The great chief wanted to know what was wrong with Hamlet, so he sent for two of Hamlet's age mates [school friends would have taken a long explanation] to talk to Hamlet and find out what troubled his heart Hamlet, seeing that they had been bribed by the chief to betray him, told them nothing Polonius, however, insisted that Hamlet was mad because he had been forbidden to see Ophelia, whom he loved. Why, inquired a bewildered voice, "should anyone bewitch Hamlet on that account? Bewitch him Yes, only witchcraft can make anyone mad, unless, of course, one sees the beings that lurk in the forest I stopped being a storyteller and took out my notebook and demanded to be told more about these two causes of madness. Even while they spoke and i jotted notes, I tried to calculate the effect of this new factor on the plot. Hamlet had not been exposed to the beings that lurk in the forests Only his relatives in the male line could bewitch him Barring relatives not mentioned by Shakespeare, it had to be Claudius who was attempting to harm him. And. of course. it was For the moment i staved off questions by saying that the great chief also refused to believe that hamlet was mad for the love of ophelia and nothing else. He was sure that something much more important was troubling Hamlet' s heart” Now Hamlet's age mates, I continued, had brought with them a famous toryteller Hamlet decided to have this man tell the chief and all his homestead a story about a man who had poisoned his brother because he desired his brother, s wife and wished to be chief himself. hamlet was sure the great chief could not hear the story without making a sign if he was indeed guilty, and then he would discover whether his dead father had told him the truth.” The old man interrupted, with deep cunning, "Why should a father lie to his son?” he asked I hedged: Hamlet wasn t sure that it really was his dead father It was impossible to say anything, in that language, about devil-inspired visions“The great chief wanted to know what was wrong with Hamlet, so he sent for two of Hamlet’s age mates [school friends would have taken a long explanation] to talk to Hamlet and find out what troubled his heart. Hamlet, seeing that they had been bribed by the chief to betray him, told them nothing. Polonius, however, insisted that Hamlet was mad because he had been forbidden to see Ophelia, whom he loved.” “Why,” inquired a bewildered voice, “should anyone bewitch Hamlet on that account?” “Bewitch him?” “Yes, only witchcraft can make anyone mad, unless, of course, one sees the beings that lurk in the forest.” I stopped being a storyteller and took out my notebook and demanded to be told more about these two causes of madness. Even while they spoke and I jotted notes, I tried to calculate the effect of this new factor on the plot. Hamlet had not been exposed to the beings that lurk in the forests. Only his relatives in the male line could bewitch him. Barring relatives not mentioned by Shakespeare, it had to be Claudius who was attempting to harm him. And, of course, it was. For the moment I staved off questions by saying that the great chief also refused to believe that Hamlet was mad for the love of Ophelia and nothing else. “He was sure that something much more important was troubling Hamlet’s heart.” “Now Hamlet’s age mates,” I continued, “had brought with them a famous storyteller. Hamlet decided to have this man tell the chief and all his homestead a story about a man who had poisoned his brother because he desired his brother’s wife and wished to be chief himself. Hamlet was sure the great chief could not hear the story without making a sign if he was indeed guilty, and then he would discover whether his dead father had told him the truth.” The old man interrupted, with deep cunning, “Why should a father lie to his son?” he asked. I hedged: “Hamlet wasn’t sure that it really was his dead father.” It was impossible to say anything, in that language, about devil-inspired visions