Hamlet- full summary
Liberty University
Character list
1. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark The crown prince of Denmark who returns from
the university in Wittenberg, Germany, to find his father dead, his mother
married to the king's brother Claudius, and Claudius newly self-crowned
King.
2. Claudius, King of Denmark Dead King Hamlet's brother who has usurped
the throne and married his sister-in-law.
3. Gertrude, Queen of Denmark Prince Hamlet's mother, King Hamlet's
widow, King Claudius' wife.
4. The Ghost Spirit of the late King Hamlet, condemned to walk the earth until
his soul is cleansed of its sins.
5. Polonius The elderly Lord Chamberlain, chief counselor to Claudius.
6. Horatio A commoner, Horatio went to school with Hamlet and remains his
loyal best friend.
7. Laertes A student in Paris, Laertes is Polonius' son and Ophelia's brother; he
returns from school because of King Hamlet's death, leaves to go back to
Paris, and then returns again after his own father's murder.
8. Ophelia Daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, Ophelia is beloved of
Hamlet.
9. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Classmates of Hamlet's in Wittenberg.
Claudius summons them to Elsinore to spy on Prince Hamlet.
10. Fortinbras King of Norway, bound to avenge his father's death by the Danes'
hands.
11. Osric Affected courtier who plays a minor role as the King's messenger and
as umpire of the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes.
12. Voltimand and Cornelius Danish courtiers who are sent as ambassadors to
the Court of Norway.
13. Marcellus and Bernardo Danish officers on guard at the castle of Elsinore.
14. Francisco Danish soldier on guard at the castle of Elsinore.
15. Reynaldo Young man, whom Polonius instructs and sends to Paris to
observe and report on Laertes' conduct.
16. Two Clowns (the Gravediggers) Two rustics (identified as clowns) who dig
Ophelia's grave.
Summary
Summary and Analysis Act I: Scene 1
Summary
On a gun platform atop the battlements of Castle Elsinore, Officer Barnardo arrives to
relieve sentinel Francisco of his watch. Barnardo challenges Francisco to identify
himself first, and the two exchange small talk about the weather. Francisco complains,
"For this relief much thanks, 'tis bitter cold. / And I am sick at heart."
Horatio and Marcellus enter and greet Francisco, identifying themselves as loyal Danish
subjects, and Francisco exits. Marcellus asks Barnardo if he has seen "this thing," "this
apparition" tonight, and Barnardo assures him that he has seen nothing. Marcellus tells
Barnardo that he has invited Horatio to see the Ghost himself, as he trusts Horatio to
"approve our eyes and speak to it." Horatio doubts the Ghost will appear, but listens
intently as Barnardo prepares to retell the tale of the Ghost's previous visitation.
Before Barnardo can say much, however, the Ghost appears, and Marcellus
encourages Horatio to address the spirit. Horatio cannot deny that he, too, sees the
Ghost. All three men agree that the Ghost is real; in fact, they recognize it as the
"majesty of buried Denmark" — the recently dead King Hamlet. They entreat the Ghost
to stay and talk, but it dissolves into the night.
Saying he would not believe had he not seen for himself, Horatio is astounded to have
seen the Ghost of King Hamlet dressed in the armor he wore when he conquered old
King Fortinbras and defeated the Poles. He finds the king's dress ironic because, at that
moment, young Fortinbras — the dead Norwegian king's son and namesake — has just
declared war on the Danes, seeking to avenge his father's death and take back the land
King Hamlet took from old Fortinbras. Because the Danes are preparing for war against
the Norwegians, Barnardo wonders if the Ghost portends doom for the Danes. Horatio
shudders, recalling the omens that warned Julius Caesar of his imminent demise.
The Ghost reappears, and Horatio entreats it to stay. The crowing cock trumpets the
arrival of morning, however, and Horatio realizes that no erring spirit can stay out in the
daylight; they watch the Ghost disappear into the dissolving darkness. Certain that they
have seen the Ghost of King Hamlet, they decide to inform Prince .Hamlet
Analysis
The spooky cold that Francisco describes as he and Barnardo exchange posts
thoroughly sets the mood of the play, which Yale Professor Maynard Mack describes as
"mysterious and equivocal, a mixture of bright surfaces and dark forces where what
seems both is and is not."
This scene shows very clearly the problem of discerning between appearance and
reality. The Ghost appears, but is it really there? If it is there, is it really a devil assuming
the king's regal shape and garments? Distinguishing between truth and illusion is the
focal dilemma of Act I and will challenge Hamlet right up to the play's turning point in
Scene 4 of Act IV. Barnardo's questioning of Francisco introduces the idea that Hamlet's
world is upside-down. Protocol dictates that Francisco should question the newcomer,
but here the interloper questions the guard. Francisco's response reinforces the sense
of malaise. His "sickness at heart" prefigures the tension of the ensuing tragedy, while
the changing of the guard mirrors the tenuousness of the political climate of Denmark —
the transition from one king to another and the arrival of the Prince whose rightful place
on the throne has been usurped.
Summary and Analysis Act I: Scene 2
Summary
In a trumpet flourish, , the new King of Denmark, and his wife enter Claudius Gertrude
their stateroom in the company of various courtiers, including Prince , Claudius' Hamlet
aide Polonius, Polonius' son Laertes, and the ambassadors to Norway Voltemand and
Cornelius. Claudius explains that he and Gertrude have chosen to marry immediately
after his brother's death because, in light of the encroaching Danish army, the court
could not afford excessive grief lest young Fortinbras mistake their mourning for
weakness. He dispatches Voltemand and Cornelius to inform young Fortinbras' uncle of
the young man's campaign against the Danes. As Claudius is himself, Fortinbras' uncle
is brother to the recently dead king and currently controls the throne. Claudius hopes
that the old man has the power to stop Fortinbras from carrying out his mission.
Claudius then turns his attention to Laertes, who petitions the King for permission to
return to school in France. Claudius confers with Polonius who answers verbosely that
he consents to Laertes' wish.
Having dismissed Laertes, the King and Queen both notice Hamlet's dark demeanor,
and Hamlet sneers at the King's loving posture. Gertrude and Claudius encourage him
to cease grieving and to get on with life. Gertrude asks Hamlet why he seems so
particularly affected by his father's death, and Hamlet snaps at her that, unlike his
mother and her husband, he has no pretenses. "Seems, Madam? Nay, it is." Hamlet
accuses Gertrude of pretending grief and rejoicing in the old king's death. Claudius
reminds Hamlet that he is next in line to the throne, and asks him not to return to school
in Wittenberg, a request that Gertrude reiterates. Hamlet acquiesces without
enthusiasm. Satisfied that they have had their way, Claudius and Gertrude leave Hamlet
to his own thoughts.
