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- Edition: Hamlet
Hamlet (Modern, Editor's Version)
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Welcome, dear Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Good gentlemen, he hath much talked of you,
Both your majesties
But we both obey,
Thanks, Rosencrantz, and gentle Guildenstern.
Thanks, Guildenstern, and gentle Rosencrantz.
Heavens make our presence and our practices
Ay, amen.
2.2.39.1Exeunt Rosencrantz and Guildenstern [and other Courtiers].
Th'ambassadors from Norway, my good lord,
Thou still hast been the father of good news.
Have I, my lord? Assure you, my good liege,
Oh, speak of that! That do I long to hear.
Give first admittance to th'ambassadors.
Thyself do grace to them, and bring them in.
2.2.53.1[Polonius goes to bring in the ambassadors.]
I doubt it is no other but the main:
Well, we shall sift him.--Welcome, my good friends.
Most fair return of greetings and desires.
2.2.76.1[Giving a letter to the King]
It likes us well,
2.2.85.1Exeunt Ambassadors.
This business is well ended.
More matter with less art.
Madam, I swear I use no art at all.
Came this from Hamlet to her?
Good madam, stay awhile, I will be faithful.
2.2.111.1[He reads the] letter.
"Doubt thou the stars are fire,
But how hath she received his love?
What do you think of me?
As of a man faithful and honorable.
I would fain prove so. But what might you think,
1137-
[To Queen] Do you think 'tis this?
It may be, very like.
Hath there been such a time--I'd fain know that--
Not that I know.
Take this from this, if this be otherwise.
How may we try it further?
You know sometimes he walks four hours together
So he does indeed.
At such a time, I'll loose my daughter to him.
We will try it.
But look where sadly the poor wretch comes reading.
Away, I do beseech you both, away.
2.2.164.1Exit King and Queen.
Well, God-a-mercy.
Do you know me, my lord?
Excellent, excellent well. You're a fishmonger.
Not I, my lord.
Then I would you were so honest a man.
Honest, my lord?
Ay, sir, to be honest, as this world goes, 1216is to be one man picked out of ten thousand.
That's very true, my lord.
For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a 1219good kissing carrion--Have you a daughter?
I have, my lord.
Let her not walk i'th' sun. Conception is a blessing, 12231249but as your daughter may conceive, friend, look to't.
[Aside] How say you by that? Still harping on my daughter. Yet he 12261251knew me not at first. 'A said I was a fishmonger. 'A is far gone, far gone. 12271252And truly, in my youth I suffered much extremity for love, very 12281253near this. I'll speak to him again.--What do you read, my 12291254lord?
Words, words, words.
What is the matter, my lord?
Between who?
I mean the matter that you read, my lord.
Slanders sir; for the satirical rogue says here that old 12351260men have gray beards, that their faces are wrinkled, their eyes 12361261purging thick amber and plumtree gum, and that they have a 12371262plentiful lack of wit, together with most weak hams--all which, sir, 12381263though I most powerfully and potently believe, yet I hold it not 12401264honesty to have it thus set down; for you yourself, sir, shall grow old 12411265as I am, if, like a crab, you could go backward.
[Aside] Though this be madness, yet there is method in't.--Will you 12441267walk out of the air, my lord?
Into my grave.
[Aside] Indeed, that's out of the air. How pregnant sometimes 12481270his replies are! A happiness that often madness hits on, 1251which reason 1271and sanity could not 1252so prosperously be delivered of. 1253I will leave 1272him, and 1254suddenly contrive the means of meeting 1255between him and my daughter.--1256My honorable lord, I will most humbly 1257take my leave of you.
You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will more 12591274willingly part withal--except my life, except my life, except my 12601275life.
2.2.186.1Enter Guildenstern and Rosencrantz.
Fare you well, my lord.
These tedious old fools!
[To Rosencrantz and Guildenstern] You go to seek the Lord Hamlet? There he is.
[To Polonius] God save you, sir.
2.2.190.1[Exit Polonius.]
My honored lord!
My most dear lord!
My excellent good friends! How dost thou, Guildenstern? 12701283Ah, Rosencrantz! Good lads, how do ye both?
As the indifferent children of the earth.
Nor the soles of her shoe?
Neither, my lord.
Then you live about her waist, or in the middle of her favors.
Faith, her privates we.
None, my lord, but that the world's grown honest.
Then is doomsday near. But your news is 1285 not true. Let me question more in particular. What have 1286you, my good friends, deserved at the hands of Fortune 1287that she sends you to prison hither?
Prison, my lord?
Denmark's a prison.
Then is the world one.
A goodly one, in which there are many 1292confines, wards, and dungeons, Denmark being one o'th' 1293worst.
We think not so, my lord.
