Ham. Now, mother; what's the matter? Queen. Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended. Ham. Mother, you have my father much offended. Queen. Come, come, you answer with an idle tongue. Ham. Go, go, you question with a wicked tongue. What's the matter now? Ham. Come, come, and sit you down; you shall not budge; You go not, till I set you up a glass Queen. What wilt thou do? thou wilt not murder me? As kill a king, and marry to his brother. • Cross. Queen. What have I done, that thou dar'st wag thy tongue In noise so rude against me? Ham. Such an act, That blurs the grace and blush of modesty; follows: Here is your husband; like a mildew'd ear, sense Is apoplex'd; for madness would not err; To serve in such a difference. What devil was't, O shame! where is thy blush? In an incestuous bed, Queen. Nay, but to live O, speak to me no more; These words, like daggers, enter in mine ears: No more, sweet Hamlet. Ham. Do you not come your tardy son to chide, Ghost. Do not forget: This visitation Ham. How is it with you, lady? Queen. Alas, how is't with you? That you do bend your eye on vacancy, And with the incorporal air do hold discourse? Forth at your eyes your spirits wildly peep; And, as the sleeping soldiers in the alarm, Your bedded hair starts up. O gentle son, Upon the heat and flame of thy distemper Sprinkle cool patience. Whereon do you look? Ham. On him! on him!- Look you, how pale he glares! His form and cause conjoin'd, preaching to stones, Would make them capable. - Do not look upon Is very cunning in. Ham. Ecstacy! My pulse, as yours, doth temperately keep time, Ham. O, throw away the worser part of it, And live the purer with the other half. Good night: but go not to my uncle's bed; Assume a virtue, if you have it not. That monster, custom, who all sense doth eat Of habit's devil, is angel yet in this; That to the use of actions fair and good He likewise gives a frock, or livery, That aptly is put on : Refrain to-night; And that shall lend a kind of easiness To the next abstinence: the next more easy: For use almost can change the stamp of nature, And either curb the devil, or throw him out - With wondrous potency. Once more good night! Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind. Queen. But mad in craft. 'Twere good, you let him know: Unpeg the basket on the house's top, Let the birds fly: and, like the famous ape, Queen. Be thou assur'd, if words be made of breath, And breath of life, I have no life to breathe Ham. I must to England; you know that? I had forgot; 'tis so concluded on. Alack, Ham. There's letters seal'd: and my two school fellows, Whom I will trust, as I will adders fang'd ', — I'll lug the body to the neighbour room : - ACT IV. SCENE I. - A Room in the Castle. Enter KING, QUEEN, ROSENCRANTZ, and King. There's matter in these sighs; these profound heaves; You must translate: 'tis fit we understand them : Where is your son? Queen. Bestow this place on us a little while. [TO ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN, who go out. Ah, my good lord, what have I seen to-night! King. What, Gertrude? How does Hamlet? Queen. Mad as the sea, and wind, when both haunts, This mad young man: but, so much was our love, Queen. To draw apart the body he hath kill'd; O'er whom his very madness, like some ore, Among a mineral of metals base, Shows itself pure; he weeps for what is done. The sun no sooner shall the mountains touch, Enter ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN. Friends both, go join you with some further aid: Hamlet in madness hath Polonius slain, And from his mother's closet hath he dragged him: And what's untimely done: so, haply, slander, [Exeunt. Enter ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN. Ros. What have you done, my lord, with the dead body? Ham. Compounded it with dust, whereto 'tis kin. Ros. Tell us where 'tis; that we may take it thence, And bear it to the chapel. Ham. Do not believe it. Ham. That I can keep your counsel, and not mine own. Besides, to be demanded of a sponge what replication should be made by the son of a king? Ros. Take you me for a sponge, my lord? Ham. Ay, sir; that soaks up the king's countenance, his rewards, his authorities. But such officers do the king best service in the end: He keeps them, like an ape, in the corner of his jaw; first mouthed, to be last swallowed: When he needs what you have gleaned, it is but squeezing you, and, sponge, you shall be dry again. Ros. I understand you not, my lord. Ham. I am glad of it: a knavish speech sleeps in a foolish ear. Ros. My lord, you must tell