Re: CHAT: Diet of Worms (was CHAT: Pronunciation)

Doug Ball wrote:

> There's a pun on the Diet of Worms in Hamlet, somewhere around when Claudius
> is inquiring of Hamlet where he stashed Polonius' body (unfortunately can't
> say exactly where, especially since I don't have any Shakespeare in my
> personal library).  I was pretty amused although I think a lot of my
> classmates missed it, but then again, the puns are my favorite part of
> Shakespeare.
http://www.gutenberg.net to the rescue, from Act IV, Scene iii:

King.   Now, Hamlet, where's Polonius?

Ham.    At supper.

King.   At supper! where?

Ham.    Not where he eats, but where he is eaten: a certain
        convocation of politic worms are e'en at him. Your worm is your
        only emperor for diet: we fat all creatures else to fat us, and
        we fat ourselves for maggots: your fat king and your lean beggar
        is but variable service,--two dishes, but to one table: that's
        the end.

The "emperor" is Charles V, who presided at the Diet.

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