Chapter: [The Spanish court.]

                Enter HIERONIMO with a ponyard in one hand,
                and a rope in the other.

  HIERO.  Now, sir, perhaps I come to see the king,
    The king sees me, and fain would hear my suit:
    Why, is this not a strange and seld-seen thing
    That standers-by with toys should strike me mute?
    Go to, I see their shifts, and say no more;
    Hieronimo, 'tis time for thee to trudge!
    Down by the dale that flows with purple gore
    Standeth a fiery tower; there sits a judge
    Upon a seat of steel and molten brass,
    And 'twixt his teeth he holds a fire-brand,
    That leads unto the lake where he doth stand.
    Away, Hieronimo; to him be gone:
    He'll do thee justice for Horatio's death.
    Turn down this path, thou shalt be with him straight;
    Or this, and then thou need'st not take thy breath.
    This way, or that way?  Soft and fair, not so!
    For, if I hang or kill myself, let's know
    Who will revenge Horatio's murther then!
    No, no; fie, no!  pardon me, I'll none of that:

                He flings away the dagger & halter.

    This way I'll take; and this way comes the king,

                He takes them up again.

    And here I'll have a fling at him, that's flat!
    And, Balthazar, I'll be with thee to bring;
    And thee, Lorenzo!  Here's the king; nay, stay!
    And here,--aye, here,--there goes the hare away!

                Enter KING, AMBASSADOR, CASTILLE, and
                LORENZO.

  KING.  Now show, ambassador, what our viceroy saith:
    Hath he receiv'd the articles we sent?

  HIERO.  Justice!  O, justice to Hieronimo!

  LOR.  Back! see'st thou not the king is busy?

  HIERO.  O!  is he so?

  KING.  Who is he that interrupts our business?

  HIERO.  Not I!  [aside] Hieronimo, beware!  go by, go
    by!

  AMBASS.  Renown'd king, he hath receiv'd and read
    Thy kingly proffers and thy promis'd league,
    And, as a man extremely over-joy'd
    To hear his son so princely entertain'd,
    Whose death he had so solemnly bewail'd,
    This, for thy further satisfaction
    And kingly love, he kindly lets thee know:
    First, for the marriage of his princely son
    With Bel-imperia, thy beloved niece,
    The news are more delightful to his soul
    Then myrrh or incense to the offended Heav'ns.
    In person, therefore, will be come himself
    To see the marriage rites solemnized
    And in the presence of the court of Spain
    To knit a sure inextricable band
    Of kingly love and everlasting league
    Betwixt the crowns of Spain and Portingal.
    There will he give his crown to Balthazar,
    And make a queen of Bel-imperia.

  KING.  Brother, how like you this our viceroy's love?

  CAST.  No doubt, my lord, it is an argument
    Of honourable care to keep his friend
    And wondrous zeal to Balthazar, his son.
    Nor am I least indebted to his Grace,
    That bends his liking to my daughter thus.

  AMBASS.  Now last, dread lord, here hath his Highness sent--
    Although he send not that his son return--
    His ransom due to Don Horatio.

  HIERO.  Horatio?  who calls Horatio?

  KING.  And well remember'd, thank his Majesty!
    Here, see it given to Horatio.

  HIERO.  Justice!  O justice!  justice, gentle king!

  KING.  Who is that?  Hieronimo?

  HIERO.  Justice!  O justice!  O my son!  my son!
    My son, whom naught can ransom or redeem!

  LOR.  Hieronimo, you are not well advis'd.

  HIERO.  Away, Lorenzo!  hinder me no more,
    For thou hast made me bankrupt of my bliss!
    Give me my son!  You shall not ransom him!
    Away!  I'll rip the bowels of the earth,

                He diggeth with his dagger.

    And ferry over th' Elysian plains
    And bring my son to show his deadly wounds.
    Stand from about me!  I'll make a pickaxe of my poniard,
    And here surrender up my marshallship;
    For I'll go marshall up the fiends in hell,
    To be avenged on you all for this.

  KING.  What means this outrage?
    Will none of you restrain his fury?

  HIERO.  Nay, soft and fair; you shall not need to strive!
    Needs must he go that the devils drive.

                Exit.

  KING.  What accident hath happ'd to Hieronimo?
    I have not seen him to demean him so.

  LOR.  My gracious lord, he is with extreme pride
    Conceiv'd of young Horatio, his son,
    And covetous of having himself
    The ransom of the young prince, Balthazar,
    Distract, and in a manner lunatic.

  KING.  Believe me, nephew, we are sorry for 't;
    This is the love that fathers bear their sons.
    But, gentle brother, go give to him this gold,
    The prince's ransom; let him have his due;
    For what he hath, Horatio shall not want.
    Haply Hieronimo hath need thereof.

  LOR.  But if he be thus helplessly distract,
    'Tis requisite his office be resign'd
    And giv'n to one of more discretion.

  KING.  We shall increase his melancholy so.
    'Tis best that we see further in it first;
    Till when, ourself will hold exempt the place.
    And, brother, now bring in the ambassador,
    That he may be a witness of the match
    'Twixt Balthazar and Bel-imperia,
    And that we may prefix a certain time
    Wherein the marriage shall be solemniz'd,
    That we may have thy lord the viceroy here.

  AMBASS.  Therein your Highness highly shall content
    His majesty, that longs to hear from hence.

  KING.  On then, and hear you, lord ambassador.

                Exeunt.

 And the similarities between The Spanish Tragedy and Hamlet continue as Hieronimo enters the scene to contemplate suicide with a dagger in one hand and a rope in the other. Apparently, he hasn't gotten anywhere while trying to tell the king what's been going down. Ultimately, Hieronimo decides to stay attached to his "mortal coil," newly determined to get justice . Just then, who walks in but the king, the Portuguese ambassador, Lorenzo, and the Duke of Castile? Finally Hieronimo will get his shot at justice--not. The king rolls up and we hear him talking in mid-sentence about the upcoming wedding of Bel-Imperia and Balthazar. Hieronimo seizes his opportunity to tell the king what's been going down, but his abruptness is taken for disrespect. Lorenzo chides Hieronimo for boldly interrupting the king while he's talking business. And the king and ambassador totally ignore Hieronimo in favor of making wedding plans. The ambassador confirms that the viceroy is overjoyed about the match and already on his way to Spain to attend the wedding. Hieronimo continues to complain to the king, but Lorenzo physically blocks the knight marshal from reaching the sovereign--very meaningful. In response to being ignored, Hieronimo gets crazy-freaky by digging in the dirt with his knife like a madman. This gets the king's attention, but not really the attention Hieronimo was trying to grab. Lorenzo tries to say Hieronimo is only going nuts because he is angry that he never received any reward money for Horatio's recent heroism in the war . The king says something like, "Oh, is that all--give him some money." And then the king makes it clear that he is totally unaware that Horatio is even dead, speaking about him as if he were still alive. Can you say out of touch? But we should probably assume that Lorenzo has worked hard to conceal any news of Horatio's death from his uncle. In the end, Lorenzo succeeds at squelching Hieronimo's pleas for justice.

