justly serv'd; [King dies. It is a poison temper'd by himself. 5 [Dies. Ham. Heaven make thee free of it! I follow thee. I am dead, Horatio :- Wretched queen, adieu ! You that look pale and tremble at this chance, That are but mutes or audience to this act. Had I but time, (as this fell sergeant, death, Is strict in his arrest,) O, I could tell you,But let it be: Horatio, I am dead; Thou liv'st; report me and my cause aright I am more an antique Roman than a Dane, 4- Is the union here?] It should seem from this line, and Laertes' next speech, that Hamlet here forces the expiring king to drink some of the poisoned cup, and that he dies while it is at his lips. 5 That are but mutes or audience to this act,] That are either auditors of this catastrophe, or at most only mute performers, that fill the stage without any part in the action. 6 officer. (as this fell sergeant,] A sergeant is a bailiff, or sheriff's Ham. As thou'rt a man, Give me the cup; let go; by heaven, I'll have it. — Things standing thus unknown, shall live behind me? If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart, Absent thee from felicity awhile, And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain, To tell my story. - [March afar off, and Shot within. What warlike noise is this? Osr. Young Fortinbras, with conquest come from Poland, To the ambassadors of England gives This warlike volley. Ham. O, I die, Horatio; The potent poison quite o'er-crows 7 my spirit; On Fortinbras; he has my dying voice; So tell him, with the occurrents, more or less, [Dies. Hor. Now cracks a noble heart;- Good night, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest! Why does the drum come hither? [March within. Enter FORTINBRAS, the English Ambassadors, and Others. Fort. Where is this sight? Hor. What is it, you would see? If aught of woe, or wonder, cease your search. 7 The potent poison quite o'er-crows] Alluding to a victorious cock exulting over his conquered antagonist. 8 — the occurrents,] i. e. incidents. 9 Which have solicited,] Solicited for excited. This quarry cries on havock! To cry on, was to exclaim against. I suppose, when unfair sportsmen destroyed more quarry or game than was reasonable, the censure was to cry, havock. JOHNSON. |