[Stabs the King. King. O, yet defend me, friends, I am but hurt. Drink off this potion:-Is the union here? Laer. He is justly serv'd; [King dies. It is a poison temper'd by himself.- [Dies. Ham. Heaven make thee free of it! I follow I am dead, Horatio:-Wretched queen, adieu! If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart, And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain, Enter Fortinbras, the English Embassadors, and others. For. Where is this sight? Hor. What is it, you would see? 5 If aught of woe, or wonder, cease your search. What feast is toward in thine infernal cell, Emb. The sight is dismal; And our affairs from England come too late: Hor. Not from his mouth, Had it the ability of life to thank you; He never gave commandment for their death. Of accidental judgements, casual slaughters; 30 Fall'n on the inventors' heads: all this can I Fort. Let us haste to hear it, [March afar off, and shout within. 40 What warlike noise is this? Osr. Young Fortinbras, with conquest come To the embassadors of England gives Ham. O, I die, Horatio; The potent poison quite o'er-grows my spirit; more: But let this same be presently perform'd, On plots, and errors, happen. Fort. Let four captains 45 Bear Hamlet, like a soldier, to the stage; To have prov'd most royally: and, for his passage, 50 Take up the bodies:Such a sight as this Officers, Gentlemen, Messengers, Musicians, Sailors, and Attendants. SCENE, for the first Act, in Venice; during the rest of the Play, in Cyprus. That thou, Iago,-who hast had my purse, Evades them, with a bombast circumstance, And, in conclusion, Non-suits my mediators; for, certes 2, says he, Forsooth, a great arithmetician, A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife 3; As if the strings were thine,-should'st know of 10 That never set a squadron in the field, this. Iago. But you 'll not hear me: If ever I did dream of such a matter, abhor me. Nor the division of a battle knows More than a spinster; unless the bookish theoric“, As masterly as he: mere prattle, without practice, 1 On The story is taken from Cynthio's Novels. 2i. e. certainly, in truth. Obsolete. these lines Dr. Johnson observes, "This is one of the passages which must for the present be resigned to corruption and obscurity. I have nothing that I can, with any approach to confidence, propose." -Mr. Tyrwhitt ingeniously proposes to read, "damn'd in a fair life," and is of opinion, that "Shakspeare alludes to the judgement denounced in the Gospel against those of whom all men speak well.” He adds, that "the character of Cassio is certainly such, as would be very likely to draw upon him all the peril of this denunciation, literally understood. Well-bred, easy, sociable, good-natured; with abilities enough to make him agreeable and useful, but not sufficient to excite the envy of his equals, or to alarm the jealousy of his superiors. It may be observed too, that Shakspeare has thought it proper to make lago, in several other passages, bear his testimony to the amiable qualities of his rival." Theoric, for theory. Consuls, for counsellors. It was anciently the practice to reckon up And sums with counters, 3 X 2 I follow him to serve my turn upon him; lago. Are your doors lock'd?" Bra. Why? wherefore ask you this? [mons? Iago. Sir, you are robb'd; for shame, put on Whip me such honest knaves: Others there are, [soul; Do themselves homage: these fellows have some It is as sure as you are Roderigo, Bra. What, have you lost your wits? Rod. Most reverend signior, do you know my Bra. Not 1; What are you? I have charg'd thee, not to haunt about my doors: Red. Sir, sir, sir,— Bra. But thou must needs be sure, 35 My spirit, and my place, have in them power To make this bitter to thee. Rod. What a full fortune does the thick-lips 40 If he can carry 't thus ! [owe, Iago. Call up her father, Rouse him: make after him, poison his delight, Rod. Patience, good sir. [Venice; Bra. What tell'st thou me of robbing? this is My house is not a grange'. Rod. Most grave Brabantio, In simple and pure soul I come to you. Iago. Sir, you are one of those, that will not serve God, if the devil bid you. Because we come to do you service, you think we are ruffians. 45 You'll have your daughter cover'd with a Barbary horse; you'll have your nephews neigh to you: you'll have coursers for cousins, and geanets for germans. Rod. Here is her father's house; I'll call aloud. Iago. Do; with light timorous accent, and dire 50 yell, As when, by night and negligence, the fire It has been observed, that the Scots, when they Bra. What profane 10 wretch art thou? Iago. I am one, sir, that comes to tell you, your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two "backs. "That is, compare person to person, use this exclamation. 2 i. e. by recommendation from powerful friends. 3 The meaning is, Do I stand within any such terms of propinquity or relation to the Moor, as that it is my duty to love him? * Knave is here used for servant, but with a mixture of sly contempt. Full fortune may mean a complete piece of good fortune. To owe is in ancient language, to own, to possess. 'i. e. broken. "You are in a populous city, not in a lone house, where a robbery might easily be committed." Grange is strictly and properly the farm of a monastery, where the religious reposited their corn. But in Lincolnshire, and in other northern counties, they call every lone house, or farm which stands solitary, a grange. "Nephew, in this instance, has the power of the Latin word nepos, and signifies a grandson, or any lineal descendant, however remote. ? A jennet is a Spanish horse. 10 That is, what wretch of gross and licentious language? "This is an ancient proverbial expression in the French language, whence Shakspeare probably borrowed it. Bra. seech you, 5 If't be your pleasure, and most wise consent, : I thus would play and trifle with your reverence: 2 To an extravagant and wheeling stranger, [self: Let loose on me the justice of the state Bra. Strike on the tinder, ho! Give me a taper;-call up all my people:- Light, I say! light! lago. Farewell; for I must leave you: Against the Moor: For, I do know, the state,- I must shew out a flag and sign of love, Which is indeed but sign. That you shall surely find him, Lead to the Sagittary the rais'd search; 15 20 you? Rod. Truly, I think, they are. Bra. O heaven!-how got she out?-O treason Rod. Yes, sir; I have, indeed. Bra. Call up my brother.-O, 'would you had Some one way, some another.-Do you know call; I may command at most:-Get weapons, ho! 25 And raise some special officers of might.On, good Roderigo; I'll deserve your pains. [Exeunt. Enter Othello, Iago, and Attendants. ribs. Oth. 'Tis better as it is. Iago. Nay, but he prated, 40 And spoke such scurvy and provoking terms Against your honour, That, with the little godliness I have, I did full hard forbear him. But, I pray you, sir, Are you fast marry'd? for, be sure of this,45 That the magnifico' is much belov'd; And hath, in his effect, a voice potential As double as the duke's: he will divorce you; Oth. Let him do his spite: My services, which I have done the signiory, Shall out-tongue his complaints. 'Tis yet to know, (Which, when I know that boasting is an honour, 55 I shall promulgate,) I fetch my life and being 'Dr. Johnson observes, that the even of night is midnight, the time when night is divided into even parts. Mr. Steevens thinks that odd is here ambiguously used, as it signifies strange, uncouth, or unwonted; and as it is opposed to even; but acknowledges that the expression is very harsh. travagant is here used in the signification of wandering. Despised time, is time of no value. i. e. by which the faculties of a young virgin may be infatuated, and made subject to illusions and to false imaginations. Stuff of the conscience, is substance, or essence, of the conscience. 'The chief men of Venice are, by a peculiar name, called Magnifici, i.e. magnificoes. * Double has here its natural sense.-The president of every deliberative assembly has a double voice. For example: the lord mayor in the court of aldermen has a double voice. 3 X 3 From 6 |