Hamlet - The First Quarto (Sos)

William Shakespeare, Graham Holderness, Bryan Loughrey

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9780745011004
• eBook ISBN: 9781317867135
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Shakespeare Drama
• Index: Literature

The first in a series on Shakespeare's original texts, including facsimile pages, this version of "Hamlet" is claimed to be, in some ways, the most authentic version of the play that we have. Included are an introduction, notes, and a theoretical, historical and contextual critique. This text has been rejected by scholars as a "bad Quarto" - corrupt and pirated text printed without the permission of the playwright or his company. Nonetheless, it was the first version of the play to be published and it has been produced in the modern theatre with success. This new edition of that Quarto seeks to acknowledge the play's distinctive poetic and dramatic qualities, instead of comparing them unfavourably to one of the other versions.

THE TRAGICALL HISTORIE OF

Hamlet
Prince of Denmarke

Enter two Centinels.

1. Stand: who is that?

2. Tis I.

1. O you come most carefully upon your watch,

2. And if you meete Marcellus and Horatio,

The partners of my watch, bid them make haste.

1. I will : See who goes there.

Enter Horatio and Marcellus.

Hor. Friends to this ground.

Mar. And leegemen to the Dane,

O farewell honest souldier, who hath releeved you?

1. Barnardo hath my place, give you good night.

Mar. Holla, Barnardo.

2. Say, is Horatio there?

Hor. A peece of him.

2. Welcome Horatio, welcome good Marcellus.

Mar. What hath this thing appear’d againe to night.

2. I have seene nothing.

Mar. Horatio sayes tis but our fantasie,

And wil not let beliefe take hold of him,

Touching this dreaded sight twice seene by us,

Therefore I have intreated him along with us

To watch the minutes of this night,

That if againe this apparition come,

He may approove our eyes, and speake to it.

Hor. Tut, t’will not appeare.

2. Sit downe I pray, and let us once againe

Assaile your eares that are so fortified,

What we have two nights seene.

Hor. Wel, sit we downe, and let us heare Bernardo speake of this.

2. Last night of al, when yonder starre that’s westward from the pole, had made his course to

Illumine that part of heaven. Where now it burnes,

The bell then towling one.

Enter Ghost.

Mar. Breake off your talke, see where it comes againe.

2. In the same figure like the King that’s dead,

Mar. Thou art a scholler, speake to it Horatio.

2. Lookes it not like the king?

Hor. Most like, it horrors mee with feare and wonder.

2. It would be spoke to.

Mar. Question it Horatio.

Hor. What art thou that thus usurps the state, in

Which the Majestie of buried Denmarke did sometimes

Walke? By heaven I charge thee speake.

Mar. It is offended. exit Ghost.

2. See, it stalkes away.

Hor. Stay, speake, speake, by heaven I charge thee speake.

Mar. Tis gone and makes no answer.

2. How now Horatio, you tremble and looke pale,

Is not this something more than fantasie?

What thinke you on’t?

Hor. Afore my God, I might not this beleeve, without the sensible and true avouch of my owne eyes.

Mar. Is it not like the King?

Hor. As thou art to thy selfe,

Such was the very armor he had on,

When he the ambitious Norway combated.

So frownd he once, when in an angry parle

He smot the sleaded pollax on the yce,

Tis strange.

Mar. Thus twice before, and jump at this dead hower,

With Marshall stalke he passed through our watch.

Hor. In what particular to worke, I knowe not,

But in the thought and scope of my opinion,

This bodes some strange eruption to the state.

Mar. Good, now sit downe, and tell me he that knowes

Why this same strikt and most observant watch,

So nightly toyles the subject of the land,

And why such dayly cost of brazen Cannon

And forraine marte, for implements of warre,

Why such impresse of ship-writes, whose sore taske

Does not divide the sunday from the weeke:

What might be toward that his sweaty march

Doth make the night joynt labourer with the day,

Who is’t that can informe me?

Hor. Mary that can I, at least the whisper goes so,

Our late King who as you know was by Forten-Brasse of Norway,

Thereto prickt on by a most emulous cause, dared to

The combate, in which our valiant Hamlet,

For so this side of our knowne world esteemed him,

Did slay this Fortenbrasse,

Who by a seale compact well ratified, by law

And heraldrie, did forfeit with his life all those

His lands which he stoode seazed of by the conqueror,

Against the which a moity competent,

Was gaged by our King:

Now sir, yong Fortenbrasse,

Of inapproved mettle hot and full,

Hath in the skirts of Norway here and there,

Sharkt up a sight of lawlesse Res...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• General Introduction
• Introduction
• Select Bibliography
• Textual History
• Text: The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet Prince of Denmarke
• Endnotes
• Appendix: Photographic facsimile pages