190-91. There is nothing that Polonius does not know.

196. Between who? Hamlet intentionally misunderstands Polonius, and takes matter in the sense of “ difficulty, quarrel." Who" for "whom" is frequent in Shakespeare. Cf. I, ii, 190. 204. Honesty: decency.

205. Should: would inevitably.

221. Except my life. Such repetition is one of Hamlet's characteristic tricks. Cf. I, ii, 132, 135, 224, 237; I, v, 93, 106, 134-35, 183; II, ii, 194; III, i, 92; III, ii, 191.

228-30. Notice the genuine cordiality of Hamlet's greeting. 258-59. Your ambition makes it one. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have adopted the King's theory, and are carrying out his instructions (lines 15-16) to gather as much as they may glean. But it is worth noting who does most of the questioning!

270. Outstretched. Various interpretations have been suggested; as, wide-famed; glorified; a reference to the strutting stage heroes, etc. But Hamlet is intentionally riddling, and since he says he cannot reason, we need not consider too curiously his fantastic conceit.

274. No such matter: not at all.

277.

In the beaten way of friendship: speaking as friend to friend.

282. A halfpenny: at a halfpenny.

283. Were you not sent for? etc. Hamlet's suspicions have been aroused (perhaps by Rosencrantz's quibbling answer), and his tone changes.

287. But to the purpose. Either, only so that it be to the purpose; or (if it is taken as sarcasm), except to the purpose.

295. The consonancy of our youth: our being of so young years brought up" together. Consonancy: agreement. 297. A better proposer: a better speaker. Hamlet, in this speech, is appealing directly to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, as (perhaps) he had appealed by his silence to Ophelia, for the support of friendship in the net of intrigue that he feels closing in on him. And the touch of self-depreciation in “ a better proposer" need not be taken as assumed.

301.

Of you: on you.

305. Prevent your discovery: forestall your disclosure.

318. Express: perfectly fitted to its function or purpose. 321. Quintessence: literally, fifth essence. In the old philosophies it was the subtle substance that remained after the four elements were eliminated; hence, "the most subtle component part of anything, or that which makes it what it is " (Kittredge).

332-39. Hamlet is giving a brief list of some of the stock characters in the Elizabethan drama.

335. The humorous man: the man who is full of humors (see note on I, iv, 27), and so is fantastic, affected, whimsical. Ben Jonson's comedies-especially Every Man in his Humour and Every Man out of his Humour-are full of such characters. The word is not to be taken in its modern sense.

337. Tickle o' the sere: easily moved (to laughter). The sere was "the balance-lever of a gun-lock"; tickle means "unstable, precarious" (cf. Measure for Measure, I, ii, 17678: "Thy head stands so tickle on thy shoulders that a milkmaid, if she be in love, may sigh it off"). A sentence of Crockett's serves as a fair paraphrase of Hamlet's meaning: "Her laugh was hung on a hair-trigger, to go off at every jest and fancy."

338. Or the blank verse shall halt for't. That is, If she can't talk freely in blank verse, then let the blank verse go lame, in order that she may-for speak freely she shall.

346. Inhibition: hindrance, suspension (of performances). It does not necessarily refer to a formal prohibition. The “late innovation" (i. e., the popularity of the children's companies) had the effect of a prohibition.

355. On the top of question: at the top of their voicesabove the pitch of conversation.

356. Tyrannically: boisterously. Thus, Bottom in the Midsummer Night's Dream says: "Yet my chief humor is for a tyrant: I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to tear a cat in, to make all split." And after he has recited his ranting verses (Midsummer Night's Dream, II, i, 33-40) he adds: “This is a tyrant's vein."

357-58. Berattle the common stages: berate the ordinary theaters, where the men's companies played.

358. Many wearing rapiers are afraid of goose-quills: many fashionable gentlemen are afraid of being satirized (i. e.,

by the dramatists who write for the children's companies), if they go to the ordinary theaters.

363. The quality: the profession-in this case, of players. Actors to-day call themselves "the profession."

364-68. The boys in the children's companies were choristers; when their voices changed, they would themselves have to become common players," if they went on acting at all. But (Hamlet asks) by acting in plays which satirize (and so tend to drive out) the men's companies, are they not really cutting off their own future prospects? Succession that which is to come, futurity.

369. Much to do. The phrase as here used is on its way to the substantive form, to-do (cf. ado), in the sense of "business, fuss."

370. Tarre them: set them on to fight. The word is used frequently of dogs; cf. King John, IV, i, 116-17: "Like a dog that is compell'd to fight, Snatch at his master that doth tarre him on."

