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BLOOM, Harold. Hamlet, Poem Unlimited
BLOOM, Harold. Hamlet, Poem Unlimited
POEM UNLIMITED
ALSO BY HAROLD BLOOM
GENius: A MosAIC OF
SHAKESPEARE:
YEATS (1970)
HAROLD BLOOM
RIVERHEAD BooKs
a member of Penguin Putnam Inc.
N•w York
2003
Riverhead Books
a member of
Penguin Pumam Inc.
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
Bloom, Harold.
Hamiel: poem unlimited I Harold Bloom.
p. em.
ISBN •-57322-233-X
1. Shakespeare, William, Ij64-1616. Hamlet.
-PoLONIUS
CONTENTS
PREFACE I
ONE
INFERRING HAMLET 3
TWO
HORATIO 13
THREE
FOUR
TWO SOLILOQUIES 29
FIVE
OPHELIA 37
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
G ERTRUDE 57
NINE
CLAUDIUS 61
TEN
THE IMPOSTUME 67
ELEVEN
THE G RAVE-DIGGER 73
TWELVE
WONDER-WOUNDED HEARERS 77
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
WE DEFY AUGURY 85
FIFTEEN
LET IT BE 89
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
FORTINBRAS 105
NINETEEN
TWENTY
'
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
2
O NE
INFERRING HAMLET
The spirit does not speak of any love for his son, who
would appear to have been rather a neglected child.
When not bashing enemies, the late warrior-king kept
I NFE R R I NG H A M LE T
5
H ARO L D BL O O M
6
I N F ERR I N G H A M LET
7
H ARO L D BLO O M
8
I NFE R R I NG H A M L ET
9
H A RO L D BL O O M
[I.ii. 8J-8;]
Remember thee?
Ay, thou poor ghost, whiles memory holds a seat
In this distracted globe.
I 0
I N FE R R I N G H A M L E T
1 1
TWO
HORAT IO
14
H O R AT I O
I 5
H A R O L D BLO O M
I 6
H O RA TI O
1 7
H AROLD BLO O M
I 8
T H R E E
20
P L AYS W I TH I N P L AYS WITH IN PLAYS
2 1
H A RO L D BL O O M
"What players are they? " and is told, "Even those you
were wont to take such delight in, the tragedians of the
city." Manifestly, this is Shakespeare 's own company,
and Shakespeare 's audience would have been in on the
joke, as we cannot be now, without scholarly aid. The
best I know is Shakespeare and the Poets ' War (2001), by
James P. Bednarz. Rosencrantz, doubtless to the delight
of Hamlet's audience, overstresses the discomfiting of
Shakespeare and his company by Ben Jonson's Children
of the Chapel, with whom Jonson worked in I6oo-16o1 .
Hamlet, surprised that Shakespeare 's players have taken
the road to Elsinore, demands explanation from Rosen
crantz:
22
P L A YS WIT H I N P L A YS WI T H I N P L A YS
23
H ARO L D BLO O M
2 4
P L A YS W I T H IN PL A YS W I T H IN P L A YS
[II.ii. 448-6o]
25
H A R OLD BLO O M
26
P L A YS W I T H IN PL A YS WIT H I N P L A YS
27
F OUR
T WO S OLILOQUIES
Yet I,
A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak
Likejohn-a-dreams, unpregnant ofmy cause,
And can say nothing-no, notfor a king,
Upon whose property and most dear life
A damn 'd defeat was made. Am I a coward?
Who calls me villain, breaks my pate across,
Plucks offmy beard and hlows it in myface,
Tweaks me by the nose, gives me the lie i'th' throat
30
T WO S O L I L O QU IES
31
H ARO L D BL O O M
32
TWO S O L I L O QU I ES
33
HARO L D B L O O M
34
T W O S O L I L OQU I E S
35
H ARO L D BLO O M
36
FIVE
O P HELIA
38
OPH E L I A
39
H A R O L D B LO O M
40
O PHEL I A
41
HAROLD B LO O M
42
O PHEL I A
43
H A R O L D B L O O M
44
SIX
S HAKES PEARE
T O T HE PLAYERS
46
S H A KES PEA R E T O THE P L A YE R S
47
HAROLD B LO O M
48
SHA K E S P E A R E TO THE P LA Y E R S
49
SEVEN
THE MOUSETRAP:
52
TH E M O US E TR A P : C O N T R A R Y W I L L
53
H AROLD BLO O M
54
TH E M O US E TRA P : C O N T R A R Y WI L L
55
H A R O LD B LO O M
56
EIG H T
G ERT R U D E
58
G E RT R U D E
59
H A R O L D B LO O M
60
N INE
CLAU D I US
senger find him not there, seek him i'th ' other place
yourself But if indeed you find him not within this
62
C LA U D I U S
63
H A R O L D BLO O M
64
C L AU D I U S
65
T EN
T HE IM P OS T UME
68
T H E I M P O S T U M E
69
H ARO L D BLO O M
70
T H E I M P O S T U M E
7 1
E L EVEN
T HE G RA V E - D I G G ER
74
THE G R A V E - D I G G E R
75
H A R OLD B LO O M
HAMLET How long will a man lie i'th ' earth ere he rot?
