James Hanoian

Citation preview

Probity Postponed

By James Hanoian

All Rights Reserved Copyright 2015

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise without the express written consent of the author.

1 NOTE: Fragments, run-on sentences, and comma splices at the beginning of the story are intended for revision exercises for students (see Appendix for more information).

Probity Postponed Part One The truth, layered under dusty sadness. And dusty sadness layered and wound in a gray misty guilt. Guilt1 intertwining with more guilt. Secrets hiding more secrets. If spoken, what? What difference now? After so many years, the damage done. After so many centuries, nothing to be done now. After so many tears, why reveal now? Horatio having dark secrets. Horatio keeping dark secrets. From whom? Hamlet, of course. Amongst others. But mostly secrets from Hamlet who told all to his dear friend.2 Yes, Hamlet trusted and told Horatio everything that the ghost said and Hamlet told him everything that was to be done Hamlet wanted Horatio to know everything he wanted Horatio to orate the story, the tale, the facts Hamlet knew he might need

1 2

Anadiplosis Paragraph of sentence fragments

2 Horatio later as a witness but it was more than that he valued his friend Horatio and revealed his deepest thoughts as one does with trusted friends Horatio, on the other hand, though he loved Hamlet did not love him enough to share deep hiding secrets.3 Many have wondered why Claudius gave Horatio the task of watching and protecting the troubled Ophelia, many have wondered how Horatio had such easy access to the court of Elsinore after Hamlet sailed for England, scholars search the text to why Queen Gertrude allowed Horatio to counsel her to speak to Ophelia, even at the funeral of Ophelia, Claudius chose Horatio to follow and console the distraught Prince Hamlet, Claudius gave these charges to Horatio and not to some other courtier, a more trusted courtier, perhaps the reason is that Claudius had cause to trust Horatio, perhaps, at least, Claudius believed he could trust Horatio, the truth may set some free but it bound Horatio with shackles of silence.4

3 4

Paragraph of run-on sentences Paragraph of comma splices

3 Horatio was born a few years after Hamlet. He was born in Germany, in the town of Wittenberg. But he issued forth from Danish parents. His father was royal. His mother was a woman of the Elsinore court. The secrets of his parents shaped Horatio. Their secrets sank deep into Horatio’s marrow. And their story climaxed during the early years of King Hamlet’s reign. King Hamlet and Queen Gertrude, beloved of the people, ruled Denmark during tumultuous times. Their neighbors warred over borders. And sometimes they warred for fun. This was especially true of their northern neighbors in Norway.5 To the Norsemen, Valhalla opened its doors to warriors, so war was a gateway to a great mead hall. Valhalla was no Christian heaven, for it was a place to prepare for even greater wars with the gods in the afterlife. The Norsemen longed to die in battle, and that fact haunted the people of Denmark. The Danes had decided to follow the religion of the Cross; they rejected the old religion. They did not believe in Valhalla and Odin;

5

Paragraph of simple sentences

4 therefore, they did not long to die in battle. But their neighbors did believe in the old ways, so this meant almost constant war.6 Fortunately, for the Danes, King Hamlet was a man who could plan battles. He also could lead men into battle since he was apparently fearless. This trait inspired the Danes to charge with abandon when their king, and his brother Prince Claudius, gave the order. Both these royal Danes would lead the Danish armies into battle which led to many victories. And victory meant that the spoils of war would enrich the royal coffers and the purses of the Danish soldier. It was during these early days of King Hamlet’s reign when he began his long career of fighting the Norsemen that he and his brother Prince Claudius won the hearts of the Danish people.7 In the early days of King Hamlet’s reign, grand feasts followed victorious battles, and in those days, when Claudius was young and fierce, he devoted himself to Denmark’s defense rather than the trivial nature of politics. At one such celebration,

6 7

Paragraph of compound sentences Paragraph of complex sentences

5 when Claudius stood upon a pine table and regaled the jubilant guests of the Danes’ triumph, the emblazoned fir logs in the fireplace made his eyes dance, and he shared his admiration for his brother. “All you Danes,” he said, “drink to your king, my brother, who bravely led the winning charge with me at his side, and drink to your king’s long life.” They poured the mead down, and King Hamlet, who smiled warmly at his younger and beloved brother, also jumped upon the table. He clasped his brother by the arm, and King Hamlet roared, “Drink hardy my friends when my brother commands you.” The Danish warriors laughed with delight as their king commanded them to crown their gaiety with mead, and they happily complied. As King Hamlet also guzzled more mead, he slapped his brother Claudius on the back, and they both hollered out, “Drink valiant warriors!” While the mead continued to flow, the king continued to speak: “My heart swells with pride for your acts of courage, and I toast you all.”8 As swills of mead were swirled down the gullets of the men, the warriors were regaled by Prince Claudius with words

