Hamlet (Modern, Based on Quarto 2)
Not Peer Reviewed
[1.2]
¶King Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother's death
180The memory be green, and that it us befitted
¶To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom
¶To be contracted in one brow of woe,
¶Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature
¶That we with wisest sorrow think on him
185Together with remembrance of ourselves.
¶Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen,
¶Th'imperial jointress to this warlike state,
¶Have we as 'twere with a defeated joy,
¶With an auspicious and a dropping eye,
190With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage,
¶In equal scale weighing delight and dole,
¶Taken to wife. Nor have we herein barred
¶Your better wisdoms, which have freely gone
¶With this affair along. For all, our thanks.
195Now follows that you know: young Fortinbras,
¶Holding a weak supposal of our worth,
¶Or thinking by our late dear brother's death
¶Our state to be disjoint and out of frame,
¶Co-leaguèd with this dream of his advantage,
200He hath not failed to pester us with message
¶Importing the surrender of those lands
¶Lost by his father, with all bands of law,
¶To our most valiant brother. So much for him.
205Now for ourself, and for this time of meeting,
¶Thus much the business is: we have here writ
¶To Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras,
¶Who, impotent and bed-rid, scarcely hears
¶Of this his nephew's purpose, to suppress
210His further gait herein, in that the levies,
¶The lists, and full proportions are all made
¶Out of his subject; and we here dispatch
¶You, good Cornelius, and you, Voltemand,
¶For bearers of this greeting to old Norway,
215Giving to you no further personal power
¶To business with the King more than the scope
¶Of these delated articles allow.
¶Farewell, and let your haste commend your duty.
¶Cornelius and Voltemand In that and all things will we show our duty.
[Exeunt Voltemand and Cornelius.]
¶And now, Laertes, what's the news with you?
¶You told us of some suit. What is't, Laertes?
¶You cannot speak of reason to the Dane
225And lose your voice. What wouldst thou beg, Laertes,
¶That shall not be my offer, not thy asking?
¶The head is not more native to the heart,
¶The hand more instrumental to the mouth,
¶Than is the throne of Denmark to thy father.
| 230What wouldst thou have, Laertes? | |
| ¶Laertes | |
| My dread lord, | |
¶Your leave and favor to return to France,
¶From whence though willingly I came to Denmark
¶To show my duty in your coronation,
235Yet now I must confess, that duty done,
¶My thoughts and wishes bend again toward France
¶And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon.
¶King Have you your father's leave? What says Polonius?
240Polonius H'ath, my lord, wrung from me my slow leave
240.1By laborsome petition, and at last
¶Upon his will I sealed my hard consent.
¶I do beseech you, give him leave to go.
¶King Take thy fair hour, Laertes. Time be thine,
¶And thy best graces spend it at thy will.
¶But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son--
245Hamlet A little more than kin, and less than kind.
¶King How is it that the clouds still hang on you?
¶Hamlet Not so much, my lord, I am too much in the "son."
¶Queen Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted color off
¶And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.
250Do not forever with thy vailèd lids
¶Seek for thy noble father in the dust.
¶Thou know'st 'tis common: all that lives must die,
¶Passing through nature to eternity.
| ¶Hamlet | |
| Ay, madam, it is common. | |
| 255Queen | |
| If it be, | |
¶Why seems it so particular with thee?
¶Hamlet "Seems," madam? Nay, it is, I know not "seems."
¶'Tis not alone my inky cloak, cold mother,
¶Nor customary suits of solemn black,
260Nor windy suspiration of forced breath,
¶No, nor the fruitful river in the eye,
¶Nor the dejected havior of the visage,
¶Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief
¶That can denote me truly. These indeed seem,
265For they are actions that a man might play.
¶But I have that within which passes show;
¶These but the trappings and the suits of woe.
¶King 'Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet,
270To give these mourning duties to your father.
¶But you must know your father lost a father;
¶That father lost, lost his, and the survivor bound
¶In filial obligation for some term
¶To do obsequious sorrow; but to persever
275In obstinate condolement is a course
¶Of impious stubbornness. 'Tis unmanly grief.
