They
clepe us drunkards, and with swinish phrase
Soil our
addition; and, indeed, it takes
From our
achievements, though performed at height,
The pith
and marrow of our attribute.
Hamlet
Hamlet Act I, scene iv Line 22
This is Hamlet, one of the greatest, and perhaps the
saddest, of Will’s creations. And this is a fabulous line. He starts out, in
today’s Totally Random line, talking about the Danish people generally and
excess drinking and celebrating specifically. He then immediately progresses in
the lines that follow to talk about ‘particular men’ specifically (and I can’t
but help feel that he’s referring to himself), and bad habits or aspects, ‘some
vicious mole of nature’, generally. In both cases he’s remarking that one bad
thing (in this case of the Danes, over-celebrating) can overshadow all the good
things (again, in the case of the Danes, their good reputation).
Here, I don’t do this too often, but please read the whole
passage. It’s not that long; twenty-six lines. If I can take the time to type
it out, you can at least read it. It’s a little tough, but you can do it. I
have faith in you. The custom he’s referring to in the beginning is drinking
and revelry, and ‘they clepe us’ means
‘they describe us’. The guts of this passage start on line 11, ‘So, oft
it chances…’. Now give it a shot!
Ay, marry, is’t:
But to my mind, though I am
native here,
And to the manner born, --it is
a custom
More honored in the breach than the observance.
This heavy-headed revel east and west
Makes us traduced and taxed of
other nations:
They clepe us drunkards, and with swinish phrase
Soil our addition; and, indeed, it takes
From our achievements, though performed at height,
The pith and marrow of our attribute.
So, oft it chances in particular men,
That, for some vicious mole of nature in them,
As, in their birth, --wherein they are not guilty,
Since nature cannot choose his origin,--
By the o’ergrowth of some complexion,
Oft breaking down the pales and forts of reason;
Or by some habit, that too much o’er-leavens
The form of plausive manners;--that these men,--
Carrying, I say, the stamp of one defect,
Being nature’s livery, or fortune’s star,--
Their virtues else—be they as pure as grace,
As infinite as man may undergo—
Shall in the general censure take corruption
From that particular fault: the dram of evil
Doth all the noble substance of a doubt
To his own scandal.
I guess I
cheated to get to that last line: The
dram of evil doth all the noble substance of a doubt to his own scandal.
But it’s a good one (I think a famous one? Okay, sidebar here: apparently this
last line is famous for confusing people. Well I’m not interested in that; I’m
interested in the main thought of this passage, i.e. that one fatal flaw can ruin
a person. So that’s where we’re going with this post.), and the follow through
and re-statement of today’s Totally Random line: and, indeed, it takes from our achievements, though performed at
height, the pith and marrow of our attribute. So please forgive me for
cheating.
I’m not sure
what Hamlet considers his own ‘dram of evil’ or ‘particular fault’, but I
believe he’s saying that he’s got one and that it’s overshadowing all the good
stuff he’s got. Maybe his indecisiveness or his inability to take action? Whatever it is, it's got him down.
How about this guy? What's his particular fault? I'm thinking it's not just one thing, if you know what I mean.
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