8

Paragraph of compound-complex sentences

6 that would make him even more beloved by remembering the deeds of so many brave men. “Beghel,” whose name was shouted out by Prince Claudius, “a path through the fearsome foes was made by you with your great axe. It was a beautiful sight. And Esgerth, you are saluted. Warriors, a cur about to behead the king was beheaded by Esgerth. Your young son Voltemand will be told this tale. And to you my old friends Farthin and Cornelius the Elder delight will be invited into your children’s hearts when your acts of bravery are sung. I am doubtless that your sons are being raised to be good fighting Danes.” Then, before the goblet held by Claudius was raised, a libation in memory of the old religion of Odin and Thor was poured out onto the floor. Some of the old ways were still kept deep in the heart of Claudius.9 Later that night, when the fire’s burning embers sank into asphyxiation by the ashes of its former self; when the mead, ale, and wine quieted the valiant men; when the king and queen, the barons, and the servants withdrew to their chambers; and when

9

Paragraph of passive voice

7 the time had long passed that baby Hamlet and Yorick had retired, Claudius, in the privacy of his bedchamber, and a young man named Thrugot, an aspiring apothecary, discussed his recent journey to the East.10 “Tell me more of these exotics,” said Claudius as he warmed his hands by the fire and as he excited his heart with more mead.11 “The weather is almost always hot and very dry. But with a little water, a paradise blooms with plums and apricots and pomegranates. It is a place with magic and with mystery,” said Thrugot who stretched his feet close to the fire and waved his arms to describe the magical realm. He was a frail looking man but under his wool cloak was a sinewy, lean body that could withstand hardship. His eyes were blue with a hint of weasel in them. His hands were small, not those which could wield a sword well. His cloak had a hood which he preferred to keep atop his head of long golden hair, both of which he used to hide his eyes.

10 11

Sentence with embedded lists using semi-colons and commas as separators Paragraph of parallel structure examples

8 “But what of the secrets I have heard?” “About their women?” “Well, of course, but I was thinking more on magic potions and secret mixtures.” “Of that I know some. But I hope to know more. The people there have potent elixirs that can make a person levitate.” “No!” “Yes, ‘tis true, from what I hear. Potions that can raise the dead or raze the living.”12 “Where can you find that?” “In the East. All in the East. Places few Danes have roamed. Places where silk flows from trees and is softer than the sable of the Fins.” “You must learn more about this place. “The East is where magic inhabits the forests like the fox fills our woodlands here in Denmark.” “You must learn more about its magic.”13

12 13

Pun (word play) Dialogue, punctuated traditionally

9 “From your mouth to the ears in Valhalla.” Claudius understood that Thrugot was of the old religion, not a convert of the monks. “I want to return to Turkish lands and to the Barbary sects where I can learn of these things. But … money, m’lord, is needed to travel and live abroad. And it could take many years,” finished Thrugot. “But you would return with your secrets?” “Of course. A man always longs for home. There is no pickled herring in those parts, and I so love pickled herring.” Claudius leaned back from the blaze and began to calculate the worth of his recent plunder in order to send this young budding apothecary on a long mission to the near East. The secret potions for love and death should be brought to Denmark. “I might even share some of them with my brother,” he mused,14 innocently, as a most loyal and young prince and brother to King Hamlet. The young apothecary sensed it was best to cast a spell of few words and slip unnoticed from the room to let the prince

14

Ironic – Claudius uses poison to kill King Hamlet

10 ponder on the wonders he might be able to divine by taking the role of benefactor and investor. As Thrugot left the room, he never saw Lady Asfrid in the shadows of the darkened hallway. She slipped through Claudius’s open door and bravely, though quietly, approached him. Silently, she sat down. He glanced up and eyed her coldly. She ignored the tenor of his welcome. Instead, she reached over and slid her hands slowly around his brass goblet of mead and drew it to her lips, and she took a long, slow sip of the warming brew. Their eyes locked on each other, both of them sensed a critical moment had begun.15 “It’s yours and it’s a boy.” “You cannot know that.” “I do know that it is yours.” “I mean about it being a boy?” “The child kicks like a boy, I am told. It is my first, but I feel movement like a child who would rather play with swords than with dolls.”

15

Paragraph of active voice

11 Claudius smiled thinly. The belief of the baby being a boy pleased him.16 But he also knew of the dangers at court. “I plan to marry, someday. I plan on having a son with my wife. That will not be you. I will not give this child, boy or girl, my name.” “He will be your son. He will be royal. He will have a claim for the throne. At least the Ting will have choices when that day comes.” “Those words alone can make a good man like my brother, King Hamlet, think dire thoughts concerning you and the baby, and most of all me since our baby could threaten his infant son’s succession. No king wants competition for his son’s right to the throne.” “Your son -- King. How can you not want that?” Outside Claudius’ bed-chamber, the guards were heard passing by, their swords scraping against the stone walls and the hard soles of their boots stomping in unison upon the gloomy stone castle floor. A

16

Alliteration

12 cold wind blew into the chamber, enlivening the fire. But soon, a gust of gray smoke wafted throughout the room. “No unwed maiden shall entrap and ensnare me, a prince, loyal to his king.” Like a chiaroscuro painting, the fire’s bright blaze bounced off his eyes and grin but much of his head and torso was obscured in darkness. Lady Asfrid knew that Claudius was fearless in battle but cautious in the castle. He made his life simple by always backing his brother. As a young man in his green and salad days, he preferred combat over court intrigues. Of course, he would not always be young. “I should be the one who speaks of being trapped and snared. You played the fowler with me. You hooded my eyes like one of your hawks.”17 “You hooded your own eyes since you knew that we could never wed. I must marry a royal from another kingdom if I am to be any measure of a man. I can never be king here, so only through a wife might I gain a crown.”18