Why, then 'tis none to you, for there is nothing 1296either good or bad but thinking makes it so. To me it is 1297a prison.
Why, then your ambition makes it one. 'Tis 1299too narrow for your mind.
Oh, God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and 1301count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that 1302I have bad dreams.
Which dreams indeed are ambition, for the 1304very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow 1305of a dream.
A dream itself is but a shadow.
Truly, and I hold ambition of so airy and 1308light a quality that it is but a shadow's shadow.
Then are our beggars bodies, and our 1310monarchs and outstretched heroes the beggars' shadows. 1311Shall we to th'court? For, by my fay, I cannot 1312reason.
We'll wait upon you.
No such matter. I will not sort you with the 1315rest of my servants, for, to speak to you like an honest 1316man, I am most dreadfully attended. 13171295But, in the beaten way of friendship, what make you at Elsinore?
To visit you, my lord, no other occasion.
Beggar that I am, I am even poor in thanks, but I 1320thank 1298you; and sure, dear friends, my thanks 1321are too dear a halfpenny. 1299Were you not sent for? Is it 1322your own inclining? Is it a free 1300visitation? Come, come, 1323deal justly with me. Come, come, nay, speak.
What should we say, my lord?
Why, anything--but to th' purpose. You were sent for, and there is 13261303a kind of confession in your looks which your modesties have not 13271304craft enough to color. I know the good King and Queen have 13281305sent for you.
To what end, my lord?
That you must teach me. But let me conjure 1331you, by the 1308rights of our fellowship, by the consonancy of 1332our youth, by the 1309obligation of our ever-preserved love, 1333and by what more dear a 1310better proposer could charge 1334you withal, be even and direct with 1311me whether you 1335were sent for or no.
[Aside to Guildenstern] What say you?
[Aside] Nay, then, I have an eye of you.--If you love me, 1338hold not off.
My lord, we were sent for.
I will tell you why; so shall my anticipation prevent your 13411316discovery, and your secrecy to the King and Queen molt no 13421317feather. I have of late, but wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth, 13431318forgone all custom of exercise; and indeed it goes so heavily with 13441319my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a 13451320sterile promontory. This most excellent canopy the air, look 13471321you, this brave o'erhanging firmament, this majestical roof 13481322fretted with golden fire, why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul 13491323and pestilent congregation of vapors. What a piece of work is a 13501324man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and 13511325moving how express and admirable! In action, how like an 13531326angel! In apprehension, how like a god; the beauty of the world; the 13541327paragon of animals. And yet to me what is this quintessence of 13551328dust? Man delights not me, no, nor woman neither, though by your 13561329smiling you seem to say so.
My lord, there was no such stuff in my thoughts.
Why did you laugh, then, when I said man delights not me?
To think, my lord, if you delight not in man, what lenten 13631333entertainment the players shall receive from you. We coted them 13641334on the way, and hither are they coming to offer you service.
He that plays the King shall be welcome; his 1367majesty shall 1336have tribute of me. The Adventurous 1368Knight shall use his foil and 1337target, the Lover shall 1369not sigh gratis, the Humorous Man shall end 1338his part in peace, the Clown shall make those laugh whose lungs 1370are tickled o'th' sear, and the Lady shall say her mind 1371freely, or the 13721339blank verse shall halt for't. What players are they?
How chances it they travel? Their residence both in 13771343reputation and profit was better both ways.
No, indeed, they are not.
How comes it? Do they grow rusty?
Nay, their endeavor keeps in the wonted 1386pace. But there is, sir, an eyrie of children, little 1387eyases, that cry out on the top of question, and 1388are most tyrannically clapped for't. These are now the 1389fashion, and so berattle the common stages--so they 1390call them--that many wearing rapiers are afraid of 1391goose quills and dare scarce come thither.
What, are they children? Who maintains 'em? 1393How are they escoted? Will they pursue the quality no 1394longer than they can sing? Will they not say afterwards, 1395if they should grow themselves to common players--as 1396it is most like if their means are not better--their 1397writers do them wrong to make them exclaim against their 1398own succession?
Faith, there has been much to-do on both sides, 1400and the nation holds it no sin to tarre them to 1401controversy. There was for a while no money bid for 1402argument unless the poet and the player went to cuffs in 1403the question.
Is't possible?
Oh, there has been much throwing about of 1406brains.
Do the boys carry it away?
Ay, that they do, my lord, Hercules and his load too.
It is not very strange, for my uncle is 1410King of Denmark, and 1350those that would make mows at him 1411while my father lived give 1351twenty, forty, fifty, a hundred 1412ducats apiece for his picture 1352in little. 'Sblood, there is 1413something in this more than natural, if 1353philosophy could 1414find it out.
There are the players.
