Page 311 - Hamlet: The Cambridge Dover Wilson Shakespeare

204 NOTES 3.2.

follow, just as Rich. II, with its deposition scene, was
performed by Sh.'s company on Feb. 7,1601 to prepare
London for the rising of the Essex party next day.
I make little doubt that Lucianus should be dressed like
Ham. Cf. notes 11. 91-2; 2. 2. 255; 3. 1. 125.
244. chorus Or 'presenter,' to explain the action of
the play; cf. the Chorus in Hen. V and note 1. 138
S.D. above.
245-46. / could.. .dallying Referring to the show-
man of the puppets, who 'recited a suitable dialogue as
an accompaniment to their gestures' (Chambers, Med.
Stage, ii. 159). Cf. Two Gent. .1. 90-91 O excellent
'
2
motion, O exceeding puppet, now will he interpret to
her.' Both Speed and Ham. prob. imply something
indecent; cf. 11. 142—44 above, your love = your lover.
247. Tou are keen i.e. You mock in cruel fashion.
250. Still better and worse 'more keen and less
decorous' (Caldecott). There is prob. a quibble on
'bitter.'
F
251. mis-take Q 2 and 1 ' mistake,' Q1' must take'
—which many edd. follow. Ham. refers to the marriage
service in which man and wife 'take' each other 'for
better for worse.' The pi. 'husbands' shows that here as
elsewhere Oph. stands for Woman in general in his mind.
252. damnable faces Cf. Ham.'s warning against
mouthing, sawing the air with the hand, strutting and
bellowing, 11. 3-33 above.
l
253-54. the croaking.. .revenge* As R. Simpson
showed, these words are 'a satirical condensation' of the
following passage from The True Tragedy of Richard III
(an old Queen's company play, printed in a garbled
version 1594):
The screeking Rauen sits croking for reuenge.
Whole heards of beasts comes bellowing for reuenge.
The lines, which occur in a speech by Richard de-
scribing the terrors of his conscience, were prob. familiar