17 18

Metaphor Ironic considering the plot of Hamlet

13 “The unfortunate kingdom that would have you as its king. Outwardly, so brave. But inwardly, a moral coward.” Seeing Claudius’ thin, beady eyes, she felt that she may have ventured too far. “Here,” she continued valiantly, grabbing her belly, “is what concerns me. But you deny me and him because I have neither power nor riches. Maybe I misjudged the king. Maybe he will have more interest in his nephew than his own father does.” Claudius rushed toward her. His calloused hand grabbed her neck and jerked her to her feet. “The king will hear nothing of this child. Do you understand? Do you? Do not defy me. The forests are filled with the bodies of people who have defied princes. Do you want to die knowing your child will be dinner for wolves?” “You wouldn’t dare. God’s fury would be upon you.” “Then I would kneel and beg forgiveness or, at least, discuss the nature of forgiveness with the Almighty.19 Then again, perhaps the old gods are true. They might even reward

19

Ironic and foreshadowing considering Hamlet Act III

14 me. But the deed, your death, would be done. Never in this world to be undone. Doubt me not!” He tightened his grip on her as if he meant to end her life at that moment. Lady Asfrid stopped struggling, going almost limp in the clasp about her neck. Her complete submission made him release his death-grip, and she dropped into a chair. “You will leave this kingdom.” He saw the fear on her face. “Yes, but where? Where?” He thought a moment. “I know a woman, or knew her,20 as you might say, in Wittenberg, Germany. You will go there. And there you will live. If you obey me, then I shall send a small pittance so that you and the child may eat and have shelter. Perhaps even an education for the boy. If it is one. But you will never return to Elsinore.” Lady Asfrid trembled. She asked to stay in Elsinore until the baby was born. Claudius refused. She was to leave in two days, before the first snowfall, which would make travel to Wittenberg almost impossible. Then he wrenched her by the wrist, led her out into the hallway, and slammed the thick oak

20

Biblical reference to coitus

15 door. Lady Asfrid leaned against the cold castle wall and slid to the floor.21 One terror had passed, yet a new one was upon her. So Lady Asfrid, banished to Wittenberg, bore and raised her son, Horatio, as a young Dane in a German town. He knew of his father since his mother withheld nothing. But the poor beautiful Lady Asfrid eventually succumbed to the physical and psychological affects of banishment, not just from the court of Elsinore, but from her home and family in Denmark. The hardships of subsistence living weighed her down, also. As Horatio grew up, she became more and more embittered, then withdrawn, then physically sick. She finally faced an early grave. Horatio, then barely a teen, was kept at school, his needs met by surreptitious means. But Horatio always understood that he lived by the hand of his father, Prince Claudius. He also knew that his mother withered and died indirectly by the hand of the same selfish, cruel man. This truth festered and blistered his soul.

21

Two sentences with obvious parallel structure

16 Part Two Horatio first met his cousin Hamlet when the prince came to Wittenberg to study. Horatio was always prone to wear a gray tunic which matched his gray-green eyes and his serious, somber manner. Hamlet, on the other hand, nearly always sported a collarless white shirt and a dashing red sash as bright as his magnetic smile. They made an odd pair. From the first overcast, sunless day when the cousins met, the secrets began because Horatio knew the kindred bond which he never mentioned to his unsuspecting cousin Hamlet. Every man has his faults, and when it came to Hamlet, Horatio knew honesty would be his.22 Something held him back from telling Hamlet of their kinship. Yet, as by some unseen force or by the genetic attraction of likeness, the two cousins were drawn to each other over the years of study in Wittenberg. Through Hamlet, Horatio learned of the Elsinore court. He almost felt as if he, too, knew Ophelia and Queen Gertrude. And, of course, he never tired of hearing tidbits of information on Prince Claudius, whom he hated with a passion

22

Allusion to Timon of Athens

17 but whom he had an insatiable desire to hear about, and, of course, it was Prince Claudius who paid for his education, his food, and his clothes, simple and drab as they may be.23 Then one day, as Horatio and Hamlet studied Boethius and the nature of evil, the news came. Hamlet sprang like a comet crossing the black night,24 to grab his gear, a sword, and a purse of small coin. He had no time for tears. Ahead of him was a long journey. He must ride to Elsinore for the fugacious funeral of his father. Horatio held the reins of Hamlet’s horse as he jumped into the saddle. “Denmark’s crowned Dane breathes no more. The salted flow from my eyes I must control. I must console my poor lost mother who will surely need a hand to hold. She has no one else but me and must be near to death with misery.”25 “Hurry, my friend. I will soon follow,” replied Horatio.

