Abstract
Horatio compares the Ghost to a ‘mote’ that ‘trouble[s] the mind’s eye’ in the first scene of Hamlet, in a speech unique to the second quarto (1604). In this exercise in micro-analysis of a single line from Hamlet, I assess how this pithy metaphor helps create the texture of Q2’s version of the opening scene. Un-editing — or, more properly here, un-conflating — can help us realize something valuable about Q2 Hamlet, namely, that its opening scene does more than the opening scenes in Q1 or F to emphasize self-reflection and interiority as major themes. Further, Horatio’s pregnant comparison makes the figure of Old Hamlet morally ambiguous from the start by associating his appearance with feelings of guilt.
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