In his first soliloquy, Hamlet bemoans the fact that he cannot commit suicide. He wishes
that his physical self might just cease to exist, "melt, / Thaw, and resolve itself into a
dew." He complains that his religion prohibits suicide and claims that he would sooner
die than continue watching his mother engage in her vile incest. These thoughts torment
him, but he knows that he can't speak them aloud to anyone.
Horatio, Marcellus, and Barnardo enter, and Hamlet, unguarded with Horatio as with no
one else, snidely jokes that King Claudius has sought to save money by using the
funeral refreshments to feed his wedding guests. He tells Horatio that his father's
memory haunts him. Horatio seizes the opportunity to tell Hamlet about his encounter
with the Ghost of the old king. Hamlet agrees to watch that night in case the Ghost
walks again.
Analysis
Analysis
Analysis
AnalysisAnalysis
It is significant that Claudius admonishes Hamlet as he addresses him for the first time
in the play. Claudius is clearly the antagonist, and he begins his hour upon the stage in
a blatantly adversarial role. Were Claudius' demeanor not enough to tell the audience
that the two are rivals, Hamlet underscores the discomfort of their relationship by
asserting his disgust for the man with his own opening statement.
The key words that exemplify the critical purpose of this scene include "show," "seem,"
and "play." Cornelius and Voltemand say they will "show our duty." Laertes "came to
Denmark to show" his allegiance to King Claudius. Gertrude asks Hamlet, in reference
to his "nighted color," "Why seems it so particular with thee?" Hamlet responds to her
question by using the word "seems" twice in a single sentence, and he says he cannot
pretend, but rather, must be what he is. He then goes on to say that the moods and
shapes of grief are true for him. Though his emotions may seem to be those of an actor,
he is not acting. Everything in this scene points to the challenge of discerning
appearance from reality, a challenge that becomes more pronounced when Horatio tells
Hamlet about the appearance of the Ghost.
Summary and Analysis Act IV: Scene 3
Summary
In a public show of concern, explains to his assembled courtiers that Claudius
he cannot jail his nephew because remains too popular with the people.Hamlet
A riot would inevitably occur if he punished Hamlet for his part in ' Polonius
death, so instead he will send the young man into exile.
Rosencrantz enters to report that Hamlet will not reveal Polonius'
whereabouts. Guildenstern and the Guards then bring Hamlet in, and Claudius
demands to know where Hamlet has put Polonius. Hamlet engages in yet
another word play with Claudius, taunting him with images of rotting flesh
and the corruption of death. He pointedly tells Claudius that just as a
fisherman eats a fish that has eaten a worm that was in the grave eating at a
king, every man can progress through the guts of beggar. Then he tells
Claudius that even if a messenger was sent to heaven, the messenger could not
find the old man. He says that Claudius should seek Polonius in hell, even
though the old man would not have arrived there yet either. Instead, Hamlet
tells him that, within a month's time, the smell "up the stairs into the lobby"
will reveal to them the whereabouts of the body. As attendants go to retrieve
Polonius' body, Claudius tells Hamlet that a boat waits to take the Prince to
England.
As soon as Hamlet and the guards leave, the King soliloquizes a plea to England
to finish the Prince quickly and cleanly. The king of England owes him a favor,
and he's calling it in by asking the death of Hamlet.
Analysis
Critics puzzle endlessly over the reason for Hamlet's cat and mouse game with
Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Claudius over the whereabouts of Polonius'
body. Hamlet's apparent madness is both amusing and disturbing. Hamlet is
cruel and heartless. He seems to enjoy meting out his measure of torture. His
perverse and cruel behavior wholly departs from the heroic figure Hamlet
should be. In fact, Hamlet displays characteristics far from heroism in this
scene. He exhibits, yet again, a fascination with and terror of death. Unready to
face death himself, he imprisons himself more deeply in words and avoids
having to kill Claudius. Having murdered Polonius, he has at least been active
and need not push himself. Hamlet seems confused, terrified, conflicted; he is
coming undone.
The courtiers assemble to learn of Polonius' death, and Claudius maps out the
consequences for Hamlet's actions. Hamlet expounds on his worm's meat
motif, a repetition of language that Shakespeare uses several times in the play,
and that apparently preoccupies Hamlet's mind. The images are gross,
troubling, and rife with Hamlet's biting satirical wit. In his rant about the
physical realities of death, Hamlet explains that the fact that all men feed the
earth and are, therefore, worm's meat is the great equalizer. The King inquires
after Polonius' whereabouts, and Hamlet answers that Polonius is at supper —
not supping but rather being supped upon: " worm is your only emperor Your
for diet. We fat all creatures else to fat us, and we fat ourselves for maggots.
Your fat King and your lean beggar is but variable service — two dishes but to
one table. That's the end."
The moral of his rambling is that, because a man may fish with a worm that
has eaten the body of a king, and afterwards eat the fish he has caught, that
man has, in essence, devoured a king. Thus, the king passes through the
stomach of a beggar and only the worm reigns supreme. Even so, the worm,
the king, and the beggar are equal now — they are all dead. Elaborately,
Hamlet has called the King a worm.
Hamlet's horror and amusement over death underscore his ambivalence
toward his duty. He will reiterate several more times his paradoxical will to die
and fear of death before he finally commits his act of vengeance. Yet, he never
fails to show his love for the feel of the words he prattles. He allows the words
to linger on his tongue; he swills them around and savors them, even when
seemingly out of his mind.
Claudius responds by banishing Hamlet to England, and Hamlet tells Claudius
that he knows the King's purpose in sending him away. Claudius apparently
misses or overlooks the warning and chooses instead to respond to Hamlet's
insult, "Farewell, Mother." Claudius corrects him, offering him an opportunity
to apologize. Hamlet then completes the insult by explaining that because man
and wife are of one flesh, Claudius is indeed Hamlet's mother. With this insult,
Hamlet digs another barb into Claudius about the incest, which always weighs
on Hamlet's mind. Claudius finally perceives the depth of the danger Hamlet
poses and entreats Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to hurry him to England to
get him out of the way. Although unknown to everyone but the audience,
Claudius now sees that he must instruct the king of England to kill Hamlet. The
lines between good and evil appear clearly now as the gray areas that have
masked Claudius' dark purposes vanish. Claudius' evolution into the
consummate villain is complete.
