Pictorial Shakespeare, 1880-1890 - eTheses Repository - University ...

176
...
Laertes, I muc£ commune with your
Or you < eny me right. Go but apart,
f/Iake choice of whom your wisest friends you v.ill,
And they shall hear and judge f twixt ;/ou and me.
If by direct or by collateral hand
They find us touched, w« will our Irin.-xlo^ /;ive,
Our crown, our life, and. -11 th; t we c: 11 ours,
To you in satisfaction.
(IV.5.197-205)
Then followed the arriv 1 of the me a center (IV. 7.36) and ,• 11
but four lines of the dialogue cxnli'inirie -;, LCH, concluding
with ",,ill you be ruled by me?" (36-7, 41b-57a, 59 etc.).
Irving's eta^e-prac ice ap ~>Qi rs to h:~vo involved the omission
not only of information vital to the understanding of Claudius s
relationship ;lt L Laertes, but of the news of Hamlet's return.
It is an extraordinary mistake, but its presence in norc than
one prompt-book of the Lyceum production sur; csts that it was
found cceptable . Barrctt re; tored the whole of IV.6, and
a good doal of the next scene. Claudius explained his dependence
upon Gertrude ("She is so conjunctive to ny life and coul
... M ), and the messenger arrived \/ith the lot-ore. ::ct of
the description of Lamo&d was jrdtted, but the essentials of
uncrtec. 1 3 arrcenent to co-^^or."tc rour.inod. Irving cut ten linos
from the description of Ophelia•c ceath, and omitted Laertes's
immediate reaction. Barrott still baulked at the alternative
names for lomg uinleG, but cut only four lines in all, and
allowed Laertes hie feeliii,,3. Both voroionc dice, reed the
oi:?.