[Shakespeare's Hamlet] 3 words used by Horatio

Question

Dear All,I'm having a hard time understanding the highlighted part of the following fragment. Could someone please help me out? I believe the word gaged is used here in the sense of to challenge or to combat someone? Other words remain a mystery to me as well as the underlined part.That can I. At least, the whisper goes so: our last king, Whose image even but now appeared to us, Was, as you know, by Fortinbras of Norway, Thereto pricked on by a most emulate pride, Dared to the combat; in which our valiant Hamlet (For so this side of our known world esteemed him) Did slay this Fortinbras, who by a sealed compact Well ratified by law and heraldry, Did forfeit, with his life, all those his lands Which he stood seized of to the conqueror, Against the which a moiety competent Was gagèd by our king, which had returned To the inheritance of Fortinbras Had he been vanquisher, as, by the same covenant And carriage of the article designed, His fell to Hamlet. Now, sir, young Fortinbras, Of unimprovèd mettle hot and full, Hath in the skirts of Norway here and there Sharked up a list of lawless resolutes, For food and diet, to some enterprise That hath a stomach in ’t, which is no other— As it doth well appear unto our state— But to recover of us, by strong hand

Clive · Accepted Answer

I hope you realize that 'our valiant Hamlet' refers to Prince Hamlet's father.

To understand this archaic passage, you need to look up the various online resources that annotate the text.
eg The following notes are quoted from http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/hamlet_1_1.html ]

87. Well ratified ... heraldry, "Law would be wanted to draw up accurately the contract, heraldry to give it a binding force in honour; as the court of chivalry has cognizance of contracts touching deeds of arms or of war out of the realm" (Moberly).

88. with his life, when forfeiting, losing, his life; those his lands, those lands of his.

89. Which he ... of, of which he was at the time possessed; seized, from O. F. saisir to put one in possession of, to take possession of, a technical term in law still in use.

90. the which, for the making which more definite, and used where the antecedent, or some word like the antecedent, is repeated, or where such a repetition could be made if desired, see Abb. 270: moiety, Lat. medietas, a half, is used by Shakespeare as often for any portion as for the half: competent, adequate, sufficient; originally the present participle of the F. verb competer, to be sufficient for.

91. gaged, pledged, staked.

91, 2. which had ... Fortinbras, and this would have gone as an inheritance to Fortinbras; would have passed into his possession. For return'd, involving no idea of going back, cp. Tim. iii. 2. 92, "Had his necessity made use of me - i.e. had he in his necessity applied to me - I would have put my wealth into donation, And the best half should have return'd to him."

93-5. as, by the same ... Hamlet, in the same way that, by the agreement of which I have spoken, and the tenour of the stipulation formally drawn up between them, his possessions passed to Hamlet; for article, properly a particular clause in a stipulation, cp. H. V. v. 2. 360, "The king hath granted every article"; for covenant, the quartos read co-mart, i.e. bargain; young Fortinbras, the son of King Hamlet's opponent.

Perfect Stranger · Answer

Thank you Clive. I think I'd better print out the whole annotated version...

[Shakespeare's Hamlet] 3 words used by Horatio

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