191Flourish. Enter Claudius, King of Denmark, Gertrude the Queen, 176192Council--as Polonius and his son Laertes, 177193Hamlet, with others [including Voltemand and Cornelius]. Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother's death
180195The memory be green, and that it us befitted
181196To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom
182197To be contracted in one brow of woe,
183198Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature
184199That we with wisest sorrow think on him
185200Together with remembrance of ourselves.
186201Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen,
187202Th'imperial jointress to this warlike state,
188203Have we as 'twere with a defeated joy,
189204With an auspicious and a dropping eye,
190205With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage,
191206In equal scale weighing delight and dole,
192207Taken to wife. Nor have we herein barred
193208Your better wisdoms, which have freely gone
194209With this affair along. For all, our thanks.
195210Now follows that you know young Fortinbras,
196211Holding a weak supposal of our worth,
197212Or thinking by our late dear brother's death
198213Our state to be disjoint and out of frame,
199214Co-leaguèd with this dream of his advantage,
200215He hath not failed to pester us with message
201216Importing the surrender of those lands
202217Lost by his father, with all bands of law,
203218To our most valiant brother. So much for him.
205219Now for ourself, and for this time of meeting,
206220Thus much the business is: we have here writ
207221To Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras,
208222Who, impotent and bed-rid, scarcely hears
209223Of this his nephew's purpose, to suppress
210224His further gait herein, in that the levies,
211225The lists, and full proportions are all made
212226Out of his subject; and we here dispatch
213227You, good Cornelius, and you, Voltemand,
214228For bearers of this greeting to old Norway,
215229Giving to you no further personal power
216230To business with the King more than the scope
217231Of these delated articles allow.
218232Farewell, and let your haste commend your duty.
219233Cornelius and Voltemand In that and all things will we show our duty.
We doubt it nothing. Heartily farewell.
41.1221[Exeunt Voltemand and Cornelius.] 222235And now, Laertes, what's the news with you?
223236You told us of some suit. What is't, Laertes?
224237You cannot speak of reason to the Dane
225238And lose your voice. What wouldst thou beg, Laertes,
226239That shall not be my offer, not thy asking?
227240The head is not more native to the heart,
228241The hand more instrumental to the mouth,
229242Than is the throne of Denmark to thy father.
230243What wouldst thou have, Laertes?
My dread lord,
232245Your leave and favor to return to France,
233246From whence though willingly I came to Denmark
234247To show my duty in your coronation,
235248Yet now I must confess, that duty done,
236249My thoughts and wishes bend again toward France
237250And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon.
Have you your father's leave? What says Polonius?
H'ath, my lord, wrung from me my slow leave
240.1253By laborsome petition, and at last
240.2254Upon his will I sealed my hard consent.
241255I do beseech you, give him leave to go.
Take thy fair hour, Laertes. Time be thine,
243257And thy best graces spend it at thy will.
244258But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son--
A little more than kin, and less than kind.
How is it that the clouds still hang on you?
Not so much, my lord, I am too much in the "son."
Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted color off
249263And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.
250264Do not forever with thy vailèd lids
251265Seek for thy noble father in the dust.
252266Thou know'st 'tis common: all that lives must die,
253267Passing through nature to eternity.
Ay, madam, it is common.
If it be,
256270Why seems it so particular with thee?
"Seems," madam? Nay, it is, I know not "seems."
258272'Tis not alone my inky cloak, cold mother,
259273Nor customary suits of solemn black,
260274Nor windy suspiration of forced breath,
261275No, nor the fruitful river in the eye,
262276Nor the dejected havior of the visage,
263277Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief
264278That can denote me truly. These indeed seem,
265279For they are actions that a man might play.
266280But I have that within which passes show;
267281These but the trappings and the suits of woe.
'Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet,
270283To give these mourning duties to your father.
271284But you must know your father lost a father;
272285That father lost, lost his, and the survivor bound
273286In filial obligation for some term
274287To do obsequious sorrow; but to persever
275288In obstinate condolement is a course
276289Of impious stubbornness. 'Tis unmanly grief.