23

Use of “whom” and “who.” Discuss the cliché “with a passion” and whether one can end a clause or a sentence with a preposition (“about”). Perhaps one should write “about whom he had an insatiable desire to hear” even though it sounds stilted. 24 Simile 25 Irony

18 “Good. I will need your counsel since the Ting26 will surely meet,” said Hamlet before his horse shot forward like lightning had hit its hoof.27 Horatio arrived barely in time for the funeral of King Hamlet. The procession, which followed the custom of the Danes, was solemn and respectful.28 The public affection that was observed between Claudius and the grieving queen appeared appropriate.29 She leaned on him like sister to brother. They marched to the gravesite in a graceful manner. The queen’s eyes flowed tears as Claudius’ eyes darted over and through the crowd. The warrior was always on the look-out, and he found someone of interest, Horatio. His dark eyes fell on the young man with the gray-green eyes. Though not a wise man, Claudius had sharp instincts. He leaned toward the old man next to him, whom Horatio found out later was Polonius. And Claudius

26

“Ting” or “Thing” was the group of Danish noblemen who would vote to choose a king at a meeting place called the Thingstead. This was an old practice of several Germanic and Scandinavian countries. 27 From the beginning to here is considered “backstory.” 28 Non-essential element set apart by commas 29 Essential elements, such as a clause beginning with “that,” are not set apart by commas.

19 inquired about the young man. Horatio soon slipped out of sight and found refuge with a relative of whom his mother had often spoken, her older cousin Asmund. Fortunately, Asmund took a serious interest in young Horatio since he knew of Lady Asfrid’s banishment and the reason for it. Since he was given adequate quarters on the far wall of the castle, Asmund, a scribe to the court of Elsinore,30 was happy to welcome Horatio. The day after the funeral, Horatio and Asmund took a walk along the ocean’s edge. Peering over the rugged cliffs, the two men overlooked the fuming, swirling sea below them. Above them, the sky was a tumultuous gray, and the wind blew into their faces.31 Asmund said, “Be ready for some disturbing news.” “What news?” asked Horatio. The old kin leaned upon his staff. “The Ting will meet to choose a king.” “Young Hamlet, I suppose.”

30 31

Appositive Paragraph of introductory elements

20 “Most voices will sing his name in honor of his father. But something will stir and cause a few to doubt, then most to doubt. He will not get the crown.” “Why?” “Claudius. He eyes the crown. Hamlet has prepared his mind to rule but he hasn’t courted the court. A prince must woo the nobles like men woo dames. One cannot rule without the consent of the barons, the hertugs, and the greves. They know him not.” “They will readily know of him now that he is at court,” Horatio replied. “As I said, be ready for some news.” And that news came within days. Clandestine meetings and secret dealings with the noblemen combined with a fear of attack by Norway led to quick resolution of succession. Hamlet, sunk in a bog of misery at the death of his father, was enervated and could not fight for his claim for the crown. His mother, surprisingly, at least as perceived then, did little to encourage her son to make a claim for royal crown. She almost encouraged

21 lethargy for the moment it seemed. But Prince Claudius had transitioned from mighty warrior to shrewd castle plotter over the years. Depressed, Prince Hamlet was no match for the war hero Claudius who had fought gallantly alongside his brother King Hamlet many times and who was now a keen conniver of castle politics. So the Ting, after much deliberation and with some regret, made Claudius king of Denmark because, perhaps, they could trust him facing war or, perhaps, he doled out favors and gold coins. As king, Claudius lost no time at safe-guarding the country. Nightly patrols were ordered.32 Claudius assigned guards to station day and night the ramparts of Elsinore.33 The new king was certain to win the hearts of Denmark as he faced the Norwaymen’s threat with steadfast resiliency. As a warrior, King Claudius knew how to protect his land. As a politician, he knew that sending emissaries like Voltemand and Corenelius was a wise thing to do. Few knew the suggestion came from Hamlet

32 33

Sentence with passive voice Sentence with active voice

22 by way of his mother Gertrude. Also, Gertrude persuaded Hamlet to accept Claudius’s ascendancy to the throne since he was an aging man who has made it clear that Hamlet would be the next king. That was part of his deal with the barons. Hamlet would be king if he waited. The prince grudgingly acquiesced and accepted his fate. Soon Hamlet’s heart became a turbulent sea and his mind clouded with mad dark clouds. For, mere weeks after the death of King Hamlet, Gertrude married Claudius and shed a mourning dress for a bridal gown. Many barons were shocked; the Elsinore clergy, whispering Mosaic Law34, found few listeners amongst the newly converted Viking Danes who cared little who married whom. But Prince Hamlet fell into even deeper gloom. The marriage ceremony, simple and unpretentious with a priest known for seeking royal favors, was held in a small chapel within

34

Leviticus 20:21: “If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.” Deuteronomy 25:5: “If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her.” Queen Elizabeth’s father had married his brother’s wife whom he eventually divorced to marry Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boleyn, potentially making this an issue for the censors of Shakespeare’s day.

