We should profane the service of the dead, To sing a requiem 3, and such rest to her As to peace-parted souls.

Laer.

Lay her i' the earth; And from her fair and unpolluted flesh, May violets spring! I tell thee, churlish priest, A minist'ring angel shall my sister be, When thou liest howling. Ham. What, the fair Ophelia! Queen. Sweets to the sweet: Farewell! [Scattering Flowers. I hop'd, thou shouldst have been my Hamlet's wife; I thought, thy bride-bed to have deck'd, sweet maid, And not have strew'd thy grave.

Laer. O treble woe Fall ten times treble on that cursed head, Whose wicked deed thy most ingenious sense Depriv'd thee of! — Hold off the earth a while, Till I have caught her once more in mine arms: [Leaps into the Grave. Now pile your dust upon the quick 4 and dead; Till of this flat a mountain you have made To o'ertop old Pelion, or the skyish head Of blue Olympus.

Ham. [Advancing.] What is he, whose grief Bears such an emphasis? whose phrase of sorrow Conjures the wand'ring stars, and makes them stand Like wonder-wounded hearers? this is I, Hamlet the Dane. Laer.

[Leaps into the Grave.
The devil take thy soul!
[Grappling with him.

Ham. Thou pray'st not well.
I pr'ythee, take thy fingers from my throat;
For, though I am not splenetive and rash,
Yet have I in me something dangerous,
Which let thy wisdom fear: hold off thy hand.
King. Pluck them asunder.
Queen.

All. Gentlemen, Hor.

Hamlet, Hamlet! Good my lord, be quiet. [The Attendants part them, and they come out of the Grave.

Ham. Why, I will fight with him upon this theme, Until my eyelids will no longer wag.

Queen. O my son! what theme?

Ham. I lov'd Ophelia: forty thousand brothers Could not, with all their quantity of love,

Make up my sum. - What wilt thou do for her?
King. O, he is mad, Laertes.

Queen. For love of God, forbear him.
Ham. Show me what thou'lt do:

Woul't weep? woul't fight? woul't fast? woul't tear thyself?

Woul't drink up Esil? 5 eat a crocodile ?
I'll do't. Dost thou come here to whine?
To outface me with leaping in her grave?
Be buried quick with her, and so will I :
And, if thou prate of mountains, let them throw
Millions of acres on us; till our ground,
Singeing his pate against the burning zone,
Make Ossa like a wart! Nay, an thou'lt mouth,
I'll rant as well as thou.

him.

What is the reason that you use me thus?
I lov'd you ever: But it is no matter;
Let Hercules himself do what he may,
The cat will mew, and dog will have his day. [Exit.
King. I pray thee, good Horatio, wait upon
[Exit HORATIO.
Strengthen your patience in our last night's speech;
[TO LAERTES.
We'll put the matter to the present push.
Good Gertrude, set some watch over your son. —
This grave shall have a living monument:
An hour of quiet shortly shall we see;
Till then, in patience our proceeding be. [Exeunt.
SCENE II.- A Hall in the Castle.

Enter HAMLET and HORATIO.

Ham. So much for this, sir: now, shall you see the other;

You do remember all the circumstance?
Hor. Remember it, my lord!

Ham. Sir, in my heart there was a kind of fighting,
That would not let me sleep: methought, I lay
Worse than the mutines7 in the bilboes. Rashly,
And prais'd be rashness for it, — Let us know,
Our indiscretion sometimes serves us well,
When our deep plots do pall 9; and that should

teach us, There's a divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew them how we will. Hor.

Ham. Up from my cabin,

That is most certain.

My sea-gown scarf'd about me, in the dark
Grop'd I to find out them: had my desire;
Finger'd their packet: and, in fine, withdrew
To mine own room again: making so bold,
My fears forgetting manners, to unseal
Their grand commission; where I found, Horatio
A royal knavery; an exact command,
Larded with many several sorts of reasons,
Importing Denmark's health, and England's too,
With, ho! such bugs and goblins in my life,
That, on the supervise, no leisure bated,
No, not to stay the grinding of the axe,
My head should be struck off.
Hor.
Is't possible?
Ham. Here's the commission; read it at more
leisure.