277290It shows a will most incorrect to heaven,
278291A heart unfortified, or mind impatient,
279292An understanding simple and unschooled;
280293For what we know must be and is as common
281294As any the most vulgar thing to sense,
282295Why should we in our peevish opposition
283296Take it to heart? Fie, 'tis a fault to .heaven,
284297A fault against the dead, a fault to nature,
285298To reason most absurd, whose common theme
286299Is death of fathers, and who still hath cried
287300From the first corse till he that died today
288301"This must be so." We pray you throw to earth
289302This unprevailing woe, and think of us
290303As of a father; for let the world take note
291304You are the most immediate to our throne,
292305And with no less nobility of love
293306Than that which dearest father bears his son
294307Do I impart toward you. For your intent
295308In going back to school in Wittenberg,
296309It is most retrograde to our desire,
297310And we beseech you bend you to remain
298311Here in the cheer and comfort of our eye,
299312Our chiefest courtier, cousin, and our son.
Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet.
301314I pray thee stay with us, go not to Wittenberg.
I shall in all my best obey you, madam.
Why, 'tis a loving and a fair reply.
305317Be as ourself in Denmark.--Madam, come.
306318This gentle and unforced accord of Hamlet
307319Sits smiling to my heart, in grace whereof
308320No jocund health that Denmark drinks today
309321But the great cannon to the clouds shall tell,
310322And the King's rouse the heaven shall bruit again,
311323Respeaking earthly thunder. Come, away!
128.1Flourish. Exeunt all but Hamlet. Oh, that this too too sallied flesh would melt,
314325Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!
315326Or that the Everlasting had not fixed
316327His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! Oh, God, God,
317328How w[e]ary, stale, flat, and unprofitable
318329Seem to me all the uses of this world!
319330Fie on't, ah, fie! 'Tis an unweeded garden
320331That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature
321332Possess it merely. That it should come thus!
322333But two months dead--nay, not so much, not two!
323334So excellent a king, that was to this
324335Hyperion to a satyr, so loving to my mother
325336That he might not beteem the winds of heaven
326337Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth,
327338Must I remember? Why, she should hang on him
328339As if increase of appetite had grown
329340By what it fed on. And yet within a month--
330341Let me not think on't; frailty, thy name is woman!
331342A little month, or ere those shoes were old
332343With which she followed my poor father's body,
333344Like Niobe, all tears, why, she--
334345Oh, God, a beast that wants discourse of reason
335346Would have mourned longer!--married with my uncle,
336347My father's brother, but no more like my father
337348Than I to Hercules. Within a month,
338349Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears
339350Had left the flushing in her gallèd eyes,
340351She married. Oh, most wicked speed, to post
341352With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!
342353It is not, nor it cannot come to good,
343354But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue.
Hail to your lordship!
I am glad to see you well.--
347Horatio, or I do forget myself!
The same, my lord, and your poor servant ever.
Sir, my good friend, I'll change that name with you.
352360And what make you from Wittenberg,
Horatio?--
My good lord.
I am very glad to see you. [To Barnardo.] Good even, sir.
356364[To Horatio] But what, in faith, make you from Wittenberg?
A truant disposition, good my lord.
I would not hear your enemy say so,
359367Nor shall you do my ear that violence
360368To make it truster of your own report
361369Against yourself. I know you are no truant.
362370But what is your affair in Elsinore?
363371We'll teach you for to drink ere you depart.
My lord, I came to see your father's funeral.
I prithee do not mock me, fellow student.
366374I think it was to [see] my mother's wedding.
Indeed, my lord, it followed hard upon.
Thrift, thrift, Horatio. The funeral baked meats
369377Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.
182370378Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven
183371379Or ever I had seen that day, Horatio!
184372380My father--methinks I see my father.
Where, my lord?
In my mind's eye, Horatio.
I saw him once. 'A was a goodly king.
'A was a man, take him for all in all,
188377385I shall not look upon his like again.
My lord, I think I saw him yesternight.
Saw? Who?
My lord, the King your father.
The King my father?
Season your admiration for a while
194383391With an attent ear till I may deliver,
195384392Upon the witness of these gentlemen,
For God's love, let me hear!
Two nights together had these gentlemen,
198388396Marcellus and Barnardo, on their watch
199389397In the dead waste and middle of the night
200390398Been thus encountered: a figure like your father
202392400Appears before them, and with solemn march
203393401Goes slow and stately by them. