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A

S K E T C H

O F

THE PLAY.

Sc. I.

A

ACT I.

Hor.

Platform before the palace. Enter Ber. and Fran. two centinels; Fran. is relieved by Hor. and Mar. Talk about a ghoft having appeared. Hor. is incredulous. Enter ghost. They perceive it to be like the deceafed king. speaks to it. It ftalks away without answering. They conjecture about the ghoft, and the warlike preparations that are making in Denmark. The ghoft appears again. Hor. conjures it to speak, but in vain. The cock crows: It vanishes. Talk hereupon. Hor. and Mar. agree to tell Ham. of the ghoft. Exeunt.

Sc. II. The palace.

Enter king, queen, Ham. Pol. Laer. Vol. Cor. lords, and attendants. King's speech, of the death of the late king, and of his marriage with his widow; of negotiations with the court of Norway; [Exeunt Vol. and Cor. as ambaffadors to Nor

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way] of Laer's departing for France. Ham's forrow for the death of his father: Is diffuaded from going to Wittenburg. Exeunt.

Sc. III. Manet Ham. His foliloquy; On the bafeness of human nature, and the frailty of his mother the queen, in fo foon forgetting her former husband the late king, and inceftuously marrying his brother the prefent king, with a comparison between them to the disadvantage of the latter.

Sc. IV. To Ham. enter Hor. Ber. and Mar. They acquaint Ham. with the appearance of the ghoft. He determines to watch with them, that if it appeared again, he might fee, and speak to it. Exeunt.

Sc. V. An apartment in Pol's houfe. Enter Laer. and Oph. Laer.'s inftructions to her in the matter of Ham.'s love.

Sc. VI. To them enter Pol. He inftructs Laer. how to behave in the foreign country whither he is travelling. Laer. takes his leave. Talk between Pol. and Oph. about Ham.'s amorous addreffes to her; which he advises her not to regard.

Sc. VII. The platform before the palace. Enter Ham. Hor. and Mar. Talk of the drunkenness of the Danes. Ghoft appears. Ham. speaks to it. It beckons him. He follows it. Exeunt.

Sc. VIII. Re-enter ghoft and Ham. It tells him, it is the ghoft of his father, and relates that, fleeping in his orchard, he was poisoned with juice of Hebanon pour'd in his ears, by Ham.'s uncle, the present king; and advises him to be revenged on the murtherer; but not to contrive any punishment for the queen, leaving her only to the ftings of her own

confcience.

conscience. Exit ghoft. Ham.'s foliloquy. He fwears to revenge his father's death.

Sc. IX. Hor. and Mar. who had followed Ham. at a dif

tance, came up with him, and are inquifitive about what paffed between him and the ghoft. He eyades fatisfying them, and makes them fwear to be fecret in what they had feen; and if he should hereafter feign madness, they fhould by no token whatever discover the fraud. Exeunt.

ACT . II.

Sc. I. An apartment in Pol.'s houfe. Enter Pol. and Reyn. Pol. gives money and notes to Rey. to deliver to

Laer. and bids him make enquiry into the conduct and behaviour of Laer. abroad. Exit Rey.

Sc. II. To Pol. enter Oph. She relates a vifit fhe had received from Ham. wherein he appeared to be mad. Pol. concludes that 'tis for love of Opk. he hath run mad; and determines to acquaint the king hereof. Exeunt.

Sc. III. The palace. Enter king, queen, Rof. Guil. lords,

and other attendants. King mentions Ham.'s madnefs, and defires Rof. and Guil. to accompany him; and, if poffible, to find out the cause of his madnefs. [Exeunt Rof. and Guil.] Enter Pol. with news of the ambaffador's return. He tells the king he thinks he hath found the caufe of Ham.'s lunacy. Exit Pol.

Sc. IV. Re-enter Pol. with ambaffadors, who end their bu

finefs with the king. Pol. proceeds to fhew the caufe of Ham's madness; reads a letter from Ham.

to Oph. It is agreed to try Ham. with Oph. by turning them together, and watching them. Exeunt king and queen.

Sc. V. Enter Ham. reading. Pol. accofts him. Ham. talks wildly to him. Exit Pol.

Sc. VI. Enter Rof. and Guil. Ham. founds them on the occafion of their being at Denmark, and finds they

were fent for by the king. Talk of the players, who are expected.

Sc. VII. Enter Pol. with the news of players being arrived. Enter players. Ham. welcomes them. Aks for a fpeech from one of them. The fpeech. Enquires if they can a& Gonzago, and tells them he will infert a short speech therein for them to ftudy. Ex

eunt.

Sc. VIII. Manet Hamlet. His foliloquy; on the behaviour of the player under a feigned paffion, compared with his own under a real one. The effect of stageplaying fo great, that guilty perfons have, by the cunning of the scene, been induced to confefs their crimes, He determines to have fomething played like the murther of his father, before his uncle : and from his behaviour under the play to judge of his guilt.

ACT III.

Sc, I. The palace. Enter king, queen, Pal. Oph. Rof.

Guil. and lords. Talk of Ham.'s madnefs; the

caufe not difcovered.

Exit queen; and Ham.'s

trial with Oph, comes on, Exeunt all but Oph.

Sc. II,

Sc, II. Oph. with a book. Enter Ham. His foliloquy of

life, and diffolution: difcovers Oph. talks rudely with her; and bids her get to a nunnery. Exit

Ham. Oph.'s foliloquy on Ham.'s noble perfections, overthrown by madness.

Sc. III. Enter king and Pol. who had overheard what passed between Ham. and Oph. King concludes that love is not the cause of his madnefs: Counfels with Pol. about fending him to England for the demand of tribute; which Pol. agrees to, provided his mother the queen cannot by conference with him difcover the cause of his griefs. Pol. proposes to be fecretly a witness of this conference. Exeunt. Sc. IV. Enter Ham. and the players. His inftructions to them. Exeunt players. Enter Pol. Rof. and Guil. with news that the king and queen will hear the play. Exeunt.

Sc. V. To Ham. enter Hor. Ham.'s commendations of Hor's virtues. Begs him to eye the king at the play, and note his behaviour.

Sc. VI. Enter king, queen, Pol. Oph. Rof. Guil. lords, as to the play. Hamlet's mad talk to the king, to Pol. to Oph.

Sc. VII. Dumb fhew enters. Enter player king and queen, very lovingly embracing. King lies down on a bank of flowers. She feeing him afleep leaves him. Anon comes in a fellow, takes off his coronet, kiffes it, and pours poifon in the king's ears and Exit. The queen returns, finds the king dead, and makes paffionate action. The poifoner, with two or three mutes, comes in again, feeming to lament her. The dead body is carried away.

The

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