Summary and Analysis Act IV: Scene 4
Summary
On his way to England, observes Fortinbras leading his troops through Hamlet
Denmark toward Poland. He questions a captain and learns that the
Norwegians plan to wage war over a worthless patch of land in Poland. Hamlet
lingers behind Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to reflect on the fact that these
Norwegians and Poles are willing to die over land worth virtually nothing to
anyone. They have left their homes and committed themselves to a principle
no more substantive than an eggshell. Yet, he ponders, he possesses sufficient
reason to take action against his enemy, but remains paralyzed.
Analysis
Hamlet's soliloquy as he observes the Norwegian soldiers heading for Poland
represents turning point: "What is a man / If his chief good and Hamlet's
market of his time / Be but to sleep and feed? Now, whether it be Bestial
oblivion or some craven scruple Of thinking too precisely on th'event — a
thought which, quartered, hath but one part wisdom and three parts coward —
I do not know Why yet I live to say 'This thing's to do,' Sith I have cause, and
will, and strength, and means to do't."
Hamlet finally realizes that his duty to revenge is so great that the end must
justify the means. He can no longer escape the necessity for action. Up until
now, the consequences of the murder he must commit worried him, and he
thought "too precisely on th'event." In weighing the willingness of the
Norwegian soldiers to lay down their lives for a worthless piece of land against
his own inability to act though motivated by sacred filial duty, he sees that he
has stalled long enough. This soliloquy represents Hamlet's last flirtation with
words. From here on, he will shed his attachment to the words that cause a
deed's "currents to turn awry and lose the name of action."
You can divide the soliloquy into five thematic sections:
The first section identifies Hamlet's mission: revenge. Hamlet says that
everything he encounters prompts him to take revenge: "How all occasions do
inform me / And spur my dull revenge!"
The second section exhorts him to act. Hamlet must stop over-thinking events
and recognize in himself the strength, and means to complete the required act
The third section sets Fortinbras' example of how Hamlet should act. "Led by
this army of such mass and charge, / Led by a delicate and tender Prince . . . to
all that fortune, death and danger dare, / Even for an eggshell." Once again
Fortinbras holds up a mirror to his Danish counterpart.
The fourth section specifies Hamlet's perplexity over the Poles' and
Norwegians' willingness to die for so little in contrast to his own inability to
act on so much.
The fifth section provides resolution. Hamlet resolves to avenge his father at
last.
Oh from this time forth
My thoughts are bloody or worth nothing.
Summary and Analysis Act IV: Scene 5
Summary
A court gentleman reports that has become pitiably insane. Ophelia Gertrude
refuses to see the girl, but points out that Ophelia's mental state may Horatio
attract undue attention to herself and the crown. Gertrude then agrees to speak
with Ophelia.
Ophelia enters singing fragments of songs about chaos, death, and unrequited
love. The King and Queen both try to speak with her, but she replies only
unintelligibly. comments that her father's death has undoubtedly Claudius
driven her mad. He asks Horatio to follow and watch her. Then he turns to
Gertrude and sums up the troubles that plague Elisinore of late. He recounts
his torment over the slaying of , the secret burial to avoid uprising, Polonius
the madness of Ophelia, and the arrival of her brother, , who means to Laertes
incite rioting over his father's death.
The courtiers hear Laertes and a mob outside attempting to break into the
castle. Laertes tells his followers to keep watch at the door, and he angrily asks
Claudius to give him his father. Gertrude tries to calm Laertes, but Claudius
tells her to let him rail, that they have nothing to fear from the young man.
Claudius manages to placate Laertes until Ophelia returns, singing incoherent
snippets of a song about a dead old man. Laertes comments that a "young
maid's wits" are as fragile and "as mortal as an old man's life." Ophelia
distributes flowers to the assembled people, and exits. Laertes, distraught over
his sister's condition, finally pays complete attention to what Claudius has to
say. The King promises Laertes satisfaction in avenging Polonius' death.
Analysis
Earlier in the play (Act III, Scene 1), Gertrude told Ophelia "And for your part,
Ophelia, I do wish / That your good beauties be the happy cause of ">Hamlet's
wildness." Yet now, when Horatio and the gentleman announce Ophelia's
request for an audience with Gertrude, Gertrude flatly refuses to see the girl.
Gertrude reluctantly agrees to see her only after Horatio and the gentleman
explain the piteousness of Ophelia's condition and the danger of Ophelia's
behavior to the State.
The question of Gertrude's character again arises. Gertrude's demeanor in
relation to Ophelia possibly signifies her complicity with Claudius. She seems
here to share his preoccupation with the appearance of power. However,
Gertrude has presumably served as Queen all of her adult life, and affairs of
state would matter to her. Perhaps the fact that her son's treatment of Ophelia
played a part in the girl's downfall merely embarrasses the Queen. Another
entirely justifiable explanation may be that, as a woman of unusual strength,
Gertrude despises the weak. Gertrude reveals a clue to her avoiding Ophelia
when she says, "So full of artless jealousy is guilt, / It spills itself in fearing to
be spilt." The guilt remains ambiguous. Is it Gertrude's? For what? Is it
Hamlet's? Is it Ophelia's? But clearly the Queen is not moved by any maternal
thoughts toward the girl who could have become her daughter-in-law.
Ophelia's distracted behavior confounds the Queen. The older woman cannot
respond in any meaningful way to Ophelia's desperation.
Ophelia's songs all concern unrequited love. The third song, in fact, blatantly
indicates a lover who has left his love's bed. "Before you tumbled to me, you
promised to wed." This song provides another proof that Ophelia's madness
may stem from her having been intimate with Hamlet and then rejected by
him. In fact, considering her father's instructions that she not let Hamlet have
his way with her, Polonius' death could only exacerbate her guilt. Premarital
sex was a sin — a sin compounded by her father's command. If, as some
believe, she now carries Hamlet's child, her desperation would be all
consuming.
Summary and Analysis Act IV: Scene 6
Summary
Horatio Hamlet receives letters from a sailor sent by . The first letter tells
Horatio that pirates beset the ship on which Hamlet was being carried to
England. In the ensuing battle, the pirates took Hamlet captive; they treated
him well and brought him back to Denmark. He has, in return, promised to do
them a favor. The other letters, says Hamlet's first letter, are for Horatio to
deliver to the King. After he has made the delivery, Horatio is to come
immediately to meet Hamlet; Hamlet tells his friend that he has much news to
share.
Analysis
Hamlet's return is a dramatic device providing a (a contrived deus ex machina
solution to a problem) for the play's plot. uses a problem that Shakespeare
seriously threatened Elizabethan/ Jacobean security: the prevalence of pirates.
