Question: What is the meaning of, "No fairy takes"? I. i. 163.
The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike,
No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,
So hallow'd and so gracious is the time.
Answer:Takes is an astrological term, like strikes. In King Lear
occurs the taking air - the term refers to the malignant
influence supposed to be exerted by the phenomena of the
natural world, and the invisible spirits popularly believed to exist.
Mertins, Emma. Shakespeare Examinations. Ed. William Taylor Thom, M. A. Boston: Ginn and Co., 1888. Shakespeare Online. 10 Aug. 2010. (date when you accessed the information) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/hamlet/examq/eight.html >.
