The University daily. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 18??-????, 1895-06-13
The Mad Prince.
DAVIES.


Was Hamlet mad9 Volumes have
been written and much profound
learning has been exercised IN the
!. discussion of this, aplain question
which to mind of ordinary intelli-
genceysis as clear as the rays of old
Sol at dinner time.
The whole discussion reminds one
of the congress Of Swiss scientists
who for three long days warmly de-
bated the question: : Why is there
black sheep in every fock?' with
ont coming to any conclusion. In
despair they called in an old farmer
and put the momentous question to-
him. 4 You poor idiots, h said he,#
there isn't a black sheep in every
flock whereupon, the intellectual
lights Immediately proceeded with
the regular order Of business.
ss Hamlet's whole life was long UNI
interrupted by succession of such
prosecutions as would be calculated
7 to make most men cuss a little, as
Milton would say Can we wonder:
then that Hamlet should get q little
mad occasionally In fact lie rip
ped out a cuss word every now and
then, In Act /, Scene w, he says;
ssBy Heaven r And in Scene III OF
the same act, he boldly says hell III
We also. find him at different times,
saying devil ;;'a thunder. z q pigeon
livered, = by Saint Patrick, bod
kin, goblin, I Z Fortinpros |" darn
ish'' z Herisules, DAMN
Yorkick,n aud q host Of other such
swear words. Would he have sworn
as recklessly If he had not been
mad?
i At one time, Hamlet got 80 mad
that he made his two friends Hora-
titus and Mareellns sit down on the
point of his sword and swear like
troopers. Prof. Keighly, however,
says that Hamlet was not mad at
this time, and ingeniously remarks
that the young fellows were only
having q social game Of mumblepeg.
But Prot. Sanders, lin his recent val
liable work entitled Great Games
OF All Ages strenuously dissents
from Keighly's opinion, and declares
4 in terms most emphatic, that mum
4 blepeg is not played that way.
But let us look briefly at a3few of
A the many reasons Hamlet had for
getting out of humor. .
In the first place, Hamlet's father
married a queen and gained 4 king
dom. One day the king, all logged
out in his long Prince Albert and
knee breeches, was out in the or
chard behind the smoke house swing.
ing In his new hammock that an old
college chum had sent him per last
express from New York as a birth
day present, eating cherries and
reading up on the late election
Presently the king of all Denmark
was snoring Justify, when his broth
er Claudius, who was hidinge
behind the current bushes hetwten
the1hammock and the barn, sneaked
GY to him. pulled little vial out of
his upper right vest pocket, and
poured some kind of green stuff into
+ the poor old fellows ear. In few
moments, his snoring ceased for
good and al" Or, as DR.. Haught
/ puts it: Some hartshorn was
poured in the ear of his father, which
made young Hamlet hot under the
collar" =
But DR.. Moss here objects that
they did not wear collars in those
days, and that he is. not SO shure
about the hartshorn; and suggests
that Taught should have said:
ssSome stuff was pouredinto the
ear of his head, -
Which made young Hamlet hop
ping mad rs
But Co make matters still worse,
Claudius married Hamlet s mother
BE Ind been rather sweet on the old
lady fol some time and thus he be-
came king. This, Of course, MADE
Hamlet adder thar ever. for he was
somewhat of politician too, and
wanted to hold the ONCE himself !;
and besides, he did not like the idea
Of having the old dnffer for step
daddy. Could anyone blame him2
Hamlet now became q little reck.
less, it seems, and sometimes he and
his chums would carouse about town
till midnight. One night, late, they
saw something robed in a long white
dress. It beckoned toll Hamlet.
His chums tried to hold him, but,
he got mad again and swore out
loud. II was then he said by
Heaven His chums let him 90
because he got desperate they
said, and he struck ont after it. Il 81
"A little later the king sent d
worthless young dude named Laertes
to a university in France to play
foot ball and pitch horse shoes; but
when Hamlet wanted to 90. to lit
tie normal school in 4 little town
called Wittenberg, they would not
let him, go. But he didn't get mad
this time, though no one could have
blamed him if he had done SO. He.
simply told his s'aunt- mother that
he would stay at home, and stay be
did. w
Abont this time Hamlet fell in
love with a tolerable good looking