GRAVE-DIGGER Faith, ifa be not rotten before a die
76
T W E LVE
WON D ER - WOUN D E D
HEARERS
78
W ON D E R - W OU N D E D H E A R E R S
79
H A R O LD B L O O M
80
T H I R T EEN
IN MY H EAR T
OF FI G H T IN G
HAMLET So much for this, sir. Now shall you see the
other.
You do rememher all the circumstances?
HORATIO Rememher it, my lord!
82
I N M Y H E A RT THE R E WAS A K I N D O F F I G H T I N G
83
F O U RT E EN
86
W E D E F Y A U G U R Y
87
H A R OL D B L OO M
88
F I FT E E N
LE T I T BE
I shall win at the odds. Thou wouldst not think how ill
all's here ahout my heart; hut it is no matter.
[V.ii.2o7-209 ]
90
L ET I T B E
9 1
S I X T EEN
A POT HEOS IS
AN D T RAG E D Y
94
A P OT H E O S I S A N D T R A G E D Y
95
H A R O L D B L O O M
96
A P OT H E O S I S A N D T R A G E D Y
97
S E V EN T E E N
HAMLET AN D
1 00
H A M L E T A N D T H E H I G H P LA C E S
I embrace itfreely,
And will this brother's wagerfranklyp/ay
[V.ii.2p-n]
I 0 I
H A R OLD B L O O M
1 02
H A M L E T A N D T H E H I G H P LA C E S
it. It is the place where even the most acute of all self
consciousnesses, Hamlet's, will lose the shadow of self
while continuing to expand as a consciousness. What
we have called Western Romanticism is the last embel
lishment of Hamlet 's great shadow, cast off to become a
thousand other selves.
I 03
EIG H T E E N
FORT IN B RAS
1 06
F ORT I N B R A S
1 07
N I N ET E E N
HA D I B UT T IM E -
0 , I COUL D T E LL YOU
I I 0
H A D I B U T T I M E - 0 , I C O U L D T E L L Y O U
I l l
H A R O LD B L O O M
I I 2
H A D I B U T T I M E - 0 , I C O U L D T E L L Y O U
1 1 3
H A R O L D B LO O M
1 1 4
H A D I B U T T I M E- 0 , I C O U L D T E L L Y O U
1 1 5
T WE N T Y
HAMLET S WAKE
118
'
A N N I H I LAT I O N : H A M L E T S WA K E
I 1 9
H A R O L D B L O O M
' Tis a quick lie, sir, 'twill away again from me to you.
[V.i. 1 28]
1 2 0
'
A N N I H I LAT I O N : H A M L ET S W A K E
1 21
T W EN T Y - O N E
T HE F US I ON OF HI G H
AN D PO P ULAR AR T
124
T H E F U S I O N O F H I G H A N D P O P U LA R A RT
1 25
H A R O L D B L O O M
1 26
T H E F U S I O N O F H I G H A N D P O P U LA R A RT
I 27
T W EN T Y - T W O
HA M L ET
AS T HE LIMIT
O F S TA G E D RAMA
1 30
HA M L E T A S T H E L I M I T O F S TA G E D R A M A
I 3I
H A R O L D B L O O M
A did comply with his dug before a sucked it. Thus has
he-and many more ofthe same bevy that I know the
dro�sy age dotes on--only got the tune ofthe time and,
1 32
HA M L E T A S T H E L I M I T O F S TA G E D R A M A
1 33
H A R O LD B LO O M
1 34
H A M L E T A S T H E LI M I T O f ST A G E D R A M A
I 35
H A R O L D B L O O M
I 36
T W EN TY - T H R E E
T HE EN D
OF OUR T I ME
I 38
T H E E N D OF OU R T I M E
1 39
H A R O L D B LO O M
1 40
T H E E N D O F O U R T I M E
1 41
H A R O L D B L O O M
1 42
TW EN TY - F O U R
T HE HERO OF
1 44
T H E H E R O O F C O N S C I O U S N E S S
145
H A R O L D B LO O M
I 46
T H E H E R O O F C O N S C I O U S N E S S
lences with us, but the prince alters and deepens them.
When he dies, our modified ambivalences, now set upon
him, ring the hero in an aura that is a kind of taboo.
Hamlet has bruised the limits for all of us in carrying out
his embassy of death. If we remain in a harsh world
where, with Horatio, we will draw our breath in pain, it
is because we are not yet ready to accept Hamlet 's judg
ment that the obliteration of consciousness is an ab
solute felicity. He departs before us, unforgettable as
disturbance and as icon.
1 47
T W EN T Y - F IVE
HA M L E T
AN D NO EN D
1 50
H A M L E T A N D N O E N D
I 5 I
HARO L D BLO O M
! 52
HA M L E T A N D N O E N D
1 53
H A R O L D B LO O M
I 54