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HAM LE T.

Perfons Represented.

Claudius, King of Denmark.

Hamlet, fon to the former, and nephew to the prefent, king. Polonius, Lord Chamberlain.

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Gertrude, Queen of Denmark, and mother of Hamlet. Ophelia, daughter of Polonius.

Lords, Ladies, Officers, Soldiers, Players, Grave-diggers, Sailors, Meffengers, and other Attendants.

SCENE, Elfinore.

ACT I. SCENE I. Elfinore. A Platform before the Caftle. FRANCISCO on his poft. Enter to him BERNARDO. Ber. Who's there?

Fran. Nay, answer me2: ftand, and unfold yourself.

The original ftory on which this play is built, may be found in Saxo Grammaticus the Danish hiftorian. From thence Belleforeft adopted it in his collection of novels, in feven volumes, which he began in 1564, and continued to publish through fucceeding years. From this work, The Hyftorie of Hamblett, quarto, bl. 1. was tranflated. I have hitherto met with no earlier edition of the play than one in the year 1604, though it must have been performed before that time, as I have seen a copy of Speght's edition of Chaucer, which formerly belonged to Dr. Gabriel Harvey, (the antagonist of Nash) who, in his own hand-writing, has fet down the play, as a performance with which he was well acquainted, in the year 1598. His words are these: "The younger fort take much delight in Shake"fpeare's Venus and Adonis; but his Lucrece, and his tragedy of "Hamlet Prince of Denmarke, have it in them to please the wifer ❝ fort, 1598."

In the books of the Stationers' Company this play was entered by James Roberts, July 26, 1602, under the title of "A booke called The Revenge of Hamlett, Prince of Denmarke, as it was lately acted by the Lord Chamberlain his fervantes."

In Eastward Hoe by G. Chapman, B. Jonfon, and J. Marston, 1605, is a fling at the hero of this tragedy. A footman named Hamlet enters, and a tankard-bearer asks him-"'Sfoote, Hamlet, are you mad ?" STEEVENS.

Surely no fatire was here intended. Eastward Hoe was acted at Shakspeare's own playhouse, (Blackfriers,) by the children of the revels, in 1605.

A play on the fubject of Hamlet had been exhibited on the stage before the year 1589, of which Thomas Kyd was, I believe, the authour. On that play, and on the bl. letter Hiftorie of Hamblet, our poet, I conjecture, conftructed the tragedy before us. The earliest edition of the profe-narrative which I have feen, was printed in 1608, but it undoubtedly was a republication.

Shakspeare's Hamlet was written, if my conjecture be well founded, in 1596. See An Attempt to ascertain the order of his plays, Vol. I. MALONE.

2-me:] i. c. me, who am already on the watch, and have a right co demand the watch-word, STEEVENS.

N 4

Ber.

Ber. Long live the king 3!

Fran. Bernardo?

Ber. He.

Fran. You come most carefully upon your hour.

Ber. 'Tis now ftruck twelve; get thee to bed, Francifco.

Fran. For this relief, much thanks: 'tis bitter cold, And I am fick at heart.

Ber. Have you had quiet guard?

Fran. Not a mouse stirring.

Ber. Well, good night.

If you do meet Horatio and Marcellus,

The rivals of my watch+, bid them make haste.

3 Long live the king!] This fentence appears to have been the watch-word. MALONE.

4 The rivals of my watch,] Rivals, for partners. WARBURTON. So, in Antony and Cleopatra (the quotation is Mr. Steevens's) "Cæfar having made ufe of him in the wars against Pompey, prefently denied him rivality.”

Rival is conftantly ufed by Shakspeare for a partner or associate. In Bullokar's English Expofitor, 8vo. 1616, it is defined, "One that fueth for the fame thing with another;" and hence Shakspeare, with his ufual licence, always ufes it in the fenfe of one engaged in the fame employment or office with another. Competitor, which is explained by Bullokar by the very fame words which he has employed in the definition of rival, is in like manner (as Mr. Mason has observed,} always used by Shakspeare for associate. See Vol. I. p. 140, n. 7. Vol. II. p. 330, n. 7, Vol. IV. p. 90, n. 3, Vol. VI. p. 589, n. *, and Vol. VII. p. 455, n. 7.

Mr. Warner would read and point thus:

If you do meet Horatio, and Marcellus
The rival of my watch,-

because Horatio is a gentleman of no profeffion, and because, as he conceived, there was but one person on each watch. But there is no need of change. oratio is certainly not an officer, but Hamlet's fellow-ftudent at Wittenberg: but as he accompanied Marcellus and Bernardo on the watch from a motive of curiofity, our poet confiders him very properly as an affeciate with them. Horatio himself fays to Hamlet in a fubfequent fee,

66 - This to me

"In dreadfleecy impart they did,

“And I with them the third night kept the watch." MALONE.

Enter

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