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Horatio:'Twere to consider too curiously, to consider so.
Hamlet:No, faith, not a jot; but to follow him thither with
modesty enough, and likelihood to lead it: as
thus: Alexander died, Alexander was buried,
Alexander returneth into dust; the dust is earth; of
earth we make loam; and why of that loam, whereto he
was converted, might they not stop a beer-barrel?
Imperious Caesar, dead and turn'd to clay,
Might stop a hole to keep the wind away:
O, that that earth, which kept the world in awe,
Should patch a wall to expel the winter flaw!
But soft! but soft! aside: here comes the king.
Horatio, tell me something.
Translation
Original
Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow
of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath
borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how
abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims at
it.
Poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, he was very funny; he carried me on his back a thousand times; and now it is terrible he has turned into this! It makes my stomach turn
Translation
Original
I don't know how many times I've kissed your lips. Where are your taunts? Your running around playfully? Your songs? Your funny acts that made everyone laugh? There's no one left you can make smile. Are you sad about this? Now go to your lady's chamber and tell her that even if she puts an inch of make-up on, she'll still only end up looking like you. That will make her laugh
Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know
not how oft. Where be your gibes now? your
gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment,
that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one
now, to mock your own grinning? quite chap-fallen?
Now get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let
her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must
come; make her laugh at that.
HORATIO: If you were thinking that you thought to much
HAMLET: No, not at all you weren't. Just follow the logic step by step: Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returned to dust, the dust is dirt, and dirt makes mud we use to stop up holes. So why can’t someone plug a beer barrel with the dirt that used to be Alexander? The great emperor Caesar, dead and turned to clay, might plug up a hole to keep the wind away. Oh, to think that the same body that once ruled the world could now patch up a
wall! But quiet, be quiet a minute, here comes the king.
Horatio, tell me something
HORATIO: What do you need to tell me, my lord?
HAMLET: Do you think Alexander the Great looked like this
when he was buried?
HORATIO: Just like that
HAMLET: And smelled like this, Wow!
HORATIO: Just that bad, my lord
HAMLET: How low can we fall, Horatio. Isn’t it possible to
imagine that the noble ashes of Alexander the
Great could end up plugging a hole?
(Hamlet continues) Prithee, Horatio, tell me one thing.
Horatio:What's that, my lord?
Hamlet:Dost thou think Alexander looked o' this fashion i' the earth?
Horatio:E'en so.
Hamlet:And smelt so? Pah!
Horatio:E'en so, my lord.
Hamlet:To what base uses we may return, Horatio! Why may not imagination trace the noble dust of Alexander,
till he find it stopping a bung-hole?
So What Does That Mean??
More on Hamlet's Growth and Change
What does this tell us about Hamlet?
Hamlet's Maturity Throughout The Play
Characterization
Other Qualities of Hamlet Seen
Literary Devices Used
In this scene Shakespeare uses a heavy dose of imagery to help us visualize what it happening. He vividly explains Alexander the Greats burial; how he looked and how he smelled adding to the imagery of what it is like at the graveyard.
In our soliloquy we just cutoff the part involving the gravediggers by one line but they are an important part to this section, and add to the style of writing in Shakespeare. This time in the book is not the happiest. We are around a lot of death. However Shakespeare seems to add some irony to the situation. The gravediggers are around death the whole day however they seem to add some humor in the situation. " It was the very day that young Hamlet was born, he that is mad and sent into England." During this time when going through the graves, and very soon finding Yoricks skull, the gravedigger seems to add some humor because he said that right in Hamlets face.
Also when talking about Alexander, Hamlet refers to him as "dust" or dirt. This could be a metaphor for how everyone becomes one when they die, everyone is part of the earth and on the same level no matter who you were before. It's what you do in this life that matters because it wont change what happens in the next life. Alexander went from being a great leader to plugging "bung-holes."
Builds Up Suspense
This is an iconic scene in Hamlet. So what does it accomplish?
Disclaimer*
*This is not a traditional soliloquy, as it is not just Hamlet speaking, although it is mainly him, and it accomplishes the same purpose
Context
Horatio:'Twere to consider too curiously, to consider so.
Hamlet:No, faith, not a jot; but to follow him thither with
modesty enough, and likelihood to lead it: as
thus: Alexander died, Alexander was buried,
Alexander returneth into dust; the dust is earth; of
earth we make loam; and why of that loam, whereto he
was converted, might they not stop a beer-barrel?
Imperious Caesar, dead and turn'd to clay,
Might stop a hole to keep the wind away:
O, that that earth, which kept the world in awe,
Should patch a wall to expel the winter flaw!
But soft! but soft! aside: here comes the king.
Hamlet: Let me see.
*Takes the skull
Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow
of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath
borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how
abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims at
it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know
not how oft. Where be your gibes now? your
gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment,
that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one
now, to mock your own grinning? quite chap-fallen?
Now get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let
her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must
come; make her laugh at that. Prithee, Horatio, tell
me one thing.
Horatio:What's that, my lord?
Hamlet:Dost thou think Alexander looked o' this fashion i' the earth?
Horatio:E'en so.
Hamlet:And smelt so? Pah!
Horatio:E'en so, my lord.
Hamlet:To what base uses we may return, Horatio! Why may not imagination trace the noble dust of Alexander,
till he find it stopping a bung-hole?
So what? Why is this an important section of the play?
Sammy and Jonny
The End!