How is it, my lord?

erainbowdLeave a comment

It’s funny that this inquiry into Hamlet’s wound or his health or wellbeing or whatever “it” is here – is the same words as an inquiry into what someone might be eating.

Like, it would be funny if somehow Hamlet just started chomping down on an apple or whatever and Horatio asked him how it is.

“Well, Horatio – it’s a little bit tart and a little bit sweet. It’s kind of a perfect apple, don’t you know. You want a bite?”

But no. Instead – it’s an inquiry that’s will eventually lead to a death. Not quite like a tasty apple.

They bleed on both sides.

erainbowdLeave a comment

I wonder what this is meant to accomplish. I suppose they’re neither of them supposed to be bleeding so it is a problem.

Is it a point of order in the dueling regulations?

Is Horatio trying to intervene to help Hamlet?


Do either of the fighters look like they  want to keep fighting? I mean – moments ago, Hamlet seemed to want to keep going. Is Horatio trying to stop Hamlet from proceeding? Is he somehow the medic of the duel?

Look to the queen there, ho!

erainbowdLeave a comment

What IS Claudius doing in this moment?

Presumably, he’s near the queen and could call out for assistance before Osric. He has good reason not to draw anyone’s attention to the queen’s collapse but what is he doing? Caring for her? Standing frozen with terror that his whole scheme is crashing down around him?

Has he caught her? Is he trying to keep her quiet?

I mean – given what she ultimately says, he may be afraid she will out him. Would he try to cover her mouth, try to shhhhh hush her?

He could presumably try and keep her quiet for his own purposes and look as though he’s trying to quiet her for her health.

There’s a whole lot of talk about Osric being in on the king’s schemes but if he were fully in on it, would he be drawing everyone’s attention to the villainy in progress with the Queen? He might know some but he probably doesn’t know all.

They are incensed.

erainbowdLeave a comment

I was making some guesses where “incensed” comes from and I thought maybe it was connected to our senses – that it suggested a kind of loss of sense – related to sensibility – being insensible.

But I looked it up and it is related to fire. It’s earliest connection to Old French “encensen” which was to arouse or inspire and to Latin “incedere” to set on fire. Like something incendiary. So are Hamlet and Laertes burned up? Are they, not just furious, as it means now, but burning?

I’m not quite sure how Claudius means this. Is he just saying they’re mad? Separating fighters just for fury doesn’t seem quite right.

We know why they need to be separated – they’re fighting and drawing each other’s blood and killing each other, by the way.

But incensed is a curious word choice for Claudius.

Part them.

erainbowdLeave a comment

Claudius waits to do this. He could have stopped it as soon as Laertes stepped out of bounds and wounded Hamlet. But he doesn’t. He waits. And watches while the swords, get switched, knowing full well that the sword that is passing from Laertes to Hamlet is a murder weapon. He makes no move to save Laertes’ life. He’s probably thinking that a dead Laertes can tell no tales on him.

But I suspect his failure to prevent Laertes’ death is probably a big factor in Laertes deciding to confess.

I mean – the timing is malleable. The stage directions place this line after the mutual wounding – though certainly one could stage it so that he tries to stop it before the sword touches Laertes. That seems a little out of character for our politic villain, though.

He could also say it the way Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka says his, “Wait. Stop.” – that is, not very loud – and without conviction.

Have at you now.

erainbowdLeave a comment

I have seen many a Laertes who is playing this line throughout the whole scene – or the whole play, even. He’s fiery and ready to burst most of the time. But – a more interesting Laertes gets himself to this moment with lots of ups and downs. He may be fighting with himself for a good long while before he’s pushed to behaving this badly.

As much as we see Laertes break the rules (by staging a coup, breaking down doors, leaping into graves, etc) – he seems to have a strong sense of honor and this move is well outside the bounds of that. I think he’d need to feel pushed well past his own tolerance to make a move like this.

He probably has had to silence his conscience in a number of ways to step outside of the confines of the game this way.

And I feel like the crowd should know it, too. They need to have a response that suggests that Laertes has broken through rules and honor and codes to go after Hamlet in an aggressive out of bounds move.

Come on.

erainbowdLeave a comment

I can’t recall whether it was Mary Chapin Carpenter or Rosanne Cash – I think it was MCC – But she had this super sexy but also sad lulling song that went “Come on, come on.”

I don’t remember anything about it except the repeated refrain of “Come on, come on.” And some whispering.

“Come on” is an incredibly popular phrase for pop songs. If there were a theme for most pop songs it is, “Come on.” They should rename it Come On Music.

Say you so?

erainbowdLeave a comment

There is talk of Laertes being goaded into this third round of the duel. It is as if he has been successfully trash talked and Hamlet has made him mad. Mad enough to kill him. But “say you so” is not especially fraught. It is not necessarily an angry response. It could be said that way, for sure.

To me, it is equivalent to saying, “Oh yeah?”
Which could be a furious response to an insult or just an indication that we’re both playing the game.

And in this round – nothing happens. Laertes doesn’t hit Hamlet. Hamlet makes no contact with Laertes. This round is a bust.

The kill blow happens after the round is over.

I wonder if this round gives Laertes time to think. Is he still trying to decide what to do as he plays this round?

I feel like I’ve mostly seen it with an enraged Laertes, playing too aggressively to win because he’s trying so hard to kill Hamlet.

It’s a pretty standard way to play Laertes. But a thoughtful Laertes is also possible. Say you so? I say so.