Shakespeare, William · published 1623 · first performed or written 1601 [1600-1601] (Annals) tragedy · Lord Chamberlain's (Hunsdon's) Men T26 Devils, hell and fiends typicality 0.78 · 514 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T26: devil, hell, devils, sure, soul, fiend, sr, wife, lord, men.
I have heard, that guilty Creatures sitting at a Play, Have by the very cunning of the Scoene, Bene strooke so to the soul, that presently They have proclaimed their Malefactions. For Murder, though it have no tongue, will speak With most miraculous Organ. I'll have these Players, Play something like the murder of my Father, Before mine Uncle. I'll observe his looks, I'll tent him to the quick: If he but blench I know my course. The Spirit that I have seen May be the Devil, and the Devil hath power T' assume a pleasing shape, yea and perhaps Out of my Weakness, and my Melancholy, As he is very potent with such Spirits, Abuses me to damn me. I'll have grounds More Relative than this: The Play's the thing, Wherein I'll catch the Conscience of the King. And can you by no drift of circumstance Get from him why he puts on this Confusion: Grating so harshly all his days of quiet With turbulent and dangerous Lunacy. He does confess he feels himself distracted, But from what cause he will by no means speak. Nor do we find him forward to be sounded, But with a crafty Madness keeps aloof: When we would bring him on to some Confession Of his true state. Did he receive you well? Most like a Gentleman. But with much forcing of his disposition. Niggard of question, but of our demands Most free in his reply. Did you assay him to any pastime? Madam, it so fell out, that certain Players We o'erwrought on the way: of these we told him, And there did seem in him a kind of joy To hear of it: They are about the Court, And (as I think) they have already order This night to play before him. 'Tis most true: And he beseeched me to entreat your Majesties To hear, and see the matter. With all my heart, and it doth much content me To hear him so inclined. Good Gentlemen, Give him a further edge, and drive his purpose on To these delights. We shall my Lord. Sweet Gertrude leave us too, For we have closely sent for Hamlet hither, That he, as 'twere by accident, may there Affront Ophelia. Her Father, and myself (lawful espials) Will so bestow ourselves, that seeing unseen We may of their encounter frankly judge, And gather by him, as he is behaved, If't be th' affliction of his love, or no. That thus he suffers for. I shall obey you, And for your part Ophelia, I do wish That your good Beauties be the happy cause Of Hamlets wildness: so shall I hope your Virtues Will bring him to his wont way again, To both your Honours. Madam, I wish it may. Ophelia, walk you here. Gracious so please ye We will bestow ourselves: Read on this book, That show of such an exercise may colour Your loneliness. We are oft too blame in this, 'Tis too much proved, that with Devotions visage, And pious Action, we do surge o'er The devil himself.
nodes 1390–1459 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 24 of 55 in this edition
Length
514 words · 677 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T26 — Devils, hell and fiendscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.776 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T23 · seed 44: T23 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
I haue heard, that guilty Creatures ſitting at a Play, Haue by the very cunning of the Scoene, Bene ſtrooke ſo to the ſoule, that preſently They haue proclaim'd their Malefactions. For Murther, though it haue no tongue, will ſpeake With moſt myraculous Organ. Ile haue theſe Players, Play ſomething like the murder of my Father, Before mine Vnkle. Ile obſerue his lookes, Ile tent him to the quicke: If he but blench I know my courſe. The Spirit that I haue ſeene May be the Diuell, and the Diuel hath power T' aſſume a pleaſing ſhape, yea and perhaps Out of my Weakneſſe, and my Melancholly, As he is very potent with ſuch Spirits, Abuſes me to damne me. Ile haue grounds More Relatiue then this: The Play's the thing, Wherein Ile catch the Conſcience of the King. And can you by no drift of circumſtance Get from him why he puts on this Confuſion: Grating ſo harſhly all his dayes of quiet With turbulent and dangerous Lunacy. He does confeſſe he feeles himſelfe diſtracted, But from what cauſe he will by no meanes ſpeake. Nor do we finde him forward to be ſounded, But with a crafty Madneſſe keepes aloofe: When we would bring him on to ſome Confeſſion Of his true ſtate. Did he receiue you well? Moſt like a Gentleman. But with much forcing of his diſpoſition. Niggard of queſtion, but of our demands Moſt free in his reply. Did you aſſay him to any paſtime? Madam, it ſo fell out, that certaine Players We ore-wrought on the way: of theſe we told him, And there did ſeeme in him a kinde of ioy To heare of it: They are about the Court, And (as I thinke) they haue already order This night to play before him. 'Tis moſt true: And he beſeech'd me to intreate your Maieſties To heare, and ſee the matter. With all my heart, and it doth much content me To heare him ſo inclin'd. Good Gentlemen, Giue him a further edge, and driue his purpoſe on To theſe delights. We ſhall my Lord. Sweet Gertrude leaue vs too, For we haue cloſely ſent for Hamlet hither, That he, as 'twere by accident, may there Affront Ophelia. Her Father, and my ſelfe (lawful eſpials) Will ſo beſtow our ſelues, that ſeeing vnſeene We may of their encounter frankely iudge, And gather by him, as he is behaued, If't be th' affliction of his loue, or no. That thus he ſuffers for. I ſhall obey you, And for your part Ophelia, I do wiſh That your good Beauties be the happy cauſe Of Hamlets wildeneſſe: ſo ſhall I hope your Vertues Will bring him to his wonted way againe, To both your Honors. Madam, I wiſh it may. Ophelia, walke you heere. Gracious ſo pleaſe ye We will beſtow our ſelues: Reade on this booke, That ſhew of ſuch an exerciſe may colour Your lonelineſſe. We are oft too blame in this, 'Tis too much prou'd, that with Deuotions viſage, And pious Action, we do ſurge o're The diuell himſelfe.