Stiff As a Board...? the Phrase 'To Shuffle Off This Mortal Coil', As Coined

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Stiff as a board....? The phrase ‘to shuffle off this mortal coil’, as coined by Shakespeare in his play Hamlet, was brought to mind recently when an older citizen entered my consulting room with an equally elderly dog ‘Scrumpy’, who crept in looking very subdued. Not beating about the bush, I had just managed to say ‘Good Morning’, when he launched into a description of the dogs symptoms. ‘He be getting up along and has the screws’ I was told. I obviously looked a bit perplexed so the gentleman fortunately clarified somewhat. ‘He be shuffling as he’s one side of it’. Now if any of you readers are from Somerset you may know full well what he meant, but for those that are not I later found out it was that the dog was stiff, getting old and past his best! However at least shuffling was a clue I could keenly grasp and on further examination it was quite clear that the dog was shuffling because its legs were stiff with arthritis. Now its not too many years ago that little could have been done for this and, in those days, it might have been kinder for the dog to have shuffled off this mortal coil rather than have been in permanent discomfort. However nowadays there are many treatments for arthritis in dogs which frequently bring relief and Scrumpy was prescribed medicine to have in his food every day. Scrumpy reappeared in my consulting room three weeks later looking much more lively. ‘ He be sprack’ I was told, as the gentleman smiled. Scrumpy just wagged his tail and licked my hand and it was clear he was no longer shuffling anywhere! If your dog is elderly and seems stiff, has difficulty jumping up or is reluctant to exercise then you would be doing it a great service to take it to your veterinary surgeon for treatment. Then, like Scrumpy, it might enjoy a new lease of life! JON C POWER BVSc Cert AVP(vetGP) MRCVS, The Old Band House, Somerton..

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The Tragedy of Hamlet
THE TRAGEDY OF HAMLET THE WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE THE TRAGEDY OF HAMLET EDITED BY EDWARD DOWDEN n METHUEN AND CO. 36 ESSEX STREET: STRAND LONDON 1899 9 5 7 7 95 —— CONTENTS PAGE Introduction ix The Tragedy of Hamlet i Appendix I. The "Travelling" of the Players. 229 Appendix II.— Some Passages from the Quarto of 1603 231 Appendix III. Addenda 235 INTRODUCTION This edition of Hamlet aims in the first place at giving a trustworthy text. Secondly, it attempts to exhibit the variations from that text which are found in the primary sources—the Quarto of 1604 and the Folio of 1623 — in so far as those variations are of importance towards the ascertainment of the text. Every variation is not recorded, but I have chosen to err on the side of excess rather than on that of defect. Readings from the Quarto of 1603 are occa- sionally given, and also from the later Quartos and Folios, but to record such readings is not a part of the design of this edition. 1 The letter Q means Quarto 604 ; F means Folio 1623. The dates of the later Quartos are as follows: —Q 3, 1605 161 1 undated 6, For ; Q 4, ; Q 5, ; Q 1637. my few references to these later Quartos I have trusted the Cambridge Shakespeare and Furness's edition of Hamlet. Thirdly, it gives explanatory notes. Here it is inevitable that my task should in the main be that of selection and condensation. But, gleaning after the gleaners, I have perhaps brought together a slender sheaf.
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Hamlet Quotes
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