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The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 8 of 9]

Chapter 89: FOOTNOTES:
By William Shakespeare
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About This Book

This volume assembles three major tragedies — Hamlet, King Lear, and Othello — presenting both the play texts and extensive editorial apparatus. For Hamlet it offers multiple early printed versions and a prefatory discussion tracing differences among quartos and theatrical sources, with annotations highlighting variant readings. King Lear and Othello appear with critical notes that clarify language, stage practice, and textual emendation. The prefatory material and scholarly annotations explain printing history, editorial choices, and probable manuscript corruptions, while the notes guide readers through linguistic difficulties, scene variations, and thematic concerns such as political power, familial breakdown, and betrayal.

King Do not drinke Gertred: O t'is the poysned cup!
Ham. Leartes come, you dally with me,
 I pray you passe with your most cunningst play.
Lear. I! say you so? haue at you,
 He hit you now my Lord: 80
 And yet it goes almost against my conscience.
Ham. Come on sir.

They catch one anothers Rapiers, and both are wounded, Leartes falles downe, the Queene falles downe and dies.

King Looke to the Queene.
Queene O the drinke, the drinke, Hamlet, the drinke.
Ham. Treason, ho, keepe the gates. 85
Lords How ist my Lord Leartes?
Lear. Euen as a coxcombe should,
 Foolishly slaine with my owne weapon:
 Hamlet, thou hast not in thee halfe an houre of life,
 The fatall Instrument is in thy hand. 90
 Vnbated and invenomed: thy mother's poysned
 That drinke was made for thee.
Ham. The poysned Instrument within my hand?
 Then venome to thy venome, die damn'd villaine:
 Come drinke, here lies thy vnion here. The king dies. 95
Lear. O he is justly serued:
 Hamlet, before I die, here take my hand,
 And withall, my loue: I doe forgiue thee. Leartes dies.
Ham. And I thee, O I am dead Horatio, fare thee well.
Hor. No, I am more an antike Roman, 100
 Then a Dane, here is some poison left.
Ham. Vpon my loue I charge thee let it goe,
 O fie Horatio, and if thou shouldst die,
 What a scandale wouldst thou leaue behinde?
 What tongue should tell the story of our deaths, 105
 If not from thee? O my heart sinckes Horatio,
 Mine eyes haue lost their sight, my tongue his vse:
 Farewel Horatio, heauen receiue my soule. Ham. dies.

Enter Voltemar and the Ambassadors from England. Enter Fortenbrasse with his traine.

Fort. Where is this bloudy sight?
Hor. If aught of woe or wonder you'ld behold,
 Then looke vpon this tragicke spectacle.
Fort. O imperious death! how many Princes
 Hast thou at one draft bloudily shot to death?
Ambass. Our ambassie that we haue brought from England,
 Where be these Princes that should heare vs speake? 115
 O most most vnlooked for time! vnhappy country.
Hor. Content your selues, Ile shew to all, the ground,
 The first beginning of this Tragedy:
 Let there a scaffold be rearde vp in the market place,
 And let the State of the world be there: 120
 Where you shall heare such a sad story tolde,
 That neuer mortall man could more vnfolde.
Fort. I haue some rights of memory to this kingdome,
 Which now to claime my leisure doth inuite mee:
 Let foure of our chiefest Captaines 125
 Beare Hamlet like a souldier to his graue:
 For he was likely, had he liued,
 To a prou'd most royall.
 Take vp the bodie, such a fight as this
 Becomes the fieldes, but here doth much amisse. 130

Finis.

FOOTNOTES:

[2422] Leartes] Leartes, B. Mus. copy.

newes] news B. Mus. copy.

[2423] God] God, B. Mus. copy.

moneths] months B. Mus. copy.

maried,] married B. Mus. copy.