Terms Compulsatory - Hamlet, Fortinbras, Claudius, Old Jephtha, and the Spanish Armada
Ray Eston Smith Jr
Claudius
. . . young Fortinbras,
Holding a weak supposal of our worth,
Or thinking by our late dear brother's death
Our state to be disjoint and out of frame,
Colleagued with the dream of his advantage,
He hath not fail'd to pester us with message,
Importing the surrender of those lands
Lost by his father, with all bonds of law,
To our most valiant brother.
Thirty years earlier Hamlet's father (old King Hamlet) had slain old
King Fortinbras in a fatal duel, winning (by the terms of the duel) a
piece of ground to which young Hamlet fell heir. Young Fortinbras
therefore must be at least 30 years old. But while old King Hamlet
lived, young Fortinbras never dared to attempt vengeance against old
King Hamlet nor to reclaim those lands lost by his father, with all
bonds of law. But the cowardly young Fortinbras believes (probably
correctly) that he has a better chance of reclaiming the land from
Claudius. For one thing, Claudius won't challenge him to a personal
duel. The two "brave" princes (Prince Fortinbras and King Claudius)
can fight it out with no royal bloodshed - just a few thousand
underlings.
But old King Hamlet also played an essential part in causing the
impending war. If he had been less ambitious and "honorable" he would
have turned down old Fortinbras' challenge and never would have
obtained the land that is now the question of these wars.
Horatio
. . . Our last king,
Whose image even but now appear'd to us,
Was . . . by Fortinbras of Norway,
. . .
Dared to the combat; in which [old King] Hamlet--
. . .
Did slay this Fortinbras; who by a seal'd compact,
. . .
Did forfeit, with his life, all those his lands
. . .which had return'd
To the inheritance of Fortinbras,
Had he been vanquisher; as, by the same covenant,
. . .
His fell to Hamlet. Now, sir, young Fortinbras,
. . .
Hath . . .
Shark'd up a list of lawless resolutes,
. . . to recover of us, by strong hand
And terms compulsatory, those foresaid lands
So by his father lost: and this . . .
Is the main motive of our preparations,
The source of this our watch and the chief head
Of this post-haste and romage in the land.
Bernardo
. . .
Well may it sort that this portentous figure
Comes armed through our watch; so like the king
that was and is the question of these wars.
Hamlet later alluded to old Jephtha .
Hamlet
Am I not i' the right, old Jephthah?
. . .
Hamlet
. . .
'It came to pass, as most like it was,
"As most like it was" sounds like "so like the king that was."
Hamlet later said "The king is a thing," so substitute "it" for "the
king that" and "so like the king that was" becomes "so like it was"
which is synonymous with "as most like it was." ("The king is a thing"
also helps explain "how the wheel becomes it," derived from "the cease
of majesty . . . it is a massy wheel.")
The story of Jephtha, in Judges 11, sounds most like the story of the
king that was and is the question of these wars. The Ammonites were
preparing for war against Israel to recover land Israel had taken from
them, just as young Fortinbras was preparing for war to recover of us,
by strong hand and terms compulsatory, those foresaid lands so by his
father lost in the fatal duel with old King Hamlet.
Judges 11.12
... What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to
fight in my land?
Judges 11.13
...Because Israel took away my land... now therefore restore those
lands again
It is worth noting that Shakespeare took pains to let us know that
there had been a 30-year interval between the time old Fortinbras died
and the time young Fortinbras came to reclaim those lands by strong
hand and terms compulsatory. There was also a 30-year between the time
Queen Mary died and the time her widower, Prince Phillip of Spain,
sent the Spanish Armada to attempt to reclaim England by strong hand
and terms compulsatory.