tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991343547887142385.post398485034483743407..comments2024-02-24T20:29:17.083-05:00Comments on MINDFUL PLEASURES: Is Hamlet's Flesh Solid or Sullied?BRIAN OARDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695622618831825498noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991343547887142385.post-6190624582969899962020-06-16T22:58:25.809-04:002020-06-16T22:58:25.809-04:00Thank you for your explanation. This has been a po...Thank you for your explanation. This has been a point of confusion for me. I have taught from two different editions of "Hamlet", both using different words in this soliloquy. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07192654998633652783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991343547887142385.post-38580293845779694012019-10-19T02:38:47.477-04:002019-10-19T02:38:47.477-04:00John Dover Wilson’s argument is compelling - that ...John Dover Wilson’s argument is compelling - that ‘sullied’ works because the imagery Sullied - melt - thaw - dew is of dirty snow, soiled and begrimed. But very true also that the debate is inconsequential if an audience hears ‘sullied’ as a botched ‘solid’... Fireworkboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03354280765865448641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991343547887142385.post-4857614694319652662019-09-24T13:43:23.784-04:002019-09-24T13:43:23.784-04:00I have only come across the "sullied" ve...I have only come across the "sullied" version today, opening the Arden Hamlet I never use.I don't presume to compare to Arden Shakespeare editors, but I believe "solid" is the right reading. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02966827486693507492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991343547887142385.post-47522115803686289972019-06-20T07:58:55.052-04:002019-06-20T07:58:55.052-04:00Your argument that ‘solid’ is self-evident is of c...Your argument that ‘solid’ is self-evident is of course valid but entails that the adjective is also, to an extent, redundant, since all flesh is solid and its solidity is unequivocally implied by the metaphor of the line - only solid things melt. As such, consider that if solid is the correct reading, no meaning is lost in emending to ‘O that this flesh would melt...’ again since, if the flesh melts, its former solidity is entailed. Therefore, I think that sullied is a preferable reading by far since it actually adds something to the line and also offers a reason for Hamlet’s wish that his flesh would melt: if his flesh were pure (that is, unsullied) he would not wish for this purification. And purification is definitely what Hamlet wishes for in this line - and on that point, ‘solid’ is inconsistent since it has connototations of (moral) wholeness and perfection.Elonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09816615005662163925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991343547887142385.post-46944408296898039692018-09-07T12:34:17.659-04:002018-09-07T12:34:17.659-04:00I'm a 'solid' man myself.I'm a 'solid' man myself.DavidChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04713225113564621668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991343547887142385.post-56921509162802230162017-12-31T19:56:26.346-05:002017-12-31T19:56:26.346-05:00I had forgotten this topic for 51 years, when I wr...I had forgotten this topic for 51 years, when I wrote a not quite scholarly paper on it at age 16. SOLID, I fumed. Thaw, melt, dew! What would sullied have to do with turning solid into liquid? Besides, if you've ever been miserable, you feel like a very solid ton of bricks. The teacher gave me an A even though I didn't express much more than indignation.<br /><br />Love this funny little blog.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02028969627330564133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991343547887142385.post-11118666955767380392010-11-22T07:22:21.014-05:002010-11-22T07:22:21.014-05:00Gielgud once said that if the actor says “sullied”...Gielgud once said that if the actor says “sullied”, the audience merely thinks that the actor meant to say “solid” but had mispronounced it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com