6 Hatched.

7 Mutineers.

8 Fetters and handcuffs brought from Bilboa in Spain. 9 Fail. I Bugbears. 2 Before. 3 Statesmen,

As love between them like the palm might flourish ;|
As peace should still her wheaten garland wear,
And stand a comma + 'tween their amities;
And many such like as's of great charge,
That, on the view and knowing of these contents,
Without debatement further, more, or less,
He should the bearers put to sudden death,
Not shriving time allowed.

Hor.
How was this seal'd?
Ham. Why, even in that was heaven ordinant;
I had my father's signet in my purse,
Which was the model of that Danish seal:
Folded the writ up in form of the other;
Subscrib'd it; gave't the impression; plac'd it
safely,

The changeling never known: Now the next day
Was our sea-fight; and what to this was sequent
Thou know'st already.

Hor. So Guildenstern and Rosencrantz go to't. Ham. Why man, they did make love to this employment;

They are not near my conscience; their defeat
Does by they own insinuation grow:

'Tis dangerous, when the baser nature comes
Between the pass and fell incensed points
Of mighty opposites.

Hor.

Why, what a king is this! Ham. Does it not, think thee,stand me now upon? He that hath kill'd my king, seduc'd my mother; Popp'd in between the election and my hopes; Thrown out his angle for my proper life,

And with such cozenage; is't not perfect conscience,

To quit him with this arm? and not to let
This canker of our very nature come
In further evil?

Hor. It must be shortly known to him from
England,

What is the issue of the business there.

Ham. It will be short: the interim is mine;
And a man's life no more than to say, one.
But I am very sorry, good Horatio,
That to Laertes I forgot myself;
For by the image of my cause, I see

The portraiture of his: I'll count 6 his favours :
But, sure, the bravery of his grief did put me
Into a towering passion.
Hor.

But,

Ham. Sir, his definement suffers no perdition in you; - though, I know, to divide him inventorially, would dizzy the arithmetick of memory; and yet but raw neither, in respect of his quick sail. in the verity of extolment, I take him to be a soul of great article; and his infusion of such dearth and rareness, as, to make true diction of him, his semblable is his mirrour; and, who else would trace him, his umbrage, nothing more.S

Osr. Your lordship speaks most infallibly of him. Ham. The concernancy, sir? why do we wrap the gentleman in our more rawer breath? Osr. Sir?

Hor. Is't not possible to understand in another tongue? You will do't, sir, really.

Ham. What imports the nomination of this gentleman?

Osr. Of Laertes?

Hor. His purse is empty already; all his golden words are spent.

Ham. Of him, sir.

Osr. I know, you are not ignorant

Ham. I would, you did, sir; yet, in faith, if you did, it would not much approve 4 me ; · - Well, sir. Osr. You are not ignorant of what excellence Laertes is

Ham. I dare not confess that, lest I should compare with him in excellence; but, to know a man well, were to know himself.

Osr. I mean, sir, for his weapon; but in the imputation laid on him by them, in his meed he's

- Dost know

Hor. No, my good lord. Ham. Thy state is the more gracious; for 'tis a vice to know him: He hath much land, and fertile: let a beast be lord of beasts, and his crib shall stand at the king's mess: 'Tis a chough7; but, as I say, spacious in the possession of dirt.

Osr. Sweet lord, if your lordship were at leisure, I should impart a thing to you from his majesty. Ham. I will receive it, with all diligence of spirit: Your bonnet to his right use; 'tis for the head. Osr. I thank your lordship, 'tis very hot. Ham. No, believe me, 'tis very cold; the wind is northerly.

Osr. It is indifferent cold, my lord, indeed.

Ham. What's his weapon?
Osr. Rapier and dagger.

Ham. That's two of his weapons: but, well. Osr. The king, sir, hath wagered with him six Barbary horses: against the which he has impawned, as I take it, six French rapiers and poniards, with their assigns, as girdle, hangers 7, and so; Three of the carriages, in faith, are very dear to fancy, very responsive to the hilts, most delicate carriages, and of very liberal conceit.

Ham. What call you the carriages? Hor. I knew you must be edified by the margent, ere you had done.