Some critics speculate that Shakespeare means for us to infer that Hamlet,
knowing that pirates lurk in every bay, has arranged for the pirates to subvert
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's mission. It is equally likely that the ship bound
for England carrying Hamlet and his treacherous "friends" was beset by
pirates, and Hamlet, always the smooth talker, was able to connive his own
release. In either case, the outcome is critical to the play's action. Only by
returning to the center of the conflict can Hamlet create the forces that drive
the climax, denouement, and resolution.
Summary and Analysis Act I: Scene 1
Summary
On a gun platform atop the battlements of Castle Elsinore, Officer Barnardo
arrives to relieve sentinel Francisco of his watch. Barnardo challenges
Francisco to identify himself first, and the two exchange small talk about the
weather. Francisco complains, "For this relief much thanks, 'tis bitter cold. /
And I am sick at heart."
Horatio and Marcellus enter and greet Francisco, identifying themselves as
loyal Danish subjects, and Francisco exits. Marcellus asks Barnardo if he has
seen "this thing," "this apparition" tonight, and Barnardo assures him that he
has seen nothing. Marcellus tells Barnardo that he has invited Horatio to see
the Ghost himself, as he trusts Horatio to "approve our eyes and speak to it."
Horatio doubts the Ghost will appear, but listens intently as Barnardo prepares
to retell the tale of the Ghost's previous visitation.
Before Barnardo can say much, however, the Ghost appears, and Marcellus
encourages Horatio to address the spirit. Horatio cannot deny that he, too, sees
the Ghost. All three men agree that the Ghost is real; in fact, they recognize it
as the "majesty of buried Denmark" — the recently dead King Hamlet. They
entreat the Ghost to stay and talk, but it dissolves into the night.
Saying he would not believe had he not seen for himself, Horatio is astounded
to have seen the Ghost of King Hamlet dressed in the armor he wore when he
conquered old King Fortinbras and defeated the Poles. He finds the king's dress
ironic because, at that moment, young Fortinbras — the dead Norwegian
king's son and namesake — has just declared war on the Danes, seeking to
avenge his father's death and take back the land King Hamlet took from old
Fortinbras. Because the Danes are preparing for war against the Norwegians,
Barnardo wonders if the Ghost portends doom for the Danes. Horatio
shudders, recalling the omens that warned Julius Caesar of his imminent
demise.
The Ghost reappears, and Horatio entreats it to stay. The crowing cock
trumpets the arrival of morning, however, and Horatio realizes that no erring
spirit can stay out in the daylight; they watch the Ghost disappear into the
dissolving darkness. Certain that they have seen the Ghost of King Hamlet,
they decide to inform Prince .Hamlet
Analysis
The spooky cold that Francisco describes as he and Barnardo exchange posts
thoroughly sets the mood of the play, which Yale Professor Maynard Mack
describes as "mysterious and equivocal, a mixture of bright surfaces and dark
forces where what seems both is and is not."
This scene shows very clearly the problem of discerning between appearance
and reality. The Ghost appears, but is it really there? If it is there, is it really a
devil assuming the king's regal shape and garments? Distinguishing between
truth and illusion is the focal dilemma of Act I and will challenge Hamlet right
up to the play's turning point in Scene 4 of Act IV. Barnardo's questioning of
Francisco introduces the idea that Hamlet's world is upside-down. Protocol
dictates that Francisco should question the newcomer, but here the interloper
questions the guard. Francisco's response reinforces the sense of malaise. His
"sickness at heart" prefigures the tension of the ensuing tragedy, while the
changing of the guard mirrors the tenuousness of the political climate of
Denmark — the transition from one king to another and the arrival of the
Prince whose rightful place on the throne has been usurped.
instructions that she not let Hamlet have his way with her, Polonius' death could only
exacerbate her guilt. Premarital sex was a sin — a sin compounded by her father's
command. If, as some believe, she now carries Hamlet's child, her desperation would
be all consuming.
Summary and Analysis Act IV: Scene 7
Summary
Claudius Hamlet Polonius confirms that killed , though seeking to take
Claudius' life. can't understand why Claudius didn't punish Hamlet for Laertes
such capital crimes. Claudius explains that he has restrained himself, even
though he has no intention of letting Hamlet get away with his crimes.
At this point, a messenger arrives with the letters Hamlet has sent in 's Horatio
care. Now knowing that Hamlet is still alive, Claudius offers Laertes an
opportunity to show his love for Polonius by joining him in a plot to kill Hamlet
by engaging in swordplay with him. Claudius promises to arrange a fencing
match between Laertes and Hamlet. Hamlet will use a fencing foil, but Laertes'
foil will have an unblunted point. Thus, Laertes can kill Hamlet in front of an
audience, and it will appear to be an accident; no one will know it is murder.
Laertes shares his own plan to dip his sword in a poison so lethal that a minor
scratch will cause instant death. Claudius adds yet another safeguard: He will
poison a goblet of wine for Hamlet to drink, so that even if Laertes fails to draw
blood, Hamlet will die.
Gertrude interrupts their plotting with her report of 's drowning. She Ophelia
describes the young woman's death graphically, explaining how she had fallen
in the brook while weaving flower garlands; the willow tree branch on which
she was sitting broke so that she tumbled into the water. Ophelia's clothing
carried her afloat for a time, but eventually she sank to her death. Laertes finds
his grief uncontrollable, and he runs out in a rage. Claudius and Gertrude
follow him, ostensibly to quell his anger.
Analysis
Claudius struts for Laertes in this scene, but, if we believe what he says, he also
demonstrates his ability to care. Caring would mitigate his evil and add to the
paradox inherent in his character. As shown in his prayer scene in Act III,
Claudius has a Christian conscience even if he is incapable of satisfying it. In
this scene he demonstrates that he may also be a devoted husband who prizes
the emotional well being of his beloved wife. Despite his knowledge that
Hamlet is a great danger to him, he tells Laertes that he has chosen not to hurt
his "son" because the Queen "lives almost by his looks," and Claudius lives
almost for the Queen.
However, Claudius' entirely self-serving evil becomes immediately apparent
when he explains to Laertes his second reason for not punishing Hamlet for
Polonius' murder: the great love the country has for Hamlet, which would not
look kindly on the King who threatened him. Scholars contend that succession
to the throne of Denmark was determined by a vote. Knights of the realm chose
from candidates who petitioned for the throne. According to the Scandinavian
legend, Gertrude's father was the king before King Hamlet. King Hamlet was
selected by his predecessor to marry the princess, and the marriage clinched
his election to the monarchy. If these conditions exist, Claudius clearly cannot
afford to lose face before his knights, and he cannot afford to lose Gertrude;
nor can he jeopardize his tenuous popularity by risking a backlash against the
throne.
