Prince
Fortinbras of Norway appears shortly in the middle of the play and at the end
just after the death of Hamlet, who claims that Fortinbras has his “dying
voice.” The play does not tell why Hamlet favors Fortinbras to be the king of Denmark.
The two never meet.
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| https://i.imgur.com/1nvc3Vx.png |
Fortinbras can be a perfect anagram of a-firstborn, and sounds like fault-in-brass. Rumored that Queen Elizabeth and Robert Dudley had an illegitimate, who was their firstborn and a fault in brass. The rumor itself may not be a fact, but can explain lines in this scene reflecting the rumor.
As early as April 1559 De Feria, the Spanish
ambassador, declared that it was useless to discuss (as Philip II wished) the
queen’s union with the Archduke Charles, seeing that Elizabeth and Dudley were acknowledged lovers.
. .
.
Whatever were the queen’s relations with Dudley
before his wife’s death, they became closer after it. It was reported that she
was formally betrothed to him, that she had secretly married him in Lord
Pembroke’s house, and that she was ‘a mother already’ (January
1560-1). — Dictionary of National Biography
Record
of Francis Bacon’s birth is set to 22 January 1561.
Fortinbras
can spell Francis Bacon except letter c, which is mended in Hamlet’s
voice or election in “I do prophesy the election lights on Fortinbras,
he hath my dying voice.”
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| https://i.imgur.com/ltMnsNV.png |
Before Fortinbras passing over Denmark’s land, he asks his captain to inform the Danish King. Letter C is repeated in license, claims and conveyance. Francis Bacon had the “license” from the King. The line “promised March over his Kingdom” can spell Mary Sidney’s Shakespeare, her kingdom in the drama world.
Fortinbras.
[Act 4, Scene 3]
Go Captain,
from me greet the Danish King,
Tell
him that by his license,
Fortinbras
Claims the conveyance
of a promised March
Over
his Kingdom.
You know the Rendezvous:
If
that his Majesty would ought with us,
We
shall express our duty in his eye,
And
let him know so.
The 1603
quarto has no “promised March”:
Fortenbrasse.
Captaine,
from vs goe greete
The
king of Denmarke:
Tell
him that Fortenbrasse nephew to old Norway,
Craues
a free passe and conduct ouer his land,
According
to the Articles agreed on:
You
know our Randevous, goe march away.
The literary
venture of Shakespeare was created by Mary Sidney and the Herbert family. Mary Sidney
planned to retire and pass Shakespeare to Francis Bacon, probably due to the death
of Queen Elizabeth who gave silent permission to Shakespeare. The Queen died on
24 March 1603; the 1603 quarto was published in autumn. The Herbert family
sustained Shakespeare after Mary Sidney’s death. Wilton House erected a statue in
1743 to mark the ending of Shakespeare’s venture.
The sentinel Francisco is not included in the 1603 quarto. It’s added in the 1605 quarto and
1623 folio. Similar to Fortinbras, Francisco can spell Francis Bacon with just one
additional letter B.
Dialogue
Hamlet
is dying. Horatio wants to go with him. Hamlet stops Horatio for he needs Horatio
to tell his story to the world.
Hamlet.
[Act 5, Scene 2]
As
thou art a man, give me the Cup.
Let
go, by Heaven I’ll have it.
Oh,
good Horatio, what a wounded name,
(Things
standing thus unknown) shall live behind me.
If
thou did’st ever hold me in thy heart,
Absent
thee from felicity awhile,
And
in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain,
To
tell my Story. [March afar off, and shout within.]
What
warlike noise is this?
[Enter
Osricke.]
Osricke.
Young
Fortinbras, with conquest come from Poland
To
the Ambassadors of England gives this warlike volley.
Hamlet.
[Act 5, Scene 2]
O, I
die Horatio:
The potent
poison quite over-crows my spirit,
I cannot
live to hear the News from England,
But I
do prophesy the election lights
On Fortinbras,
he has my dying voice,
So tell
him with the occurrences more and less,
Which
have solicited. The rest is silence. O, o,
o, o. [Dies.]
Notes
*what a wounded name, (Things standing thus unknown) shall live behind me: The term “wounded name” appears twice in the 1623 folio, the
other in The Two Gentlemen of Verona:
Julia.
I
throw thy name against the bruising-stones,
Trampling
contemptuously on thy disdain.
And
here is writ, Love wounded Protheus.
Poor
wounded name.
The name
Protheus is physically wounded when Julia tears the letter with Protheus’ name on
it and throws it against stones. Hamlet’s name being wounded could mean he is defamed,
or his name’s spelling is damaged.
In the
alternative reading, the name Hamlet is taken from Amleth.
Horatio’s mission to repair Hamlet’s name from unknown
things and to tell his story, can apply to Christopher Marlowe’s mission to tell
his patroness’ story. The life story of Mary Sidney Herbert is sealed in various
places of the 1623 folio.
*I do prophesy the election: Electing Prince of Norway to King of Denmark is
an unusual arrangement. Fortinbras and Hamlet never meet in the play.
*Fortinbras, he hath my dying voice: Die has the
usage of to desire
strongly. This line can spell Mary Sidney Herbert and Francis Bacon, suggesting the identity of “my” and “he”; Mary
Sidney assumed Bacon will have her desired voice to continue Shakespeare in the
literary world.
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| https://i.imgur.com/dQjvNxC.png |
*more or less . . . The rest is silence. O, o, o, o.: Mary Sidney arranged Francis Bacon to continue leading the Shakespeare circle, but not to reveal all details of herself. The repeated letter O isn’t in the 1603 and 1605 quarto.
Repetition often seals wordplays, such as “Words, words, words” or “Mother,
mother, mother.” Letter O sounds like owe, awe, ought, o’er, ore, all, or awl. Some
lines may be framed using them to enrich Hamlet’s last word in the drama world:
• Awe ought, owe ought. —
Fear nothing, owe no one.
• All o’er, all ought. — All
is over, all is nothing.
They may correspond to Hamlet’s
“the rest is silence,” and match the inscription of Wilton House Shakespeare statue:
“And then is heard no more!”
Hamlet’s last word in various editions:
1603 quarto: Farewel Horatio,
heauen receiue my soule. Ham. dies.
1605 quarto: the rest is
silence.
1611 quarto: the rest is
silence.
1622 quarto: the rest is
silence.
1637 quarto: the rest in silence.*
1632 folio: The rest is silence, O, o, o, o, Dies.
1664 folio: The rest is silence, O, o, o. Dies.
1685 folio: The rest is silence, O, o, o. [Dies.**
*The “is” is printed as “in” in the 1637
quarto.
**The 1685 folio has a single square
bracket.
The 1603 quarto differs much from other editions:
Hamlet.
Vpon my loue I charge thee let it goe,
O fie Horatio, and if thou shouldest
die,
What a scandale wouldst thou leaue behinde?
What tongue should tell the story of our
deaths,
If not from thee? O my heart sinckes Horatio,
Mine eyes haue lost their sight, my tongue
his vse:
Farewel Horatio, heauen receiue my
soule. Ham. dies.
A similar “O, o, o,” exists in Titus Andronicus:
Marcus Andronicus.
Pardon me sir,
It was a black ill favored Fly,
Like to the Empress Moor, therefore I
killed him.
Titus Andronicus.
O, o, o,
Then pardon me for reprehending thee,
For thou hast done a Charitable deed:
Give me thy knife, I will insult on him,
Flattering myself, as if it were the Moor,
Come hither purposely to poison me.