Tuesday, April 28, 2020


--But is there no sequel at the heels of this mother’s admiration? Impart.

-Hamlet



Hamlet                                     Act III, scene ii, line 346



Hamlet and Rosencrantz are chatting, and the subject has turned to Hamlet’s mother. Remember, Rosencrantz is an old friend of Hamlet’s, but at this point he’s really just spying on Hamlet for Gertrude and Claudius, and Hamlet knows it. So all of Hamlet’s replies to Rosencrantz are laced with sarcasm, cynicism, or just plain nonsense. Rosencrantz has said to Hamlet that Hamlet’s behavior hath struck her into amazement and admiration. I’m pretty sure that he means that Hamlet’s mother doesn’t understand Hamlet’s strange behavior. But Hamlet pretends that he thinks it means that he’s done a good thing, so he replies



            O wonderful son, that can so astonish a mother!—But is there no sequel at the heels of this mother’s admiration? Impart.



So he’s really just being a wise-ass at this point. This is a good picture of the puzzle that is Hamlet. 

Here's another puzzle for you, though admittedly it's got nothing to do with Hamlet. This is Sainte-Chapelle in Paris and it's a puzzle for a few reasons. First, it's nearly impossible to find this place. It's tucked away behind some other buildings a few blocks away for Notre Dame. Second, it's a puzzle how they ever put this thing together. The size of these windows and the fact that they take up the whole wall of the building is amazing. Third, how the heck are you supposed to appreciate the beauty and detail of these windows? They're so high that you can't get anywhere near them. Yes, nothing to do with Hamlet, but puzzling nonetheless.

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