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All Site ContentHamletAct 4Scene 7
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Word Nerd: "trick"
Context and Language Videos
Act 4,
Scene 7
Lines 160-263

An explanation of the word "trick" in Act 4, Scene 7 of myShakespeare's Hamlet.

myShakespeare | Hamlet 4.7 Word Nerd: Trick

Laertes

Too much of water have thou, poor Ophelia, 
And therefore I forbid my tears. But yet,
It is our trick; nature her custom holds.    
Let shame say what it will. 
[He weeps.]                            
                                            When these arethese are gone,
The woman will be out. Adieu, my lord.
I have a speech of fire that fain would blaze,
But that this folly douts it.    
[Exit Laertes.]    

Claudius

Let's follow, Gertrude.
How much I had to do to calm his rage!
Now fear I this will give it start again.
Therefore, let's follow.
[Exit.]
Video Transcript: 

RALPH: Laertes tries to keep himself from crying, but cries anyway. He says, "But yet it is our trick", meaning "But it is our habit or instinct".

SARAH: Shakespeare uses trick here to mean typical behavior or habit — crying is what is typical, or habitual, when we hear tragic news. Used in this sense, it generally had a negative connotation — a habit we have that we wish we didn't.

RALPH: But we use the word trick today to mean a deception, or an illusion — and this is also the oldest sense of the word in English — it derives from words in French, Italian or Provencal that mean to cheat or to deceive.

SARAH: But in the 16th and 17th centuries, the term had a variety of figurative meanings that were modifications of this first and original meaning. Shakespeare uses it to mean a peculiarity or distinguishing feature; he also uses it to mean a toy or a trifle.

RALPH: And finally, he uses it to mean a skill or ability — in fact, Claudius used the word this way just a page or two earlier in the same scene, describing someone who had incredible horseback riding skills.