23 the castle. It was followed with a modest meal of cold meats and hot mead. Prince Hamlet refused to attend. He brooded in his private chambers where he saw no one. The incestuous marriage was, up to that moment, the unkindest cut of them all.35 Was all the good, all the love that his father, first husband to Gertrude, had shone now forgotten, interred with his bones?36 After the ghost appeared, after the players played, after Polonius died, and after Hamlet sailed to England,37 Horatio began to see an opportunity for his keenest desire: the death of King Claudius. Apparently, Hamlet had missed his chance. Now, Horatio must avenge his mother and King Hamlet. Parricide be damned! Opportunities abounded since now Horatio was a courtier of Elsinore. As Hamlet’s friend, his welcome was uncontested by the guards. And everyone sensed that King Claudius had, inexplicably, a special regard for the young scholarly philosopher. Since Polonius was dead, the king needed a person

35

Allusion to Julius Caesar Ibid. 37 Parallel structure 36

24 to, if not counsel him, listen and respond to the king’s ideas. It was apparent that Horatio was being groomed for just such a position. Soon after Hamlet had sailed for England, Claudius ordered the young scholar to his closet chamber one afternoon. The day was cool but the sun cut shafts of light through the small glassless windows. The king sat at his table with his feet resting on a pine chest which had a leather belt with a walrus-tooth buckle draped over it. When Horatio was escorted by a guard into the room, Claudius straightened his crown to a more regal position atop his head. In an obsequious bow, Horatio hid his contempt for the king who ordered the guard to close the door but to remain close by. It was a natural precaution, given the tenuous state of his crowning. Feigning respect, Horatio waited for Claudius’s command. He swiped a tart apple from the table, tossed it to Horatio, and then charged the young scholar to sit. He eyed Horatio for a while before speaking in a low, conspiratorial voice. “Do you know who I am?” the king asked. “Yes, my lord. The king.”

25 He grinned like a snake.38 “The wise know when to say little and listen more. Are you wise?” “One’s wisdom is best judged by others, not by oneself.” “Again I ask, do you know who I am?” “I do. You are Denmark, the king. And more.”39 Horatio took a bite of the apple to subtly display a tacit intimacy. The king smirked, showing he understood full well Horatio’s subtle gesture. Then he quickly stood and paced about the room as he talked. “Since the unfortunate death of Polonius, my chief counselor, I am in need of some wise man to ascend to his position.” Horatio now sensed the nature of this meeting. “This wise, perhaps young, man must be politic in speech and actions. Denmark must be his utmost concern. He must serve Denmark like a son would serve his father. Would you know of such a man?”

38 39

Simile Dilogy

26 Horatio’s heart smiled the Northern Lights whose vibrant colors shot a wild, unpredictable beaming joy through every vein and artery of the young man. The power of the lights electrified his brain with hope, the hope of an eternal darkness for the king.40 Horatio thought, “Yes, king, father, draw me close, close enough for me to draw my blade.” Then the electric lights shocked him for a moment. Just for a trice, the lights stung him with a flash of thought-executing electric fires at the awesome and fearsome act of killing kin, the king, Claudius.41 Horatio bit of the apple, the given fruit, and, as its tart juices swilled over his tongue, he feigned delight at the sour taste and gave the king a smile. Claudius nodded proudly, having apparently wooed his bastard son into his treacherous, deceitful, and murderous camp. Then he handed Horatio a few legal parchments and asked that he read them and report his thoughts, at which he left the king’s presence. Horatio had become the new Polonius, the

40 41

Metaphor and extended metaphor Extended metaphor, allusion to King Lear, and alliteration

27 chief counselor, and he had free rein to move about the castle unquestioned. Ironically, Polonius’s oft spoken words “Give thy thoughts no tongue” helped Horatio gain the office (one that he did not plan to hold for long). The next night, when only a sliver of the moon hung in the sky, Horatio wrapped a couple of the parchments the king had given him, slipped a knife in his boot, and quietly walked toward the royal bedchamber. The flame of the torch reflected off the helmet of a napping guard. Stealthily, Horatio moved to the king’s door. The guard smelled of mead. He moved not a mite, so Horatio slowly opened up the door and stepped in. The king was sprawled across a rug by the fireplace. He mumbled to himself, obviously nearly as drunk as his guard. Softly, Horatio whispered, “Your Majesty?” He looked up. “What? Who is it?” “Horatio.” “My boy,” Horatio heard him whisper. “Come here. Drink.” He tried to lift the flagon of mead but was not able.

28 “I have read the parchments that you gave to me early yesterday and made my emendations.” He looked up at Horatio with blurry, galléd eyes. “So soon? You are quick and good with writing. Like your mother.” The last words slipped from his drunken state. “Drink!” he roared. He feebly pointed to the flagon. And Horatio approached. “Sit” the king ordered, and the young scholar did, but he did not drink. He had other plans. The king rolled onto his back, and Horatio placed the parchments on the tray with the mead. “I sleep alone . . . again . . . she refuses to . . . . Hamlet has turned her . . . . I’m sure of it.” Claudius’s weeping words poured from his mouth. “Oh Horatio, I tell you my queen… she is a woman who must be wooed and won. She is a woman who must be loved. But I have lost her now.42 Her son… too much in the sun! Well, I’ve put him in the shade.43 Do it, England!” “Have more mead, my lord,” Horatio whispered and filled his goblet. The young man bent down and lifted the king,

42

Allusion to Titus Andronicus Play on words. A “shade” in Greek mythology is the spirit left of a person in the afterlife. 43

