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bursts of remorse are evoked by external happenings which
bring back to his mind that which he would so gladly forget; par-
ticularly effective in this respect are incidents that contrast
with his own conduct, as when the player is so moved over
the fate of Hecuba (Act II, Sc. 2), or when Fortinbras takes
the field and "finds quarrel in a straw when honour's at the
stake." (Act IV, Sc. 4.) On the former occasion, stung by
the "monstrous" way in which the player pours out his feel-
ing at the thought of Hecuba, he arraigns himself in words
which surely should effectually dispose of the view that he has
any doubt where his duty lies.
"What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba, That he should weep for her? What would he do, Had he the motive and the cue for passion That I have? He would drown the stage with tears, And cleave the general ear with horrid speech, Make mad the guilty and appal the free, Confound the ignorant, and amaze indeed The very faculties of eyes and ears. Yet I, A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak, Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,1 And can say nothing; no, not for a king, Upon whose property and most dear life A damn'd defeat was made. Am I a coward? Who calls me villain? breaks my pate across? Plucks off my beard, and blows it in my face? Tweaks me by the nose? gives me the lie i' the throat, As deep as to the lungs? who does me this? Ha! 'Swounds, I should take it: for it cannot be But I am pigeon-liver'd and lack gall To make oppression bitter, or ere this I should have fatted all the region kites With this slave's offal: bloody, bawdy villain! Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain! O, vengeance! Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave, That I, the son of a dear father murder'd, Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words, And fall a-cursing, like a very drab, A scullion!"
The readiness with which his guilty conscience is stirred into
activity is again evidenced on the second appearance of the
Ghost when Hamlet cries,
"Do you not come your tardy son to chide,
That, lapsed in time and passion, lets go by
The important acting of your dread command?
Oh, say!"
The Ghost at once confirms this misgiving by answering,
"Do not forget: this visitation
Is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose."
1How the very core of the problem is contained in these four words!
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