Page 264 - Hamlet: The Cambridge Dover Wilson Shakespeare

1.3- NOTES 157

'unholy suits' pretend to be, not 'bawds' (what is a
'pious bawd'?), but sacred pledges. Malone declared
for the original text, and quoted Son. 142 'sealed false
bonds of love.' Cf. also 3. 2. 158 below 'most sacred
bands' (= bonds). MSH. p. 290.
133. moment leisure Cf. 'region kites' 2. 2. 582, 'his
music vows' 3. 1. 159.
1.4.
S.D. For the localisation, and the absence of Barnardo
v. head-note 1. 1.
6. S.D. Q 2 'A florish of trumpets and 2. peeces goes
of.'
8—9.* The king... reels i.e. the king is making an all-
night feast of it, after the blustering fashion of the new-
fangled revels. Cf. G. 'wake,' 'upspring,' 'reels.' In
'swagg'ring' Ham. refers to the braying of the trumpets
5
and kettle-drums, and the firing of ordnance (cf. 1.2.12 -
28). Dowden (4th ed.) quotes Marlowe, Dr Faustus
4.1.19 'He took his rouse with stoups of Rhenish wine.'
12. Is it a custom? Cf. Introd. p. xlviii.
13. Ay marry is't i.e. it is no innovation by Claudius;
the late King had also indulged in 'heavy-headed
revels.' Cf. note I. 5. 11.
17-38. This heavy-headed...scandal. Omitted in
F i , possibly because it was considered politically
dangerous after 1603 with a Danish Queen (Anne, the
consort of James I) on the throne. MSH. pp. 25-6.
19-20. with swinish.. .addition A poetical way of
saying 'they call us drunken swine.' v. G. 'addition.'
Some have supposed a reference to 'Sweyn' a common
name of Danish kings; Q2 gives the word an initial
capital, which lends possible support to the idea.
24. mole of nature — natural blemish. 26. his = its.
27-8.* some complexion.. .forts of reason The
'complexion' (v. G.) Ham. has in mind is that of
melancholy, which often led to madness. Cf. note 1. 33.