29 holding him steady in a sitting position and handed him his drink. He guzzled the brew like a peasant. And Horatio poured him more. He quaffed the mead greedily and then dropped the goblet and collapsed in a heap, heavily upon Horatio. Claudius’s rank body against Horatio was a moist heat. The smell of him was remotely familiar. Horatio poked and prodded to make sure the king was completely unconscious. The smell of Claudius reeked worse than the rotting fens, a stench that Horatio hated more than that of unburied men that could corrupt his, or anyone’s, air.44 Sliding out from underneath him, Horatio looked to the door. He listened without breathing. He heard nothing. Then he looked down at the heap of unkingly flesh. The crowned drunk. The murderer of the true king. The indirect but very real killer of Horatio’s mother. He slipped the bare bodkin from his boot. “Justice demands this action,” thought Horatio. He clutched the dagger in his hand. This was no dagger of the mind. For so many years he dreamed this fatal vision, this fatal moment for the

44

Allusion to Coriolanus

30 king.45 He lifted the knife above his head. His hand shook. Tears mixed with sweat rilled his cheeks. His chin quivered as he tried to conjure up the resolve to plunge the blade deep into King Claudius’s chest. The dagger would not plunge. Instead, it hung longer than Pyrrhus’s sword. Then Horatio faced a truth. He could crack a book but he could not crack a life. Parricide calls for more than merely selfrighteous indignation. It is hard to kill a parent, even the most disgusting. And it is hard to kill a king, no matter how deserving. “Justice on this level must not be merely a personal vendetta,” Horatio mused. “It needs the authority of the nation, or nobles, at least the prince.” He dropped the bodkin, hung his head close to the king’s, and felt no hate for him but only loathing for himself. No matter how much Horatio wanted the king, his father, dead, he could not bring himself to do it.

45

Allusion to Macbeth

31 Part Three The next day Horatio faced more challenges. Hamlet’s lovely maid Ophelia, distraught by the loss of her father, beat her heart and spoke madly of tricks and deceptions. She begged to speak with Queen Gertrude who feared seeing the girl would bring them both to mad tears at their separation from the prince. But Horatio in a quiet, clear voice of reason encouraged the queen to see Ophelia since her nonsensical talk might be used against the court by the common folk and by those who would do the Danish royals harm.46 Helping Ophelia and perhaps protecting the queen, even briefly, lifted Horatio’s spirits. These deeds, he knew, would gladden Hamlet’s heart. Upon Ophelia’s entrance to the throne room, all could see that she was in a pitiful state, her mind half gone with grief. She sang a ballad as if she were47 hardly aware of people present. After seeing the mental state of Ophelia, the king commanded

46 47

Hamlet Act IV, Scene 5 Subjunctive mood

32 that Horatio “Follow her close. Give her good watch, I pray you.”48 And this he did for a while. From the throne room, Horatio ran after the fervent Ophelia who wound her way through the castle with ease. Even in her nearly mind-blind state her feet knew the steps, the stones, the turns, the corridors, and the doorways which she had run since early childhood. Finally, she broke through a door into the inner garden within the main courtyard. The once bright day had slowly become overcast and on the sea a wall of fog floated with eventual certainty over all of Elsinore. Ophelia rushed to the garden’s edge. There she strolled into the king’s orchard, furtively glancing behind her though she seemed to take no notice of Horatio. She walked slowly now. Late spring gave hint to the apples that would appear in fall. What had begun would eventually come to fruition. Inevitability is certain. Ophelia swayed with the branches that she watched as they softly danced in the breeze. Horatio slowly walked to her side. She took his hand as she might her brother’s

48

Hamlet Act IV, Scene 5

33 and pressed it to her cheek. She flashed an uncatchable smile but her bright blue eyes turned dim almost to despair with a frighteningly perceptible look. She and Horatio stared deep into each other’s eyes for a long moment, and then she fell back as if she had seen a ghost, or worse. “What’s wrong, m’lady?” asked the stoic scholar. “I thought you were someone else for a moment. But I know you. The trusted friend. And my trusted friend, too.” “Thank you, m’lady.” Letting go his hand, she danced to a stone divan and sat on its arm. Horatio followed her. The couch, carved from granite, bordered the garden and the orchard, and on a bright day in the early afternoon it lay in the shade of the apple tree which bore the sourest fruit of the whole garden. Horatio was about to sit. “The pillows are gone, the cushions, too. But here the snake bit King Hamlet, for here is where he napped.” Horatio did not sit down. He moved around the stone sofa and stood behind it. He glanced at the windows of the

34 throne room to see if the snake that wore the crown might be watching. At that moment, Ophelia dashed into the garden, wild with flowers. She gently caressed the blooms, and she began to sing quietly to herself. Horatio kept his distance but watched. Her beauty stirred him as it would any man. But she looked at him with such a stormy eye that he felt mainly dismay for her troubled spirit. Horatio wondered how she might chart a course back to the solid ground of sanity, and the irony of her antic disposition, not put on, did not escape him. She sensed his fears and smiled mischievously. “The mad have powers, you know. They see what others do not. Freedom might be a kind of madness because it is easy to get lost. Do you like flowers? I do. I see six that I will pick. Seven is a holy number but I see only six stones.” “Stones?” Horatio asked. “Very serious stones. So six I pick, one for each grave stone. The violets are not here. The mad see, see? Maybe the violets are for me. But I do not think so. Rue more likely is for me. Put that on the tomb.”

