The works of William Shakespeare Volume 11 - Tapa blanda

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1901 Excerpt: ...English version) tells, " Hoiv Hamlet, having slain his Uncle, and burnt his Palace, made an Oration to the Danes to shew them what he had done "; &c. The situation of Hamlet is almost identical with that of Brutus after he has dealt the blow, and the burden of Hamlet's too lengthy speech finds an echo in Brutus' sententious utterance. The verbose iteration of the Dane has been compressed to suit "the brief compendious manner of speech of the Lacedaemonians." % " When the war began he wrote unto the Pergamenians in this sort: 'I understand you have given Dolabella money; if you have done so willingly, you confess you have offended me; if against your wills, shew it then by giving me willingly.' Another time again unto the Samians: 'Your councils be long, your doings be slow, consider the end'" Life of Brutus). t Similarly, no direct source for Antony's speech to the citizens (III. ii.) is to be found in Plutarch. It is just possible that a few bare hints were derived from Appian's History of the Civil War, which had been translated, from Greek, into English before 1578. % I draw attention to the following sentences taken at random from the English translation (dated 1608), without entering into the question of Shakespeare's acquaintance with Belleforest in the original French vide Preface to Hamlet):--"If there be any among you, good people of Denmark, that as yet have fresh within your memories the wrong done to the valiant King Horvendile, let him not be moved, etc.... If there be any man that affecteth fidelity... let him not be ashamed beholding this massacre.... The hand that hath done this justice could not affect it by any other means.... And what mad man is he that delighteth more in the tyranny of Fengon than ...