Osr. The carriages, sir, are the hangers.
Ham. The phrase would be more german 9 to the

The affected phrase of the time.

9 Distinguishing excellencies.

1 Compass or chart.

2 The country and pattern for imitation.

6 Staked.

3 This speech is a ridicule of the court jargon of that time. 4 Recommend. 5 Praise. 7 That part of the belt by which the sword was suspended. 8 Margin of a book which contains explanatory notes.

9 Akin.

Osr. A hit, a very palpable hit. Laer.

Ham. The point Envenom'd too! - Then, venom, to thy work. [Stabs the KING

Osr.& Lords. Treason! treason!
King. O, yet defend me, friends, I am but burt.
Ham. Here thou incestuous, murd'rous, damned
Dane,

[KING dis

Well, again. King. Stay, give me drink: Hamlet, this pearl is thine;

Here's to thy health. — Give him the cup.

[Trumpets sound; and Cannon shot off within. Ham. I'll play this bout first, set it by a while. Come. -Another hit; What say you? [They play. Laer. A touch, a touch, I do confess. King. Our son shall win. Queen.

He's fat, and scant of breath.Here, Hamlet, take my napkin, rub thy brows: The queen carouses to thy fortune, Hamlet. Ham. Good madam, King.

Gertrude, do not drink.

Queen. I will, my lord; - I pray you, pardon me.
King. It is the poison'd cup; it is too late. [Aside.
Ham. I dare not drink yet, madam; by and by.
Queen. Come, let me wipe thy face.
Laer. My lord, I'll hit him now.
King.
I do not think it.
Laer. And yet it is almost against my conscience.
[Aside.

Ham. Come, for the third, Laertes: You do but dally;

I pray you, pass with your best violence;
I am afeard, you make a wanton 1 of me.
Laer. Say you so? come on.
Osr. Nothing neither way.
Laer. Have at you now.

Laer. Why, as a woodcock to my own springe,
Osric;

I am justly kill'd with mine own treachery.
Ham. How does the queen?

King.
She swoons to see them bleed.
Queen. No, no, the drink, the drink, — O my

dear Hamlet! The drink, the drink ;-I am poison'd! [Dies. Ham. O villainy! Ho! let the door be lock'd: Treachery! seek it out. [LAERTES falls. Laer. It is here, Hamlet: Hamlet, thou art slain; No medicine in the world can do thee good, In thee there is not half an hour's life; The treacherous instrument is in thy hand, Unbated 2, and envenom'd: the foul practice Hath turned itself on me; lo, here I lie, Never to rise again: Thy mother's poison'd; I can no more; the king, the king's to blame. 2 Not blunted, without a button.

1 Boy.

Ham.

O, I die, Horatio ;

The potent poison quite o'er-crows my spirit ;
I cannot live to hear the news from England:
But I do prophesy the election lights
On Fortinbras; he has my dying voice;
So tell him, with the occurrents 5, more or less,
Which have solicited 6, — the rest is silence. [Dies.
Hor. Now cracks a noble heart; - Good night,

sweet prince;

And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!
Why does the drum come hither? [March within.
Enter FORTINBRAS, the English Ambassadors, and

others.

Fort. Where is this sight?

Hor.

What is it you would see?
If aught of woe, or wonder, cease your search.
Fort. This quarry 7 cries on havock! 8 — O proud
death!

What feast is toward in thine eternal cell,
That thou so many princes, at a shot,
So bloodily hast struck?

1 Amb.

The sight is dismal; And our affairs from England come too late: The ears are senseless, that should give us hearing,

To tell him, his commandment is fulfill'd, That Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead: Where should we have our thanks?

Hor.

Not from his mouth, Had it the ability of life to thank you; He never gave commandment for their death. But since, so jump 9 upon this bloody question, You from the Polack wars, and you from England, Are here arriv'd; give order, that these bodies High on a stage be placed to the view; And let me speak, to the yet unknowing world, How these things come about: So shall you hear Of carnal, bloody, and unnatural acts; Of accidental judgments, casual slaughters; Of deaths put on by cunning, and forc'd cause; And in this upshot, purposes mistook Fall'n on the inventors' heads: all this can I Truly deliver.

Fort.

Let us haste to hear it, And call the noblest to the audience.