35 “You have nothing to fear, m’lady. I am here to help you…to make sure nothing will happen to you. And nothing will if you stay by my side.” “Then I will pick flowers in safety even though I must first pick rue.” Then she darted through the garden. Rue was not hard to find. It seemed to be everywhere. “Oh you herb of grace,” she whispered as she snipped two stems. “Can you find rosemary?” she called out to Horatio. “I have forgotten where it is,” she giggled and skipped further into the garden. Soon she had also picked pansies, fennel, columbine, and daisies. Then she rested at a water trough that the gardeners used to water the plants. She stared at something in the water for a long time. Horatio looked and saw only water, nothing more. But something more did Ophelia seem to see. “Water is like fire, you know,” she said to Horatio. “And fire is like love letters. They can warm the heart or burn you badly. Therefore, water is like love letters. What is that called?” “A syllogism?”

36 “No! It’s a wild thought from a wild girl.” At that, she left the garden and ran into the dark hallway of the castle, up the spiral stairs, and back to the throne room. She burst into the room with Horatio close behind her. And so Ophelia sang “hey non nonny” and gave out flowers, saving some rue for herself. By then Laertes had burst into the throne room to confront the king, and when he saw his sister, he held back his tears. When she ran off, he stayed to conspire with the king since he assumed there would be time to help Ophelia. But Queen Gertrude followed her, as did others. Hesitating for a moment, Horatio thought it best to remain and be party to the king’s talk with Laertes, but he decided to follow the young maid as the king had previously commanded. So he hurried into the castle hallways to guard Ophelia. In an antechamber in the castle, Ophelia stopped and asked a servant for a glass of water. As she waited, the queen sat across the room and watched her son’s darling bride never-to-be. Horatio stood at the doorway, the threshold of the room, feeling relieved that the queen was also caring for Ophelia.

37 At that moment, from behind, a servant tapped him on the shoulder and he turned. The servant furtively waved Horatio away from the door. He looked back at Ophelia who seemed content to wait for her water in the presence of the queen. Then he stepped closer to the servant who whispered that there were sailors needing to see him. When the servant uttered “sailors,” he winced and shivered and rolled his eyes as if to say, “there’s something peculiar about these men and maybe even dangerous.” The intended affect only roused Horatio’s curiosity, and he ordered the servant to let them approach. The servant waved the two sailors into the anteroom. They both swaggered with a tough bravado, but part of their sway was caused by the rhythms of the sea soaking their minds. Both sported gold earring rings which they tried to hide with hair and hats. One carried three letters, and the other wore a cloak and sash to hide his numerous daggers. They moved to the darkest corner of the room, and Horatio followed, but he motioned for the servant to stay at a distance. “If you be Horatio, we got you news,” said the first sailor.

38 “For you to follow us quickly,” said the second sailor. “That can’t be right. What if he follows quickly and we move slowly? Then he’ll overtake us and lead. But he knows not where the prince be. So, sir Horatio, by quickly, my friend here means immediately,” said the first sailor. “He’s a learned man, I hears, so he knows by ‘quickly’ I mean now,” said the second. “You don’t know what he knows” spat the first. “I know this: Hamlet waits for him. With impatience!” retorted the second Horatio looked to the room where Ophelia still sat waiting for her water. “I need to watch the prince’s beloved who is not well, so I am not sure I can leave at this moment.” Horatio took another look at the troubled young woman. Then the first sailor shoved a letter into Horatio’s hand. When Horatio opened it, the sailor pointed to one word. “I don’t read. But I know a word or two. And correct me if I am wrong. That word means ‘now.’” What he pointed to was the last word in the sentence “repair thou to me with as much

39 speed as thou wouldst fly death.” Horatio read the entire letter aloud, with special regard to “with as much speed as thou wouldst fly death.” He looked again into the other room at Ophelia, now calmly drinking her glass of water. She seemed safe in the presence of the queen. How safe Hamlet really was, was a question for Horatio. Torn at what to do, he decided to follow these “thieves of mercy” to the prince. As they hurried from the room, the first pirate mentioned that he had two more letters:49 one for the king and one for the queen. Horatio ordered the servant take the letters to the king.50 At the command of the letter, Horatio and the pirates rode to meet Hamlet as quickly as their steeds could carry them. By the next morning they had arrived at a sandy beach near Hundested where aristocrats and royals hunted seals. Hamlet was standing over the hot fire cooking the morning meal as Horatio appeared. The pirates had already disappeared into gloomy mist.

49

Colon used to precede a list Hamlet Act IV, Scene 7 (What was in the letter to Gertrude?) The text names a messenger, Claudio. Conflating the names, Claudius and Horatio, suggests that the Bard might have actually suspected the true relationship between the two men. 50

40 “Horatio! My good friend and counsel!” Hamlet embraced Horatio warmly. “Much there is to say, but you must sleep. We can talk and plan on our return to Elsinore when the moon is high in the sky.” So Horatio ate a meal with his friend and settled down for a rest after riding all night. Hamlet used the day to walk along the shore of Hundested and contemplate the death of Claudius, Gertrude’s fate, the future of Laertes, and the plans he will make on how to rule Denmark.51 That night in the full moon, Horatio and Hamlet rode their horses back to Elsinore where they arrived in the morning. Their first stop was the cemetery where the old sexton was digging a grave. Around dawn, with an ashen sky above, the two men, Horatio and Hamlet, walked unarmed to the cemetery which lay in the gray shadow of Elsinore castle. Hamlet joked with the grave-digger and mused over the sullied skull of Yorick. Then came the somber funeral procession. Horatio’s heart twisted in pain as Hamlet and Horatio heard Ophelia had drowned with no