By exercising his skill with posturing emotions, Claudius convinces Laertes
that he has restrained his actions toward Hamlet for reasons that make him
look like a kind man and a responsible monarch. The speech wins Laertes over,
and Claudius gains a powerful ally. Now that his plan to have Hamlet executed
by the English king has failed, Claudius needs Laertes' assistance in
eliminating Hamlet.
Top 8 Quotes Explained
"That it should come to this!" (Act I, Scene II)
What does it mean? Just after speaking to his mother and uncle (and Gertrude
step-father) King Claudius, has his first of five soliloquies. When Hamlet
Hamlet exclaims, "[t]hat it should come to this," he'd just finished describing
how the world has gone to fodder. Then Hamlet goes on to say how he cannot
believe his mother would marry his father's brother (i.e., Hamlet's uncle). This
quote shows Hamlet's fury and shock at his mother's remarriage. In Hamlet's
mind, the world is in chaos and the remarriage is the apex of things spiraling
out of control. Soliloquies allow the audience to see into a character's inner
thoughts. The soliloquy as a whole belays the reasons for Hamlet's initial deep
melancholy and confusion that persists for much of the play.
"Frailty, thy name is woman!" (Act I, Scene II)
What does it mean? Hamlet is still speaking in his first of five soliloquies. The
"woman" he specifically refers to is his mother. Hamlet felt she was weak, or
not strong enough to mourn his father longer. Hamlet goes on further to say
that not even an animal or beast, who has no reasoning skills, would have
abandoned the mourning so quickly. All in all, this shows how angry and
confused Hamlet is by his mother's remarriage.
"Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry." (Act I, Scene III)
What does it mean? Here is giving his son, , sound advice Polonius Laertes
before Laertes returns to Paris. Polonius is really saying loaning money to
other people is dangerous. Often, people don't pay you back and you use a
friend because of the failed transaction. On the flip side, it is distasteful to
borrow money because it is impolite and usually indicates you are living
outside of your means.
"This above all: to thine own self be true." (Act I, Scene III)
What does it mean? Again, Polonius is doling out sage advice to his son,
Laertes. Simply put, Polonius is telling his son "be yourself." In the context of
the play, Polonius is also telling Laertes to be a gentleman and not "false to any
man" (line 80). Overall, Polonius's advice helps reveals a theme of irony that
threads throughout the play. Neither Polonius nor Laertes heeds the advice
that Polonius gives in this scene, and both perish due to their lack of
adherence.
"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." (Act I, Scene IV)
What does it mean? At the end of Scene IV, a guard, Marcellus, says these
famous words to . After Hamlet follows the ghost, Marcellus and Horatio
Horatio know they have to follow as well, because Hamlet is acting so
impulsively. Marcellus's words are remarking on how something evil and vile
is afoot. This moment could be interpreted as foreshadowing of the impending
deaths of most of the principal characters.
"Though this may be madness, yet there is method in't." (Act II, Scene II)
What does it mean? At this point of the play, Hamlet and Polonius are
interacting onstage, but this quote is technically spoken by Polonius to the
audience, in an aside. What Polonius is saying is that, even though Hamlet is
talking crazy, it actually makes sense, or it has a "method." Polonius's
assertion is ironic because he is right and wrong. Polonius believes Hamlet is
acting "mad" because Hamlet's love of has driven him to such. While Ophelia
Polonius is correct to think that there is reason behind Hamlet's actions, he is
incorrect as to the cause. Hamlet is purposefully acting mad to disguise his true
mission to avenge his father's murder.
"To be, or not to be: that is the question." (Act III, Scene I)
What does it mean? As one of 's all-time famous quotes, Hamlet's Shakespeare
words have stood the test of time and are often quoted even today in both
academia and pop culture. In the beginning of his fourth, and best known,
soliloquy Hamlet muses about the conundrum of suicide. He wonders if one
route is "nobler" than the next. At this point in the play, Hamlet has been
unable to act upon his motives for personal revenge, and this frustrates him.
Which is better, suffering as he has been or ending it all? The tone of Hamlet's
soliloquy is more meditative than angry, but he does seriously consider suicide.
He relates his personal struggle to the struggles that all of mankind shares.
Given that you don't know what happens after you die, Hamlet realizes that
death wouldn't be the ideal escape he craves.
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." (Act III, Scene II)
What does it mean? Hamlet's mother, Queen Gertrude, says this famous line
while watching . Gertrude is talking about the queen in the play. The Mousetrap
She feels that the play-queen seems insincere because she repeats so
dramatically that she'll never remarry due to her undying love of her husband.
The play-queen, in fact, does remarry. It is unclear whether Gertrude
recognizes the parallel between herself and the play-queen; Hamlet certainly
feels that way. This moment has an irony that is shown throughout the play.
Full Glossary
adoption tried friendship that has stood the test of time.
aery nest.
aim to guess or conjecture.
angle fishing line.
an't if it.
antique Roman The ancient Roman was ever ready to commit suicide when
confronted with calamity.
apoplex'd paralyzed.
argal therefore.
arms a coat of arms, being a group of emblems and figures arranged on and
around a shield and serving as the special insignia of a person, family, or
institution.
arras a tapestry wall hanging.
assay of arms try to raise.
assays of bias This is a metaphor from the game of lawn bowling; the weight in
the ball, which causes it to follow a curved line, is called the bias. Hence the
meaning of the phrase is "indirect attempts."
assigns appurtenances.
assurance a pun on conveyance of property by deed and security.
batten to grow fat; thrive; to be well fed or wealthy at another's expense.
Be as ourself in Denmark Claudius is extending to Hamlet all the special
privileges and prerogatives belonging to a crowned prince.
be idle seems crazy.
beetles overhang.
bend you incline yourself.
berattle abuse.
beteem permit.
bilboes long iron bars with sliding shackles, for fettering prisoners' feet.
bisson rheum blinding tears.
blank the center spot of a target; bull's-eye.
blench to shrink back, as in fear; flinch.
blood and judgment, passion and reason.
bodkin a dagger or stiletto.
botch a badly patched place or part
bourn limit; boundary.
brainish apprehension mad notion (that he heard a rat).
bray out celebrate.
breathing time time of exercise.
broad blown in full blossom.
brokers people who act as agents or intermediaries in negotiating contracts, buying
and selling, and so forth.
bruit proclaim.
bugs terrors, nightmares.
bung-hole a hole in a barrel or keg through which liquid can be poured in or drawn out.
the burning zone the sun.
buttons buds.
