Hamlet (42 page)

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Authors: William Shakespeare

BOOK: Hamlet

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196
giving out
utterance/suggestion

196
note
indicate

201
commend me
entrust myself

202
what
whatever

203
friending
friendship

205
still
always

206
The time
things generally, the age

206
out of joint
dislocated, disordered

Act 2 Scene 1

2.1
Location: within the royal castle at Elsinore; this remains the location for all scenes until Act 4 scene 3

3
marvellous
marvelously, extremely

4
you
i.e. if you

8
Inquire me
inquire (
me
is emphatic)

8
Danskers
Danes

9
keep
lodge

11
encompassment
roundabout manner of talking

11
drift
general aim

12
come … it
you will come closer to the truth than you would were you to ask specific, pointed questions

14
Take you
assume, affect

20
Addicted
devoted or inclined to

21
forgeries
fabrications

21
rank
excessive/coarse

23
wanton
boisterous/wild/lustful

23
slips
flaws, foibles

26
gaming
gambling

28
Drabbing
using prostitutes

30
season … charge
moderate the accusation

32
incontinency
excessive sexual license

33
quaintly
artfully, skillfully

34
taints of liberty
faults resulting from too much freedom

36
savageness
wildness

36
unreclaimèd
untamed

37
Of general assault
by which all men are affected

41
drift
intention/plan

42
fetch of warrant
legitimate stratagem

44
As ’twere
as if he were

44
i’th’working
in the handling, the manufacture

45
party in converse
the person with whom you are conversing

45
sound
question, probe

46
Having ever
if he has ever

46
prenominate
aforementioned

47
breathe of
speak about (i.e. Laertes)

48
closes … consequence
agrees with you in the following way

50
addition
form of address

58
ay, marry
yes, by the Virgin Mary, i.e. yes, of course

62
o’ertook in’s rouse
overcome in his carousals (i.e. drunk)

65
Videlicet
“that is to say” (Latin)

67
carp
type of fish

68
we … reach
we who are wise and widely perceptive

69
windlasses
roundabout route

69
assays of bias
indirect ventures

70
directions
the way things are really going

71
lecture
lesson

72
have
understand

74
buy
i.e. be with

76
Observe … yourself
observe his behavior in person/go along with his inclinations

78
ply his music
(literally) practice his musical skills/(metaphorically) go his own way

79
Well
very well

85
doublet
close-fitting jacket with buttons down the front

85
unbraced
undone

86
No hat
Elizabethans usually wore hats indoors when in company

87
Ungartered
falling down, untied (garters were bands that held the stockings in place)

87
down-gyvèd
fallen down and resembling fetters (gyves)

89
purport
meaning

96
goes … arm
he backs away until he stands at arm’s length

99
As
as if

108
bended their light
i.e. directed their gaze

110
ecstasy
frenzy, madness

111
Whose … itself
the violent nature of which causes self-destruction

120
speed
profit/promptness

121
quoted
observed

122
wreck
dishonor, ruin sexually

122
beshrew my jealousy
curse my suspicion

123
proper … age
i.e. typical of old men

124
cast beyond ourselves
miscalculate/miss the mark (another angling metaphor)

127
close
secret

127
move … love
cause more unhappiness by concealment than unpleasantness by coming forward

Act 2 Scene 2

2
Moreover that
in addition to the fact that

10
deem
think, discern/judge

12
neighboured to
familiar with

12
humour
temperament

13
vouchsafe your rest
consent to stay

16
occasions
opportunities

18
opened
revealed

21
more adheres
is more attached

22
gentry
courtesy

24
supply and profit
fulfillment and advancement

28
of
over

29
dread pleasures
revered wishes

32
in … bent
to the utmost

40
practices
actions (perhaps playing on the sense of “schemes”)

45
still
always

47
hold
regard/uphold

50
policy
shrewdness/statecraft

55
fruit
i.e. dessert

56
grace
honor (plays on sense of “prayer before a meal”)

58
distemper
illness, derangement

59
doubt
suspect

59
main
chief concern

61
sift him
question him (Polonius) closely

63
desires
good wishes

64
Upon our first
as soon as we raised the matter

66
Polack
Polish/King of Poland

69
impotence
frailty, helplessness

70
borne in hand
deluded, taken advantage of

70
arrests
orders to cease military activity

72
fine
conclusion

74
give … arms
attempt to use force

76
crowns
gold coins (of varying values according to the countries they were used in)

77
commission
authority

80
quiet pass
safe passage

82
On … allowance
i.e. according to conditions regarding the safety of Denmark and your permission for such an enterprise

84
likes
pleases

85
at … time
when we have the time for proper consideration

91
expostulate
discuss/ask

95
wit
intellect/good sense

98
for … mad
Polonius means that it would be mad to attempt to define madness, but ends up implying, rather nonsensically, that the definition of madness is “being mad”

104
figure
figure of speech

109
this … cause
this defective behavior (Hamlet’s madness) has a cause

110
Thus … thus
this is the current state of affairs, and now for the rest

110
Perpend
consider

113
gather, and surmise
collect your thoughts, draw your conclusions (or
gather
may be a request to Claudius and Gertrude to draw closer and look at the letter)

117
these
i.e. this letter/these phrases

119
faithful
i.e. to the letter/in reading the letter fully

122
Doubt
in this third line the sense shifts to “suspect”

124
ill … numbers
poor at writing verse

125
reckon my groans
count my groans/make my groans scan poetically

127
machine is to
bodily structure belongs to

129
more above
moreover

130
fell out
occurred

135
fain
willingly

140
played … table-book
remained silent and withheld the information/assisted in conveying messages between them

141
given … winking
closed the eyes of my heart

142
with idle sight
complacently/without recognizing its significance

143
round
roundly, in a forthright manner

144
bespeak
address/speak angrily to

145
out … star
beyond your reach/outside your destiny

146
precepts
instructions

147
resort
visits

152
a watch
sleeplessness

153
lightness
light-headedness

153
declension
decline (plays on the grammatical sense)

163
circumstances
circumstantial evidence

165
centre
i.e. of the earth

166
try
test

170
loose
set loose (often used of an animal; sometimes with the sense of releasing the female to the male for sex, which would lend sexual connotations to
encounter
)

171
arras
large tapestry wall-hanging

173
thereon
on that account

174
assistant … state
policy adviser

175
carters
cart drivers

177
sadly
solemnly

180
board
accost

180
presently
immediately

180
give me leave
a polite way of asking to be left alone

182
God-a-mercy
God have mercy (i.e. thank you)

184
fishmonger
plays on slang senses of “lecher” and “pimp”

192
good kissing carrion
good piece of rotting flesh to kiss (
carrion
also suggests “whore”)

194
i’th’sun
in /files/15/73/58/f157358/public/in the sun (or “son”) that causes breeding