Hamlet Page #3

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Something is rotten

in the state of Denmark.

- Heaven will direct it.

- Nay, let's follow him.

Whither wilt thou lead me?

Speak. I'll go no further.

Mark me.

Speak; I am bound to hear.

So art thou to revenge,

when thou shalt hear,

if thou didst ever thy dear father love.

O God!

Revenge his foul

and most unnatural murder.

'Tis given out that, sleeping in

my orchard, a serpent stung me,

but know, thou noble youth,

the serpent that did sting thy father's

life now wears his crown.

O my prophetic soul! My uncle!

Ay, that incestuous,

that adulterate beast,

with witchcraft of his wit,

with traitorous gifts

- O wicked wit and gifts

that have the power so to seduce! -

won to his shameful lust the will

of my most seeming virtuous queen.

Brief let me be.

Sleeping within my orchard,

my custom always of the afternoon,

upon my secure hour thy uncle stole

with juice of cursed hebona in a vial,

and in the porches of my ears did pour

the leperous distilment.

O, horrible! O, horrible! Most horrible!

Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother's hand

of life, of crown,

of queen at once dispatched.

If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not;

Iet not the royal bed of Denmark be

a couch for luxury and damned incest.

Adieu.

Remember me.

O all you host of heaven!

O earth! What else?

And shall I couple hell?

O, fie!

Hold, hold, my heart;

and you, my sinews,

grow not instant old,

but bear me stiffly up.

Remember thee!

Ay, thou poor ghost, whiles memory

holds a seat In this distracted globe.

Remember thee!

Yea, from the table of my memory

I'll wipe away all trivial fond records,

all saws of books, all forms,

all pressures past,

that youth and observation copied there,

and thy commandment all alone shall live

within the book and volume of my brain,

unmixed with baser matter.

Yes, by heaven!

O most pernicious woman!

O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!

Meet it is that I set it down

that one may smile,

and smile, and be a villain;

at least I am sure it may be so

in Denmark.

So, uncle, there you are.

Now to my word:

it is "Adieu, adieu! Remember me."

My lord!

- My lord!

- Lord Hamlet!

- Ho, ho!

- My lord!

Ho, ho, boy! Come, bird, come.

- How is't my noble lord?

- What news, my lord?

- O, wonderful!

- Good my lord, tell it.

- No, you will reveal it.

- Not l, my lord.

There's never a villain

dwelling in all Denmark

but he's an arrant knave.

There needs no ghost

come from the grave to tell us this.

Why, right; you are in the right;

and so, without more circumstance

at all,

I hold it fit that we shake hands and part.

You, as your business

and desire shall point you,

for every man hath business and desire,

such as it is;

and for my own poor part,

I will go pray.

These are but wild and whirling words,

my lord.

I am sorry they offend you, heartily;

yes, faith, heartily.

There's no offence, my lord.

Yes, by Saint Patrick,

but there is, Horatio.

And much offence too.

Touching this vision here,

it is an honest ghost, that let me tell you.

For your desire to know what

is between us,

o'ermaster't as you may.

But now, good friends,

as you are friends, soldiers,

and scholars, give me one poor request.

What is't, my lord? We will.

Never make known

what you have seen tonight.

- We will not.

- Nay, but swear't.

- But this is wondrous strange.

- Therefore as a stranger, give it welcome.

There are more things in heaven

and earth, Horatio,

than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

Here, as before,

never, so help you mercy,

how strange or odd some'er I bear myself

- as I hereafter shall think meet

to put an antic disposition on -

that you, at such times seeing me,

never shall,

with arms encumb'red thus,

or with this headshake,

or by pronouncing

of some doubtful phrase,

as "Well, well, we know"

or "We could, an if we would"

or "lf we list to speak"

or "There be, an if they might"

or such ambiguous giving out,

denote that you know aught of me:

this do swear.

So grace and mercy

at your most need help you.

- Swear!

- Rest, rest, perturbed spirit!

So, gentlemen, with all my love

I do commend me to you;

and what so poor a man as Hamlet is

may do t'express

his love and friending to you,

God willing, shall not lack.

Come, let us go together.

The time is out of joint.

O cursed spite.

That ever I was born to set it right!

Give him this money and these notes,

Reynaldo.

I will, my lord.

You shall do marvellous wisely,

good Reynaldo,

before you visit him,

to inquire of his behaviour.

My lord, I did intend it.

Marry, well said; very well said.

Look you, sir, enquire me first

what Danskers are in Paris;

that they do know my son,

come you more nearer.

Take you, as 'twere,

some distant knowledge of him;

as:
"l know the gentleman;

I saw him yesterday, or t'other day,

"or then, or then; with such and such;

"and, as you say,

there was a gaming;

"there o'ertook in's rouse;

there falling out at tennis;

"there perchance

I saw him enter such a house of sale"

videlicet, a brothel, or so forth.

See you now.

- But my good lord...

- Wherefore should you do this?

- Ay, my lord, I would know that.

- By indirections find directions out.

- You have me, have you not?

- My lord, I have.

God be wi' ye; fare ye well.

- Good my lord.

- Observe his inclinations in yourself.

- I will, my lord.

- And let him ply his music.

Good, my lord.

O my lord, my lord,

I have been so affrighted.

With what, i' th' name of God?

My lord, as I was sewing in my closet,

Lord Hamlet with his doublet all unbrac'd,

no hat upon his head,

as if he had been loosed out of hell

to speak of horrors, he comes before me.

- Mad for thy love?

- My lord, I do not know.

But truly I do fear it. He took me

by the wrist and held me hard.

Then goes he to the length of all his arm,

and, with his other hand thus

o'er his brow,

he falls to such perusal of my face

as a would draw it.

Long stay'd he so.

At last, a little shaking of mine arm,

and thrice his head thus waving up

and down,

he raised a sigh so piteous and profound

as it did seem to shatter all his bulk

and end his being.

I will go seek the King.

This is the very ecstasy of love.

What, have you given him

any hard words of late?

No, my good lord;

but, as you did command

I did repel his letters,

and denied his access to me.

That hath made him mad.

Come, go we to the King.

Welcome, dear Rosencrantz

and Guildenstern!

Something have you heard

of Hamlet's transformation.

I beseech you both that, being of

so young days brought up with him,

and sith so neighboured

to his youth and haviour,

that you vouchsafe your rest here

in our court some little time;

so by your companies

to draw him on to pleasures,

and to gather so much as

from occasion you may glean,

whether aught to us unknown

afflicts him thus

that, open'd, lies within our remedy.

Good gentlemen,

he hath much talked of you;

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