With references to the same Words as they occur in the Text
Alarum, Alarums (of Drums), occurs as a stage direction about 72 times in fourteen of the historical plays, always in connection with battle. It is found alone, as above, about 45 times, sometimes qualified—e.g., Loud alarum, Low alarum, Short alarum, Alarum within. Alarums and Excursions occurs about 21 times, always in fight. ['Excursions' merely means 'parties of men running about;' see the stage direction H. 6. A. IV, vi. 'Excursions, wherein Talbot's son is hemmed about;' also Id. I, v, where the direction has 'Alarum. Skirmishings,' instead of the usual 'excursions.']
A few special cases are—Alarum with thunder and lightning, H. 6. A. I, iv, 97; Flourish and Alarums, used by Rich. III. to drown the reproaches of Q. Eliz., etc.; Alarum and chambers [cannon] go off, H. 5. Act iii. line 33 of the chorus, and again Id. end of scene 1; Alarum and cry within, 'Fly, fly, fly,' Jul. Cæs. V, v; Alarum afar off, as at a sea fight, Ant. IV, x.
Out of the 72 cases in the stage directions, 70 mean a call to battle by drums. There are only two exceptions, where the Alarum is identified with trumpets, H. 6. B. II, iii, 92, and Troil. IV, v, 112, 117.
Skeat gives the original of the term as 'all'arme' (Ital.) a war cry of the time of the Crusades. For the form of the word, he compares arum (arm) and koren (corn).
'Alarum' in the text.
The word is used 13 times in the text of Shakespeare; and in 6 of these it refers to drums, as in the stage directions H. 6. A. I, ii, 18, I, iv, 99, II, i, 42; R. 3. I, i, 7; Cor. II, ii, 76; H. 5. IV, vi, 35.
But in two of the remaining examples, alarum is distinctly said to be trumpets, H. 6. B. II, iii, 93 and V, ii, 3; while other more extended meanings are found—e.g., in Venus and Adonis, l. 700, where it refers to the noise of the dogs hunting the hare; in Macbeth II, iii, 75 and V, v, 51, where alarum is used of a Bell; also in Lucrece, 433, of Tarquin's 'drumming heart' 'giving the hot charge,' and Othello II, iii, 27, of Desdemona's voice, which Iago says is 'an alarum to love.'
[Flourish], either simply in this form, or 'Flourish of Trumpets' (six times) or 'Flourish of Cornets' (twice), occurs about 68 times in seventeen plays.
Out of these, it is used some 22 times for the entrance or exit of a King or Queen; 12 times for the entrance or exit of a distinguished person not a king; 10 times in the public welcome of a Queen or great general; 7 times it marks the end of a scene; 6 times heralds a victorious force; twice announces the proclamation of a King; twice signalises the entrance or exit of Senate or Tribunes; and twice gives warning of the approach of Play-actors [See [Section VI.], at end], or the commencement of a Play. [Players in Hamlet, and Pyramus and Thisbe in Mids. Nt.].