OBSERVATIONS. THE original story on which the play of HAMLET is built, may be found in Saxo Grammaticus, the Danish historian. From thence Belleforest adopted it in his collection of novels, in seven volumes, which he began in 1564, and continued to publish through fucceeding years. From this work, The Historye of Hamblett, quarto, bl. 1. was translated. 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 set down Hamlet, as a performance with which he was well acquainted, in the year 1598. His words are these: "The younger fort take much delight in Shakspeare's Venus and Adonis; but his Lucrece, and his tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmarke, have it in them to please the wiser sort, 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 Eaftrvard Hoe, by George Chapman, Ben Jonson, and John 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? The frequent allusions of contemporary authors to this play, sufficiently show its popularity. Thus, in Decker's Bel-man's Nightwalkes, 4to. 1612, we have-" But if any mad Hamlet, hearing this, smell villainie, and rush in by violence, to fee what the tawny diuels [gypsies] are dooing, then they excuse the fact" &c. Again, in an old collection of Satirical Poems, called The Night Raven, is this couplet: "I will not cry Hamlet Revenge my greeves, STAEVENS. Surely no fatire was intended in Eastward Hoe, which was acted at Shakspeare's own playhouse (Blackfriers) by the children of the revels, in 1605. MALONE. The following particulars relative to the date of this piece, are borrowed from Dr. Farmer's Effay on the Learning of Shakspeare, p. 85, 86, fecond edition: "Greene, in the Epistle prefixed to his Arcadia, hath a lash at some vaine glorious tragedians,' and very plainly at Shakspeare in particular. I leave all these to the mercy of their mothertongue, that feed on nought but the crums that fall from the tranflator's trencher. That could scarcely latinize their neck verse if they should have neede, yet English Seneca read by candlelight yeelds many good fentences-hee will afford you whole Hamlets, I should say, bandfuls of tragicall speeches.'-I cannot determine exactly when this Epiftle was first published; but, I fancy, it will carry the original Hamlet somewhat further back than we have hitherto done: and it may be observed, that the oldest copy now extant, is faid to be enlarged to almost as much againe as it was.' Gabriel Harvey printed, at the end of the year 1592, 'Foure Letters and certaine Sonnetts, especially touching Robert Greene: in one of which his Arcadia is mentioned. Now Nafb's Epistle must have been previous to these, as Gabriel is quoted in it with applause; and the Foure Letters were the beginning of a quarrel. Nash replied in Strange News of the intercepting certaine Let. ters, and a Convoy of Verses, as they were going privilie to victual the Low Countries, 1593.' Harvey rejoined the fame year in Pierce's Supererogation, or a new Praise of the old Affe.' And Nafb again, in Have with you to Saffron Walden, or Gabriell Harvey's Hunt is up; containing a full anfwer to the eldest fonne of the halter-maker, 1596." - Nash died before 16c6, as appears from an old comedy, called The Return from Parnaffus. STEEVENS. A play on the subject of Hamlet had been exhibited on the stage before the year 1589, of which Thomas Kyd was, I believe, the author. On that play, and on the bl. letter Historie of Hamblet, our poet, I conjecture, conftructed the tragedy before us. earliest edition of the profe-narrative which I have seen, was printed in 1608, but it undoubtedly was a republication. The Shakspeare's Hamlet was written, if my conjecture be well founded, in 1596. Sce An Attempt to afcertain the order of bis Plays. MALONE. PERSONS REPRESENTED. CLAUDIUS, King of Denmark. HAMLET, fon to the former, and nephew to the present, king. POLONIUS, Lord Chamberlain. HORATIO, friend to HAMLET. LAERTES, fon to POLONIUS. GERTRUDE, Queen of Denmark, and mother of HAMLET. OPHELIA, daughter of POLONIUS. Lords, Ladies, Officers, Soldiers, Players, Gravediggers, Sailors, Messengers, and other Attendants. SCENE. Elsinore. HAMLET. W ACT I. SCENE I. ELSINORE. A Platform before the Castle. Enter to him BERNARDO. HO's there? Bernardo. Fran. Nay, answer me: stand and unfold yourself. Ber. Long live the King! Fran. Bernardo? Ber. He. Fran. You come most carefully upon your hour. 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 hafte. Enter HORATIO and MARCELLUS. Fran. I think I hear them.----Stand, ho! Who is there? Hor. Friends to this ground. Mar. And liegemen to the Dane. Fran. Give you good night. Mar. O, farewell, honest soldier: Who hath reliev'd you ? Fran. Bernardo hath my place. Give you good night. Mar. Holla! Bernardo! Ber. Say, What is Horatio there? Hor. A piece of him. [Exit FRANCISCO. Ber. Welcome, Horatio: welcome, good Marcellus. Hor. What, has this thing appear'd again to-night? Ber. I have feen nothing. Mar. Horatio says, 'tis but our fantasy; And will not let belief take hold of him, Ber. Sit down awhile; And let us once again affail your ears, Hor. Well, fit we down, And let us hear Bernardo speak of this. When yon same star, that's westward from the Pole, The bell then beating one, Mar. Peace, break thee off; look where it comes again! Enter GHOST. Ber. In the same figure, like the King that's dead. Mar. |