Buz, buz a slang expression for "tell me something I don't know."
buzzers gossipers.
Cain's jaw-bone the jawbone of an ass, with which Cain is supposed to have killed
Abel.
candied sugared with hypocrisy.
carbuncles precious stones of fiery red color.
carve choose.
cast beyond ourselves look beyond what we know or understand.
cataplasm a poultice, often medicated.
cautel craft, deceit.
cease of majesty death of a king.
censure opinion
cerements cloths or sheets wrapped around a dead person; shrouds.
chameleon's dish The chameleon was supposed to feed on air.
changeling a child secretly put in the place of another; especially, in folk tales, one
exchanged in this way by fairies.
chapfallen a pun; disheartened, depressed, or humiliated (literally, having one's lower
jaw hanging down).
chapless jawless.
character a pun on character in the sense of personal qualities.
chariest most modest and virtuous.
chaste treasure precious chastity.
checking at swerving aside from; a term in hawking.
chopine a woman's shoe with a very thick sole, as of cork.
chorus in ancient Greek drama, a company of performers whose singing, dancing, and
narration provide explanation and elaboration of the main action.
chough a chatterer.
cicatrice scar or wound.
clepe to call or address (a person).
clout a piece of cloth; a rag.
Clowns rustics. The word indicates that these roles were played by comic actors.
Cock corruption for God
cockle hat a hat adorned with cockle shells and worn by pilgrims.
collection inference.
compass the tonal range of a musical instrument.
compelled valour bravery that stems from necessity.
complete steel full armor.
compounded restored, mingled.
Confederate season suitable opportunity.
confine prison.
congruing agreeing.
conjunctive closely united.
contagious blastments destructive blights.
continent containing enough ground.
contraction the marriage contract.
contumely haughty and contemptuous rudeness; insulting and humiliating treatment or
language.
conveyance the document by which real property is transferred from one person to
another; deed.
convocation of politic worms a political assembly of worms; an allusion to the Diet of
Worms (1521), a convocation held by the Catholic Church to allow Martin Luther to
explain his reform of doctrine. He had first set his beliefs forth in Wittenberg, where
Hamlet and Horatio have studied.
convoy is assistant a means of conveyance is available.
coronet weeds garlands of flowers.
corse corpse, dead body.
coted overtook.
couch lie concealed; to hide.
counsel secrets.
counter on the false trail (a hunting term); treason.
counterfeit presentment portrait.
cousin kinsman. This word was used for any near relation; here it would refer to
nephew.
cozenage treachery.
cozen'd cheated.
crack the wind of overwork. The phrase comes from working a horse so hard that it
becomes winded.
crants wreaths.
credent credulous.
crescent increasing, growing.
crowner coroner.
Cyclops in Greek mythology, any of a race of giants who have only one eye, in the
middle of the forehead; they assisted Vulcan, the god of fire.
Damon a perfect friend; in classical legend, Damon and Pythias were friends so
devoted to each other that when Pythias, who had been condemned to death, wanted
time to arrange his affairs, Damon pledged his life that his friend would return. Pythias
returned and both were pardoned.
Danskers Danes.
delated articles detailed provisions set forth in their instructions.
Deliberate pause a deliberate step, taken after due consideration.
digested organized.
distemper mental disturbance.
divide distinguish.
doublet a man's close-fitting jacket, with or without sleeves, worn chiefly from the 14th
to the 16th centuries. The coat that was fastened (braced) to the hose (short breeches)
by laces. When a man was relaxing or careless of appearance, he "unbrac'd," much like
a man today loosens his tie or takes off his suit jacket.
douts extinguishes; literally, do out.
down gyved fallen, like fetters, about his ankles.
drabbing associating with prostitutes.
The dram of evil / Doth all the noble substance of a doubt, / To his own scandal a
much-disputed passage. Perhaps a line is missing. The general meaning seems to be
that it takes only a small portion of evil to bring a scandal on the entire substance,
however noble it may otherwise be.
drift of conference roundabout methods.
drossy frivolous; worthless stuff; rubbish.
dug a female animal's nipple or teat; vulgarly, a woman's breast.
dupp'd opened.
ecstasy madness
eisel vinegar.
enginer engineer.
enseam'd greasy, with a pun on semen.
envious silver malicious branch.
escoted paid.
expectancy and rose bright hope ( as future king).
extravagant and erring vagrant and wandering (both used in their original Latin sense
— a common device used by Shakespeare).
eyases unfledged birds, especially young hawks taken from the nest for training in
falconry.
fain wish.
fantasy an odd notion; whim.
fardels burdens; misfortune.
fat out of condition, sweaty.
fay faith, used in oaths (by my fay!); with a pun on fairy.
fear me not don't be afraid for me.
fell out occurred.
fellies the segments forming the rim of a spoked wheel.
Fie for shame! an interjection expressing a sense of outraged propriety.
first mout'd put into the mouth first in order that all the goodness may be extracted
before swallowing.
fishmonger a dealer in fish, or someone who sells women.
flaw a sudden, brief gust of wind, often with rain or snow; a squall.
flood sea. Elsinore is situated on the Danish coast.
foil and target fencing rapier and small shield.
foils long, thin swords with a button on the point to prevent injury, used in fencing.
fordo destroy.
fordoes destroys.
forest of feathers plumed hat much worn by players.
formal ostentation public ceremony.
fretted having an ornamental pattern of small, straight bars intersecting or joining one
another, usually at right angles, to form a regular design, as for a border or in an
architectural relief; decorated like the painted ceiling over the stage at The Globe.
from occasion by chance.
fust grow moldy.
gaged pledged.
gain-giving misgiving.
gait progress.
gall scratch, draw blood.
galled jade a worn-out horse with sores from the rubbing and chafing of a saddle.
galls his kibe scrapes his heel.
gambol wander; frolic.
general censure public's judgment.
gentry courtesy.
gib tomcat; a male cat, especially a castrated male cat.
gibes jests.
Gis corruption for Jesus.
goblin damn'd damned agent of the devil. Hamlet, from the very first, seems to
question the authenticity of the ghost as the true spirit of his father.
gorge stomach (literally, throat or gullet).
grace to bring honor to, dignify; with a pun on the prayer before meals.
gross and scope general meaning.
groundings the poorer and less critical section of the audience who stood in the pit.
half limp.
hangers straps by which the rapier was hung from the girdle.
harbingers persons or things that come before to announce or give an indication of
what follorws; heralds
hatchment a diamond-shaped panel bearing the coat of arms of a person who has
died.
hautboys oboes.
hearsed buried.
