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The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 16.1394  Thursday, 25 August 2005

[1] 	From: 	Jim Blackie <jblackie@myway.com>
	Date: 	Wednesday, 24 Aug 2005 11:38:28 -0400 (EDT)
	Subj: 	RE: SHK 16.1379 Old Fat Hamlet?

[2] 	From: 	Steve Roth <steve@steve-roth.com>
	Date: 	Wednesday, 24 Aug 2005 09:16:38 -0700
	Subj: 	Re: SHK 16.1379 Old Fat Hamlet?


[1]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From: 		Jim Blackie <jblackie@myway.com>
Date: 		Wednesday, 24 Aug 2005 11:38:28 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: 16.1379 Old Fat Hamlet?
Comment: 	RE: SHK 16.1379 Old Fat Hamlet?

While a student at New York University many, many, many moons ago I saw 
a production in the village staring an older (past 24 was old for me), 
fatter Hamlet personified by a man by the name of Christopher Martin, 
who also, I believe founded the small theater repertory group the name 
of which escapes me. He was remarkable enough in the role (and others) 
that his name stays with me even today.

He did, however, use the line "O, that this too too SOLID flesh would 
melt" rather than the (I think) more accepted "sullied." It fit with his 
girth but not the spirit of the play (no pun intended).

Jim Blackie

 >I like the idea of an old, fat Hamlet. I may still have a chance at the
 >role.
 >
 >Bob Linn

[2]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: 		Steve Roth <steve@steve-roth.com>
Date: 		Wednesday, 24 Aug 2005 09:16:38 -0700
Subject: 16.1379 Old Fat Hamlet?
Comment: 	Re: SHK 16.1379 Old Fat Hamlet?

At risk of being "self-reflexive" (that odiously redundant but 
distressingly widespread scholarly usage), I'll quote a snippet from one 
my own posts from 14 Sep 2001:

 >Re: SHK 12.2177 Re: Tyndale Bible and "fat" Hamlet

I've found this item to be quite curious. I've scoured Chambers,
Baldwin, Bowers, Schoenbaum, etc. etc. and can't find any reference to
Burbage being fat. I've posted this query to this list a couple of
times, asking if there are other refs, but no replies.

This "fat Burgage" tradition seems to be doubly apocryphal, because
there's not even any apocrypha suggesting that Burbage was fat. Baldwin,
among others, draws the conclusion from this line only. He may have been
fat, of course, or there may be a reference I haven't found.<<

Nobody on this list has ever come up with the supposed contemporary 
reference to Burbage's weight. It's a legend.

Thanks,
Steve

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