Page 251 - Hamlet: The Cambridge Dover Wilson Shakespeare

144 N O T E S I.I.

8. bitter cold Sh. builds up the atmosphere of the
frosty, star-lit, northern night as he proceeds; cf. i. i.
36-8 'yon same star.. .burns?
9. sick at heart The solitary figure of Fran, with his
heart-sickness foreshadows Ham.
13. bid them make haste Bar. is anxious not to be left
alone.
19. A piece of Mm. Hor.'s jocularity is contrasted
with the nervousness of the others; he does not believe
in ghosts. The jest means, I take it, that he is pinched
with the cold.
21. What, has... to-night ? (Q2) F1, Q1, and most
mod. edd. assign to Mar. Cf. MSH. p. 37. The con-
temptuous word 'thing' clearly comes from the sceptic,
and Mar.'s speech beginning 'Horatio says' seems more
natural, if Hor. has just spoken.
23. Horatio.. .fantasy Hor., philosopher and student,
may be classed as one of the school of Reginald Scot.
When he sees the Ghost, of course, his attitude
changes. Cf. Lavater, p. xvii, and Introd. pp. 1-liii.
29. He may.. .speak to it. Cf. note 1. 1. 42.
33. two nights Cf. 1. 2. 196. The play opens on the
eve of the coronation and marriage of Claudius; and the
Ghost begins to walk three days before the ceremony.
Cf. 1. 2. head-note.
Well, sit we down Hor. is bored.
39. S.D. cladin armour.. .truncheon Cf. 1.2. 200-
204, and notes. That the Ghost appears 'in arms' is
clearly of great significance to all who speak of it; cf. also
11. 47-9, 60-3 below, 1. 2. 200-204, 226-30, 255,
and 1. 4. 52. It gives Ham. the clue to the apparition
before he sees it; and makes him suspect 'foul play' and
the need for vengeance (1. 2. 255). That the armour
was also dramatically extraordinarily effective, we cannot
doubt; Sh. replaced the stock stage-spook from Tartarus
clad in a leather pilch by a Christian spirit 'in his habit
as he lived.' Cf. F. W. Moorman, The Pre-Shake-