¶It shows a will most incorrect to heaven,
¶A heart unfortified, or mind impatient,
¶An understanding simple and unschooled;
280For what we know must be and is as common
¶As any the most vulgar thing to sense,
¶Why should we in our peevish opposition
¶Take it to heart? Fie, 'tis a fault to heaven,
¶A fault against the dead, a fault to nature,
285To reason most absurd, whose common theme
¶Is death of fathers, and who still hath cried
¶From the first corse till he that died today
¶"This must be so." We pray you throw to earth
¶This unprevailing woe, and think of us
290As of a father; for let the world take note
¶You are the most immediate to our throne,
¶And with no less nobility of love
¶Than that which dearest father bears his son
¶Do I impart toward you. For your intent
295In going back to school in Wittenberg,
¶It is most retrograde to our desire,
¶And we beseech you bend you to remain
¶Here in the cheer and comfort of our eye,
¶Our chiefest courtier, cousin, and our son.
300Queen Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet.
¶I pray thee stay with us, go not to Wittenberg.
¶Hamlet I shall in all my best obey you, madam.
¶King Why, 'tis a loving and a fair reply.
305Be as ourself in Denmark.--Madam, come.
¶This gentle and unforced accord of Hamlet
¶Sits smiling to my heart, in grace whereof
¶No jocund health that Denmark drinks today
¶But the great cannon to the clouds shall tell,
310And the King's rouse the heaven shall bruit again,
¶Respeaking earthly thunder. Come, away!
Flourish. Exeunt all but Hamlet.
¶Hamlet Oh, that this too too sallied flesh would melt,
¶Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!
315Or that the everlasting had not fixed
¶His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! Oh, God, God,
¶How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable
¶Seem to me all the uses of this world!
¶Fie on't, ah, fie, 'tis an unweeded garden
320That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature
¶Possess it merely. That it should come thus!
¶But two months dead--nay, not so much, not two!
¶So excellent a king, that was to this
¶Hyperion to a satyr, so loving to my mother
325That he might not beteem the winds of heaven
¶Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth,
¶Must I remember? Why, she should hang on him
¶As if increase of appetite had grown
¶By what it fed on. And yet within a month--
330Let me not think on't; frailty, thy name is woman!
¶A little month, or ere those shoes were old
¶With which she followed my poor father's body,
¶Like Niobe, all tears, why, she--
¶Oh, God, a beast that wants discourse of reason
335Would have mourned longer!--married with my uncle,
¶My father's brother, but no more like my father
¶Than I to Hercules. Within a month,
¶Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears
¶Had left the flushing in her gallèd eyes,
340She married. Oh, most wicked speed, to post
¶With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!
¶It is not, nor it cannot come to good,
¶But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue.
¶
Enter Horatio, Marcellus, and Barnardo.
| 345Horatio | |
| Hail to your lordship! | |
| ¶Hamlet | |
| I am glad to see you well.-- | |
¶Horatio, or I do forget myself!
¶Horatio The same, my lord, and your poor servant ever.
350Hamlet Sir, my good friend, I'll change that name with you.
¶And what make you from Wittenberg, Horatio?--
¶Marcellus.
¶Marcellus My good lord.
¶[To Horatio]But what, in faith, make you from Wittenberg?
¶Horatio A truant disposition, good my lord.
¶Hamlet I would not hear your enemy say so,
¶Nor shall you do my ear that violence
360To make it truster of your own report
¶Against yourself. I know you are no truant.
¶But what is your affair in Elsinore?
¶We'll teach you for to drink ere you depart.
¶Horatio My lord, I came to see your father's funeral.
365Hamlet I prithee do not mock me, fellow student.
¶I think it was to [see] my mother's wedding.
¶Horatio Indeed, my lord, it followed hard upon.
¶Hamlet Thrift, thrift, Horatio. The funeral baked meats
¶Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.
370Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven
¶Or ever I had seen that day, Horatio!