Hecate's ban the curse of Hecate, the Greek goddess of the moon, earth, and
underground realm of the dead, later regarded as the goddess of sorcery and witchcraft.
hectic fever; red or flushed , as with fever.
Hecuba in Homer's Iliad, the wife of Priam and mother of Hector, Troilus, Paris, and
Cassandra.
heedful note careful observation.
hent to grasp; in this case, a time for action.
Hercules in Greek and Roman mythology, the son of Zeus, renowned for his strength
and courage, especially as shown in his performance of twelve labors imposed on him.
Hic et ubique Latin for here and everywhere.
his greatness weigh'd considering his high position.
his sables and his weeds dignified robes.
His virtues else his other virtues.
hoar gray.
hoodman-blind blindman's bluff.
Hugger-mugger secret haste.
Humorous Man the player of character parts.
humour behavior.
husbandry thrift.
Hymen in Greek mythology, the god of marriage.
Hyperion a Titan often identified with the sun god.
Hyrcanian beast tiger from Hyrcania, mentioned in the Aeneid.
Ilium Latin name for Troy
impart behave.
impasted made into a paste (the slain, not Pyrrhus).
imponed staked; wagered.
importing concerning.
imposthume abscess or festering sore.
imputation reputation.
in fee outright.
in fine in the end.
in one brow of woe Everyone in the kingdom ought to mourn.
in the full bent completely. Like bow a that is bent as far as it can be bent.
incontinency without self-restraint, especially in regard to sexual activity.
incorps'd and demi-natur'd an integral part of the body.
index prologue.
indu'd endowed, belonging to.
inexplicable dumb-shows the unintelligible pantomime preceding the play proper.
Intil into.
inurn'd buried; entombed (literally, put the ashes of a dead person into an urn).
investments garments.
jealousy suspicion.
Jephthah a judge in the Bible who sacrificed his daughter in fulfillment of a vow ( Judg.
11:30-40).
jointress a woman who has been given an interest for life in her deceased husband's
estate; here, a partner.
jowls bumps.
jump precisely.
keep lodge.
knotted and combined locks hair lying together in a mass.
Larded garnished.
lauds hymns of praise.
law of writ classical plays.
lawful espials spies who are justified in their action.
lawless resolutes desperadoes.
lay song.
lay you home to him tell him what's what.
lets hinders.
liberty modern plays.
liegemen loyal subjects.
life-rendering pelican The pelican was supposed to feed its young with its own blood.
livery the characteristic clothing worn by members of a particular group or trade.
loggats skittles or ninepins, a British game in which a ball is bowled at nine wooden
pins.
maiden strewments flowers strewn on a girl's grave.
mark take notice of; heed.
Marry a Common Elizabethan expletive for Mary, referring to the Virgin Mary.
mazzard slang for head (literally, drinking bowl).
meed a merited recompense or reward.
Mercury in Roman mythology, the messenger of the gods; god of commerce, manual
skill, eloquence, cleverness, travel, and thievery.
merely entirely, absolutely, altogether.
miching mallecho slinking mischief.
milch milky, moist.
mobled wearing ruffled collars popular in Elizabethan England.
moiety competent sufficient portion.
moist star moon.
mole blemish.
more above moreover.
mortis'd firmly joined.
most carefully upon your hour exactly when you were expected.
mote speck of dust.
mould of form pattern of manly beauty and behavior.
mountebank quack doctor.
mouse a common term of endearment.
mows grimaces (twistings or distortions of the face.
muddy-mettled dull-spirited.
Murdering-piece cannon loaded with grapeshot.
mutes or audience silent spectators.
mutines mutineers.
nature's livery, or fortune's star inborn or the result of bad luck.
nave rim; the hub of a wheel.
Nemean in Greek mythology, a reference to a fierce lion from Nemea killed by Hercules
as the first of his twelve labors.
Neptune's belonging to Neptune, the Roman god of the sea.
Nero (A.D. 37-68); notoriously cruel and depraved emperor of Rome (54-68) who killed
his own mother.
nighted black, signifying deep mourning.
Niobe in Greek mythology, a queen of Thebes who, weeping for her slain children, is
turned into a stone from which tears continue to flow; hence, an inconsolable woman.
no fairy takes Medieval Europeans believed that fairies stole children.
nonce occasion.
Norway king of Norway.
noyance harm.
obstinate condolement grief that is contrary to the will of heaven.
occulted hidden.
o'er-leavens ferments.
of by.
of general assault common to all men.
operant powers bodily strength.
orb the earth.
ordinant provident.
ourself royal plural, used throughout the King's speeches.
out of haunt away from others.
out of thy star beyond your station in life. Stars were believed to govern men's lives.
outstretched aspiring.
paddock toad.
pair of indentures agreements in duplicate.
pajock peacock.
palmy flourishing.
pardon permission.
partisan a broad-bladed weapon with a long shaft carried by foot soldiers, used
especially in the 16ty century.
pass of practice a treacherous thrust or a warming-up exercise.
passages of proof proven by events.
peak mope.
Pelion, Olympus, and Ossa mountains in Greece; in Greek mythology, the Titans
(giant deities) piled Pelion on Ossa and both on Olympus in a futile attempt to reach and
attack the gods in heaven.
Perpend ponder.
Phoebus' cart Phoebus' chariot. In Greek mythology, Phoebus is Apollo as god of the
sun.
physic the art or science of healing.
pickers and stealers hands.
pipe a recorder or flute. The stops are the fingerholes.
pitch and moment height and importance.
pith marrow.
Plautus ( 254?-184 B.C.); Roman writer of comic dramas.
plurisy excess.
poem unlimited a play that observed none of the ancient rules.
pole Polaris, the North Star, long used by navigators as a reliable point of reference.
politician plotter, schemer.
poniards daggers.
porpentine porcupine.
posy of a ring as brief and silly as the inscription inside a ring.
precurse sign, indication.
present immediate; of or at this time.
Priam legendary king of Troy, who reigned during the Trojan War; he was the father of
Hector and Paris.
prick'd spurred or urged on
primal eldest curse that is, the one pronounced upon Cain in for the murder of his
brother. Primal here means original.
primy in its prime, youthful.
probation proof.
prodigal exceedingly or recklessly wasteful, spendthrift.
proof eterne everlasting protection.
Provincial roses rosettes for concealing the laces on shoes.
purgation the act of purging; Hamlet probably intends a pun — to administer a
purgative to get rid of the bile and to purge him of his guilt. The word recalls Hamlet's
father, who is in purgatory.
put on me reported to me.