us where the body is, and go with us to the king. Ham. The body is with the king, but the king is not with the body. The king is a thing Guil. A thing, my lord? Ham. Of nothing: bring me to him. Hide fox, and all after.6 [Exeunt. King. Bring him before us. Enter HAMLET and GUILDENSTERN. King. Now, Hamlet, where's Polonius? A sport among children. Cap. Ham. Not where he eats, but where he is eaten : a certain convocation of politick worms are e'en at him. Your worm is your only emperor for diet: we fat all creatures else, to fat us: and we fat our I will do't, my lord. [Exeunt FORTINBRAS and Forces. selves for maggots: Your fat king, and your lean Enter HAMLET, Rosencrantz, Guildensters, &c. beggar, is but variable service; two dishes, but to one table; that's the end. King. Alas, alas! Ham. A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king; and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm. King. What dost thou mean by this? Ham. Nothing, but to show you how a king may go a progress through the body of a beggar. King. Where is Polonius? Ham. In heaven; send thither to see: if your messenger find him not there, seek him i' the other place yourself. But, indeed, if you find him not within this month, you shall nose him as you go up the stairs into the lobby. King. Go seek him there. [To some Attendants. Ham. He will stay till you come. [Exeunt Attendants. King. Hamlet, this deed, for thine especial safety,Which we do tender, as we dearly grieve For that which thou hast done, -must send thee hence With fiery quickness: Therefore, prepare thyself; Ham. King. For England? Ay, Hamlet. Good. Ham. King. So is it, if thou knew'st our purposes. Ham. I see a cherub, that sees them. - But, come, for England! - Farewell, dear mother. King. Thy loving father, Hamlet. Ham. My mother: Father and mother is man and wife; man and wife is one flesh; and so, my mother. Come, for England! [Exil. King. Follow him at foot: tempt him with speed aboard; Delay it not, I'll have him hence to-night : Do it, England; | Ham. Good sir, whose powers are these? Cap. They are of Norway, sir. Ham. How purpos'd, sir, I pray you? Cap. Ham. Against some part of Poland. Commands them, sir? Who Cap. The nephew to old Norway, Fortinbras. Ham. Goes it against the main of Poland, sir, Or for some frontier? Το Will not debate the question of this straw: [Exit Captain Will't please you go, my lord? Ham. I will be with you straight. Go a little before. [Exeunt Ros. and GUIL How all occasions do inform against me, And spur my dull revenge! What is a man, If his chief good, and market of his time, Be but to sleep, and feed? a beast, no more. Sure, He, that made us with such large discourse?, Looking before, and after, gave us not That capability and godlike reason To fust in us unus'd. Now, whether it be Bestial oblivion, or some craven2 scruple Of thinking too precisely on the event, A thought, which quarter'd, hath but one part wisdom, And, ever, three parts coward, — I do not know Queen. Enter QUEEN and HORATIO. I will not speak with her. Hor. She is importunate; indeed, distract; Queen. There's tricks i' the world; and hems, and beats her Spurns enviously at straws: speaks things in doubt, Indeed would make one think, there might be Though nothing sure, yet much unhappily. Queen. 'Twere good she were spoken with; for Dangerous conjectures in ill-breeding minds: [Erit HORATIO. To my sick soul, as sin's true nature is, It spills itself in fearing to be spilt. Re-enter HORATIO, with OPHELIA. Good morrow, 'tis Saint Valentine's day, All in the morning betime, And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine. King. How long hath she been thus? Oph. I hope, all will be well. We must be patient: but I cannot choose but weep, to think, they should lay him i' the cold ground: My brother shall know of it, and so I thank you for your good counsel. Come, my coach! Good night, ladies; good night, sweet ladies: good night, good night. [Exit. When sorrows come, they come not single spies, For good Polonius' death; and we have done but In hugger-mugger to inter him: Poor Ophelia Oph. Where is the beauteous majesty of Den- Will nothing stick our person to arraign mark? In ear and ear. O my dear Gertrude, this, Enter a Gentleman. King. Attend. Where are my Switzers! Let them guard the door : Gent. Save yourself, my lord; The ocean, overpeering of his list 5, Eats not the flats with more impetuous haste, Than young Laertes, in a riotous head, O'erbears your officers! The rabble call him lord; Queen. How cheerfully on the false trail 6 they cry! |