Gentlemen, you are welcome to Elsinore. Your hands, come.14181356Th'appurtenance of welcome is fashion and ceremony. Let 14191357me comply with you in this garb, lest my extent to the players, 14201358which, I tell you, must show fairly outward, should more 14211359appear like entertainment than yours. You are welcome. But my 14221360uncle-father and aunt-mother are deceived.
In what, my dear lord?
Well be with you, gentlemen.
Hark you, Guildenstern, and you too, at each ear a hearer: 14301367that great baby you see there is not yet out of his swaddling clouts.
I will prophesy he comes to tell me of the 1435players. Mark it.-- 1371You say right, sir, o'Monday 1436morning, 'twas then indeed.
My lord, I have news to tell you.
The actors are come hither, my lord.
Buzz, buzz.
Upon my honor--
Then came each actor on his ass.
The best actors in the world, either for 1445tragedy, comedy, 1380history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, 1446historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-comical-historical-pastoral, scene 14471381individable, or poem 1448unlimited. Seneca cannot be too heavy nor 1382Plautus 1449too light. For the law of writ and the liberty, these are the 14501383only men.
O Jephthah, judge of Israel, what a treasure hadst thou?
What a treasure had he, my lord?
Why,
[Aside] Still on my daughter.
Am I not i'th' right, old Jephthah?
If you call me Jephthah, my lord, I have a daughter that I love passing well.
Nay, that follows not.
What follows then, my lord?
Why,
2.2.273and then you know,
2.2.276The first row of the pious chanson will 14641395show you more, for look where my 1465abridgment comes.
You are welcome, masters, welcome all.--I am glad to see thee 14681398well. Welcome, good friends.--Oh, my old friend! Thy face is 14691399valanced since I saw thee last. Com'st thou to beard me in Denmark?-- 14701400What, my young lady and mistress! By'r Lady, your ladyship is 14711401nearer heaven than when I saw you last, by the altitude of a 14721402chopine. Pray God your voice, like a piece of uncurrent gold, 14731403be not cracked 1474within the ring.--Masters, you are all welcome. 1404We'll e'en 1475to't, like French falconers: fly at anything we see. 1405 We'll 1476have a speech straight. Come, give us a taste of your quality. 14771406Come, a passionate speech.
What speech, my good lord?
I heard thee speak me a speech once, but it was never acted, 14801409or, if it was, not above once; for the play, I remember, pleased not 14811410the million, 'twas caviare to the general. But it was, as I received 14821411it, and others whose 1483judgments in such matters cried in the top 1412of mine, an 1484excellent play, well digested in the scenes, set down 14851413with as much modesty as cunning. I remember one said there 14861414were no sallets in the lines to make the matter savory, 1487nor no 1415matter in the phrase that might indict the 1488author of affectation, 1416but called it an honest method, 1488.1as wholesome as sweet, and by very 1417much more handsome than fine. 1489One speech in't I chiefly loved: 1418 'twas Aeneas' tale 1490to Dido, and thereabout of it especially where he 1419speaks 1491of Priam's slaughter. If it live in your memory, begin at 14921420this line--let me see, let me see--
2.2.281'Tis not so, it begins with Pyrrhus.
2.2.295So proceed you.
'Fore God, my Lord, well spoken, with good accent and good discretion.
Anon he finds him,
This is too long.
It shall to the barber's with your beard.--1540Prithee, say on. He's 1468for a jig, or a tale of bawdry, or he sleeps. 1541Say on. Come to Hecuba..
But who, oh, who, had seen the moblèd queen--.
The moblèd queen!
That's good. "Mobleèd queen" is good.
Run barefoot up and down, 1546threat'ning the flames
'Tis well. I'll have thee speak out the rest of this soon. 15631489[To Polonius] Good my lord, will you see the players well bestowed? Do ye 15641490hear, let them be well used, for they are the abstracts and brief 15651491chronicles of the time. After your death you were better have a 15661492bad epitaph than their ill report while you live.
My lord, I will use them according to their desert.
God's bodykins, man, much better. Use every man after his 15711495desert and who should scape whipping? Use them after your own honor 15721496and dignity; the less they deserve, the more merit is in your 15731497bounty. Take them in.
Come, sirs.
2.2.350.1Exit Polonius.
Follow him, friends. We'll hear a play tomorrow. [Aside to the First Player]
Ay, my lord.
We'll ha't tomorrow night. You could for a need study 15811503a speech of some dozen or sixteen lines, which I would set 15821504down and insert in't, could you not?
Ay, my lord.
Very well. Follow that lord, and look you mock him not.
2.2.355.1Exeunt Players.
Good my lord.
Ay, so, God b'wi' you.
Now I am alone.
2.2.414.1Exit.