372. Argument: the plot of a play; cf. III, ii, 242. The general sense of the passage is: No manager would bid anything for a play unless it added its quota to this popular controversy between the poets and the players-" the war of the theaters," as it is sometimes called. Went to cuffs came to blows. 377. Carry it away: carry things before them.

378. Hercules and his load. Hercules bearing the world (a reference to one of the twelve labors) was the sign of the Globe Theater, so that Shakespeare is here alluding to his own theater, which, like the rest, is suffering from the controversy.

380. It is not very strange. The connection lies in the idea of following the fashion. People do it in the case of the theaters; they are just as fickle in the case of kings.

384. 'Sblood: an abbreviation of "God's blood." Cf. line 604 and note.

384. In this: that is, in this following of fashion.

387. Gentlemen, you are welcome to Elsinore: addressed to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, not to the players.

388. The appurtenance of: that which belongs to. 390. Comply with you in this garb: observe the forms of courtesy with you in this fashion. Extent is "behavior, welcome." Hamlet means to welcome the players warmly, but

he does not wish to humiliate his one-time friends in the presence of others by any show of coldness.

393. My uncle-father. "A little more than kin"!

396-98. I am mad only when the wind's north-north-west; the rest of the time my wits are keen enough. Another of Hamlet's riddling remarks-this time suggested by the sport of falconry. Handsaw is probably a corruption of hernsaw (heron), and the phrase is proverbial in its origin.

406-07. You say right, sir, etc. Hamlet is addressing Rosencrantz, and intentionally misleading Polonius as to the subject of the conversation.

410. When Roscius was an actor in Rome. Perhaps Hamlet means to imply that Polonius's news is rather old too. And of course his mention of actors maliciously takes the wind out of Polonius's sails. Roscius was the greatest of Roman

actors.

412. Buz, buz! Blackstone says that "Buz used to be an interjection at Oxford when any one began a story that was generally known before"; cf. modern slang, "chestnuts."

414. Probably a line from some old ballad.

416. The list is of course intended to raise a laugh, but it is after all merely a somewhat exaggerated classification of actual Elizabethan plays. Shakespeare's own plays were divided into tragedies, comedies, and histories; As You Like It might very well be called "pastoral-comical"; Richard III and some others of the histories, “tragical-historical"; plays like Winter's Tale are "tragical-comical "—and so on.

418-19. Scene individable, or poem unlimited: plays that observe the unity of place, or plays that are not bound down by the unities.

419-20. Seneca .

Plautus. Seneca wrote tragedies, Plautus, comedies, and both powerfully influenced the Elizabethan drama.

420-21. For the law of writ and the liberty: for following the text and for speaking extempore.

422. Jephthah. For the story of Jephthah's daughter, see Judges, xi.

426-27. See the Variorum for the first stanza of the ballad from which these lines are taken. Hamlet of course means that Polonius shall tell the King of his harping on Ophelia.

432-33. Follows. Hamlet means "follows logically," but wilfully takes Polonius's use of the word to mean "follow in the song."

438. The first row of the pious chanson. The First Quarto has "the first verse of the godly ballet," which sufficiently explains the phrase of the text.

439. My abridgment: that which abridges, or cuts short, my talk-probably with a play on the other meaning of the word, i. e., an entertainment. Cf. Midsummer Night's Dream, V, i, 39-40: “What abridgement have you for this evening? What masque? What music?"

440 ff. Observe the charming courtesy of Hamlet's extent to the players."

444-47. My young lady and mistress, etc. Women's parts were always taken by boys in Shakespeare's time, and Hamlet is addressing one of the younger actors, who has grown since he saw him last. A chopine was a very high-heeled shoe.

448. Cracked within the ring. If the crack in a coin extended within the ring that surrounded the sovereign's head, the coin ceased to be current. There is probably a play on the word ring, with reference to the boy's voice, which must soon change. Cf. note on lines 364-68.

450. Like French falconers. The French falconers were regarded as the best in the world, and the phrase "fly at any thing we see" is probably used in commendation. The suggestion that it is used contemptuously is not in harmony with Hamlet's characterization of the speech they do "fly at" as one he " chiefly loved."

451. A taste of your quality: a sample of your professional skill. See line 363. Passionate means "full of feeling."

454. Me. See note on II, i, 7.

457. Caviare to the general: not palatable to the multitude. The phrase has become proverbial. Relish for caviare (a Russian delicacy, made of sturgeon's roe) is an acquired

taste.

459. Cried in the top of mine: were superior to mine.

461. Modesty: freedom from exaggeration or excess. Cf. III, ii, 21; V, i, 230.

462. Sallet. Our word salad-here used, probably, with