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"botch the words ... unhappily"
Language
Act 4,
Scene 5
Lines 9-12

The explanation of "unhappily" in Act 4, Scene 5 of myshakespeare's Hamlet.

Horatio

The hearers to collection. They aim at it,
And botch the words up fit to their own thoughts,
Which (as her winks and nods and gestures yield them) 
Indeed would make one think there would be thought,

It’s unclear what Horatio means by “unhappily” at the end of this speech, but here are two interpretations which seem plausible:

  • Ophelia has maliciously led people to hear what they want to hear in her meaningless rambling.
  • Ophelia’s cryptic expressions were uncomfortably close to the mark.