51

Written without parallel structure

41 one to pull her, even force her, from the deadly waters. He fell to one knee, crushing Yorick’s skull which had been flung his way behind the hedge. A flood of dread filled his body and soul. He hooded his head to hide his trembling lips. He then sunk to both knees. Somehow he sensed that her death might be connected to his charge to watch her which he had failed to do. The very thought washed through his veins like cold poison. He could hardly breathe. The events of the previous day spun in his memory. Could he have prevented something happening to Ophelia if he had just watched her as the king commanded? Should he have watched her even after the letters came? Did he give up watching her too soon? Of course, he said nothing to his cousin. The questions stabbed his conscience. But why heap more pain upon the prince? The nature of the bad news would infect the hearer as well as the teller.52 So he silently followed Hamlet to the brief burial ceremony. After Hamlet and Laertes’s fierce fight that morning in and around the grave, King Claudius again gave Horatio, his

52

Allusion to Antony and Cleopatra

42 counselor, an order, a duty: “Wait upon Hamlet, Horatio,” said the king.53 This time Horatio pledged not to leave his cousin’s side. He would be a doctor’s leech even, perhaps, if it pained the patience of the prince.54 But the die had been cast. It was too late to save the young prince. The plot against him had been set in motion like a rock tumbling down a hill. It would soon come to a dead stop. The rest, as is said, is history. The sword match between Hamlet and Laertes began as the sun brighted55 Elsinore. Their duel took place in the Great Hall, the throne room, where Hamlet the Dane stared out the window to the orchard, to the granite divan in the shade of the apple tree where King Hamlet had, months before, napped to death. As Hamlet and Laertes chose swords, the king and queen sat together on a bench where they could watch the ill-fated duel. The vile goblet was set nearby on a table. By the time Hamlet lay dying, a gray cloud blocked the sun and cool air befell

53

Hamlet Act V, Scene 1 Metaphor and alliteration 55 Playing with language 54

43 Elsinore. Hamlet rested in his friend’s lap and looked upon his almost kingdom, almost castle, almost court. The anguished sight of his dead mother made him turn. He saw the moribund eyes of Claudius and something else, something that would have been disturbing if he was not with thoughts of death. Again he turned away and looked into the eyes of his friend, Horatio. In them, for an instant, Hamlet saw the eyes of Claudius. But rather than shudder with loathing, Hamlet accepted with wonder that which he would never understand. In his last moments, Hamlet repeatedly bade Horatio to tell the story of the ghost, of Hamlet’s feigned madness, of Claudius’s murderous villainy, and of Hamlet’s need for justice. Few heard stoic rationalist Horatio whisper, “Good night sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest” after the prince died. The parting was only sorrow, nothing sweet about it.56 His lips trembled to say more, to utter the whole truth. But Horatio failed even to whisper the truth to a corpse. A hot shame erupted in him and spread to every sinew. The inner pain built and built until Horatio could take it no more.

56

Allusion to Romeo and Juliet

44 Finally, he shouted, “I want to tell you…!” Horatio saw the eyes of the court upon him. He froze, dead like. But his heart cried out inside him, “Cousin, yes cousin, I failed you so. I could have, should have, killed the king myself. He murdered my parent, too. If only, I had done so. Cousin, friend, forgive me for not clinging to Ophelia like a servant. If only, I had watched her as the damned father-king had ordered. If only she had lived… And I your true kin, I hid the truth. You unfold all to me but all my truths were folded in secrecy. Forgive me, forgive me, forgive me.” No wonder the son of Claudius wanted to drink the last dregs of the deadly elixir. An ancient Roman wants to die because he has failed his lord or himself. And failed Horatio had. He hung his head; the hurt in his heart hunched him over. He had loved but not well, loved but not wisely.57 The last duty from the prince to tell his story, Horatio would obey and not fail. He resolved himself to that.

57

Allusion to Othello

45 So Horatio dedicated himself to fulfill this last call to duty. And through him the Bard learned of the tragedy of Hamlet, the prince of Denmark. How that happened, well, that is another story. And now the world knows the whole truth -- the other story-- the story of Horatio.

46 Appendix Exercises: 1. Make complete sentences from the sentences in paragraph one. 2. Punctuate the run on sentences in paragraph two. 3. Fix the comma splices in paragraph three. 4. Combine sentences in paragraph four. 5. Create subordinate clauses to give paragraph five sentence variety. 6. Rewrite the paragraph of passive sentences to active sentences. 7. Find other instances of parallel structure in the story. Find the sentence that is not parallel and rewrite it to make it parallel. (see footnote 51). 8. Practice the use of the commas after introductory elements. Discuss the use of commas with essential and non-essential elements. 9. Discuss the ironic moments. See footnotes marked irony. Are there other moments? 10. Discuss the allusions. Find the original lines in the plays by Shakespeare.

47 11. Practice writing the other devices like metaphor, extended metaphor, simile, appositive, and anadiplosis, etc. 12. Discuss ambiguity and its purpose in fiction versus in nonfiction. Discuss when one might purposefully use dilogy (see footnote 39).