¶My father--methinks I see my father.
| ¶Horatio | |
| Where, my lord? | |
| ¶Hamlet | |
| In my mind's eye, Horatio. | |
375Horatio I saw him once. 'A was a goodly king.
¶Hamlet 'A was a man, take him for all in all,
¶I shall not look upon his like again.
¶Horatio My lord, I think I saw him yesternight.
¶Hamlet Saw, who?
380Horatio My lord, the King your father.
¶Hamlet The King my father?
¶Horatio Season your admiration for a while
¶With an attent ear till I may deliver,
¶Upon the witness of these gentlemen,
| 385This marvel to you. | |
| ¶Hamlet | |
| For God's love, let me hear! | |
¶Horatio Two nights together had these gentlemen,
¶Marcellus and Barnardo, on their watch
¶In the dead waste and middle of the night
390Been thus encountered: a figure like your father
¶Armed at point, exactly, cap-à-pie,
¶Appears before them, and with solemn march
¶Goes slow and stately by them. Thrice he walked
¶By their oppressed and fear-surprisèd eyes
395Within his truncheon's length, whilst they, distilled
¶Almost to jelly with the act of fear,
¶Stand dumb and speak not to him. This to me
¶In dreadful secrecy impart they did,
¶And I with them the third night kept the watch,
400Where, as they had delivered, both in time,
¶Form of the thing, each word made true and good,
¶The apparition comes. I knew your father.
| ¶These hands are not more like. | |
| ¶Hamlet | |
| But where was this? | |
405Marcellus My lord, upon the platform where we watch.
| ¶Hamlet | |
| Did you not speak to it? | |
| ¶Horatio | |
| My lord, I did, | |
¶But answer made it none. Yet once methought
¶It lifted up it head and did address
410Itself to motion, like as it would speak;
¶But even then the morning cock crew loud,
¶And at the sound it shrunk in haste away
| ¶And vanished from our sight. | |
| ¶Hamlet | |
| 'Tis very strange. | |
415Horatio As I do live, my honored lord, 'tis true,
¶And we did think it writ down in our duty
¶To let you know of it.
¶Hamlet Indeed, sirs, but this troubles me.
| ¶Hold you the watch tonight? | |
| 420All | |
| We do, my lord. | |
¶Hamlet Armed, say you?
¶All Armed, my lord.
¶Hamlet From top to toe?
¶All My lord, from head to foot.
425Hamlet Then saw you not his face.
¶Horatio Oh, yes, my lord, he wore his beaver up.
¶Hamlet What looked he, frowningly?
¶Horatio A countenance more in sorrow than in anger.
¶Hamlet Pale, or red?
430Horatio Nay, very pale.
¶Hamlet And fixed his eyes upon you?
¶Horatio Most constantly.
¶Hamlet I would I had been there.
¶Horatio It would have much amazed you.
435Hamlet Very like. Stayed it long?
¶Horatio While one with moderate haste might tell a hundred.
¶Both Longer, longer.
¶Horatio Not when I saw't.
¶Hamlet His beard was grizzled, no?
440Horatio It was as I have seen it in his life,
| ¶A sable silvered. | |
| ¶Hamlet | |
| I will watch tonight. | |
| Perchance 'twill walk again. | |
| ¶Horatio | |
| I warr'nt it will. | |
¶Hamlet If it assume my noble father's person,
445I'll speak to it, though hell itself should gape
¶And bid me hold my peace. I pray you all,
¶If you have hitherto concealed this sight
¶Let it be tenable in your silence still,
¶And whatsomever else shall hap tonight,
450Give it an understanding but no tongue;
¶I will requite your loves. So, fare you well.
¶Upon the platform 'twixt eleven and twelve
| ¶I'll visit you. | |
| ¶All | |
| Our duty to your honor. | |
Exeunt [all but Hamlet].
455Hamlet Your loves, as mine to you. Farewell.
¶My father's spirit--in arms! All is not well.
¶I doubt some foul play. Would the night were come!
¶Till then, sit still, my soul. Fond deeds will rise,
¶Though all the earth o'erwhelm them, to men's eyes.
Exit.