CLAUDIUS      Now for ourself, and for this time of meeting,

Thus much the business is: we have here writ

To Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras –

Who impotent and bedrid scarcely hears

Of this his nephew’s purpose – to suppress

His further gait herein, in that the levies,

The lists and full proportions are all made

Out of his subject; and we here dispatch

You, good Cornelius, and you, Voltemand,

For bearers of this greeting to old Norway,

Giving to you no further personal power

To business with the King more than the scope

Of these delated articles allow.        (1.2.26-38)

Claudius’s sentences are getting longer and longer as his speech develops, perhaps as he gets more confident, or less personal? Now for ourself, and for this time of meeting, thus much the business is: the matter at hand is this, and what I want you all to witness me doing and saying. We have here writ—and he can wave a letter, or signal for a file from a functionary—to Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras—who impotent and bedrid scarcely hears of this his nephew’s purpose. It flies past, but this matters: Fortinbras is the young man getting one over his (elderly?) uncle, out of control, doing his own thing; that uncle, the Norwegian king, is weak, powerless, king in name only. NOT LIKE ME, is the subtext, I’m totally in control, in my prime—but what precedent is being set up here for Hamlet, Claudius’s own nephew? File it away for future reference. I’ve written to the Norwegian king, regardless, to suppress his further gait herein, to stop him making any more of these annoying incursions into our territory, silence his sabre-rattling, in that the levies, the list and full proportions are all made out of his subject: Claudius is in effect trying to pull the rug out from under the firebrand Fortinbras, at the same time as he’s demonstrating his own power and omniscience, by saying to the Norwegian king, do you know what’s going on? Do you realise that he’s conscripting his troops and funding them from your people, and your exchequer? Do you realise that your nephew is acting like a king?

And we here dispatch you, good Cornelius, and you, Voltemand for bearers of this greeting to old Norway (just demonstrating that he’s across the names of the civil servants, the personal touch here—but also, taking a step back: is it significant that these characters are being named? Are they going to be important in the future? How central is this whole Fortinbras-possible-invasion plot going to be?) But, just so you know, and in case you get any ideas (maybe he’s worried that his diplomats might be more loyal to the old regime? Or that they might negotiate directly with Fortinbras instead?) I am giving to you no further personal power to business with the King more than the scope of these delated articles allow. This is your brief; no freestyling, no going beyond its terms, and don’t let Norway take so much as an inch. The mission to Norway is important, but it’s only part of the point here: this is about a new king performing his power and authority in public.