Pyrrhus in Greek mythology, the son of Achilles; one of the Greeks concealed in the
famous wooden horse.
quaintly skillfully, ingeniously.
quarry heap of slain.
question subject.
quick living.
quick o' the ulcer the heart of the matter.
quiddities trifling distinctions; quibbles.
quilets quibbles.
quit in answer score a return hit.
rack cloud formations, a broken mass of clouds blown by the wind.
ranker greater.
razed slashed for ornamentation.
recks not his own rede doesn't take his own advice.
recorders a wind instrument with finger holes and a wedgelike part (a fipple) near the
mouthpiece; fipple flute.
recover the wind a hunting phrase — to get to windward.
reechy smoky, dirty, foul, or rancid.
the region kites the kites of the air. The kite is a bird of prey in the falcon family.
Rhenish Rhine wine.
rivals associates or companions in some duty.
robustious ranting.
rood a cross as used in crucifixion; specifically, the cross on which Jesus was crucified.
Roscius the most famous of ancient Roman actors.
round Polonius really means straight, but it is his nature to speak indirectly.
rouse a toast in which all glasses must be drained before lowering.
rouse draught of liquor, toast.
rub an obstacle hindrance, difficulty, or impediment.
russet Now, usually a reddish-brown color, but here the warm gray tone of homespun
cloth.
Saint Valentine's Day February 14. The old belief was that the first man seen by a
maid on that day was destined to be her husband, and vice versa.
sallets tasty bits.
sanctuarize give sanctuary to a murderer.
satyr in Greek mythology, a woodland diety usually represented as having pointed ears,
short horns, the head and body of a man, and the legs of a goat, and as being fond of
riotous merriment and lechery.
scene individable preserving the unities.
scholar a person with the necessary knowledge of Latin to exorcise a spirit. This was a
common Elizabethan belief.
sconce a slang word for head (literally, blockhouse).
scrimers fencers.
scullion a servant doing the rough, dirty work in a kitchen.
se offendendo in self-defense.
sea-gown a skirted garment with short sleeves, worn by seamen.
season qualify.
season ripen.
seized of put in legal possession of a feudal holding; assigned ownership.
Seneca (c. 4? B.C.3A.D. 65); Roman philosopher, dramatist, and statesman.
sets a blister In Elizabethan England, prostitutes were sometimes branded with a hot
iron.
Shark'd gathered indiscriminately; got by fraud or stratagems.
sheeted shrouded.
shent rebuked.
shoon shoes.
shrewdly bitterly.
silence me hide myself.
simples medicinal herbs.
Sith since.
skirts the outer or bordering parts; outskirts, as of a city.
sledded Polacks the Polish army traveling on sleighs or sleds.
snuff accumulation of smoldering wick that caused the candle to smoke and burn less
brightly.
so mope be so stupid.
solidity and compound mass the earth.
spirit of health There are two possible meanings. First, a saved (healthy) soul, not a
lost one. Second, a healing or beneficent spirit.
splenetive full of spleen, hot-tempered.
springes snares consisting of a noose attached to something under tension, as a bent
tree branch.
sterling true currency (with the value of an English silver penny).
Stick fiery off stand out brightly.
stoup a drinking cup; tankard.
sun a pun on son, again indicating Hamlet's dislike of the new relationship between
himself and his uncle.
suppliance of a minute a minute's pastime.
supply and profit for the fulfillment and profitable conclusion of our hope.
Switzers Swiss mercenary soldiers; in this case, acting as the royal bodyguard.
swoopstake in a clean sweep.
tarre urge.
tax him home take him to task.
Tellus' in Roman mythology, the goddess of the earth.
temple body; the temple of the soul.
tend attend, wait.
tenures titles to property.
Termagant Herod favorite characters in the old miracle plays, who were always
portrayed as blustering tyrants.
thieves of mercy merciful thieves.
this is for all to sum up.
this slave's offal the entrails of a butchered animal; here, the king's guts.
thy free awe your submission even after our armies have been withdrawn.
tickle sere made to laugh easily.
timber'd made of wood that is too light.
to the manner born accustomed to it since a child.
took the fruits of followed.
total gules completely red.
toy in blood trifling youthful passion.
toys of desperation desperate fancies or impulses — referring to the impulse to jump
off a high place.
traduc'd and tax'd defamed and censored.
trick .something trifling
tristful sorrowful.
the triumph of his pledge his drinking ability.
Tropically the use of a word or words in a figurative sense; figuratively, a trope being a
figure of speech.
truepenny honest fellow.
tune of the time fashionable jargon.
turn the beam overbalance the scale.
turn Turk turn bad.
Twas Aeneas' tale to Dido the story of the sack of Troy as told to Queen Dido by
Aeneas. (Virgil's Aeneid contains the story.)
twelve for nine In a match of twelve bouts (instead of the usual nine), Laertes will win
by at least three up.
unbated not blunted.
unction ointment, salve; used for the act of annointing as in medical treatment or a
religious ceremony.
Under the moon To be most effective, herbs are gathered by moonlight.
unfellowed without equal.
unfledg'd immature (literally designating a young bird without feathers and thus not
able to fly).
unfold yourself to make known or lay open to view, especially in stages or little by little.
Unhouseled, disappointed, unaneled without the sacraments of communion,
penance, and extreme unction.
unimproved mettle untested strength, courage, or character
union a large pearl.
unmaster'd importunity uncontrolled and determined wooing.
unproportion'd overly emotional, excessive.
unreclaimed untamed.
unshaped incoherent.
unsinew'd weak.
Up-spring a high-kicking, wild German dance.
valanced bearded.
variable service different courses.
ventages small holes or openings; vents.
vice of kings caricature of a king. Vice, who represented sin, was a stock character in
morality plays.
videlicet (Latin) that is; namely.
Vulcan's stithy the workshop of the Roman god of fire and metalworking.
wassail revelry, carousing.
watch sleeplessness.
waterfly an insect without apparent purpose.
weak supposal poor opinion.
weal a sound or prosperous state; well-being; welfare.
what means what their income is.
wheaten garland a garland made of stalks of wheat; a symbol of prosperity.
whoreson a scoundrel; knave; a general epithet of abuse (literally, bastard).
will desire.
will he, nill he willy-nilly, whether he wishes or not.
windlasses roundabout means.
with sight with an indifferent eye.
withers the highest part of a horse's back, located between the shoulder blades.
woodcocks birds thought of as being stupid because they are easily caught; hence, a
person who is a fool or a dupe.
Woo't colloquial and familiar form of wilt thou.
wormwood bitterness. (Wormwood is a plant with bitter qualities.)
yesty collection frothy collection of catchwords.
your only jig-maker I am the funniest man alive (ironic).
