Hamlet the Little Organ

page 159
lines 393-402

Hamlet:

"Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing,
you make of me! You would play upon me, you
would seem to know my stops, you would pluck
out the heart of mystery, you would sound me
from my lowest note to <the top of> my compass;
and there is much music, excellent voice, in this
little organ, yet cannot make it speak. 'Sblood,
do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe?
Call me what instrument you will, though you <can>
fret me, you cannot play upon me. "

This passage is important for understanding Hamlet. Context, meaning, and insight make this passage note worthy. Without the context the reader would have no idea why Hamlet is saying what he is saying. The meaning is exactly that; it shows what he means. And the insight shows who Hamlet is and what he feels.

This passage's context makes it more memorable. It is place in the long scene 2 of act 3, far after Hamlet talks to Ophelia. It is after the play when Hamlet calls Rosencrantz and Guildenstern out. He seems to gain more words as he goes on, presumably getting angrier at them. Rosancrantz and Guildenstern were sent to spy on Hamlet by two people he now despises: the King and Queen. He knows of this and finally decides to confront the spies.

Hamlet's meaning in this passage becomes clear with diction and interpretation. The whole part is him comparing the betrayal in musical instrument lingo. "You would play upon me" starts the dual meaning with saying the spies are using, or playing, him in a manner that is deceiving and that of an instrument. "You would seem to know my stops" references where to stop playing an instrument for good sound and following Hamlet around to all the places he stops. "You would pluck out the heart of mystery" is not only plucking an instrument, but also plucking at his heart and making him sad with the mystery of their new friendship. "You would sound me from my lowest note to the top of my compass" is them seeing how he feels when he is at his best and worst; a compass is a range of sound for an instrument (Hamlet has a range of feelings). "And there is much music, excellent voice, in this little organ, yet cannot make it speak" is about all the things Hamlet has to say, such as who killed his father and he's seeing a Ghost, and "yet" he says none of it. Finally, Hamlet ends with "do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe?", which is him challenging them because pipes are easy to play and humans should not be. He says "call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play me" and this means that whatever the two spy friends call him, all they can do is annoy him, but not fool him.

This characterization of Hamlet shows how he deals with problems. He faces them head on. He confronted his two childhood friends pointedly. He mocks them too; " why, look you now, how unworthy a thing, you make of me!", he exclaims, which sounds sarcastic in a how-dare-you-you're-wrong kind of way. Then he uses the instrument and music comparison the whole confrontation and that shows his intelligent creativity. He says point blank they cannot fool him and he has a lot to say. He knows he is smart when he let's them know he is aware of their betrayal. Finally, there is a sense of feeling hurt in this passage that shows Hamlet's soft side. "From my lowest note to the top of my compass" shows vulnerability in his feelings and moods.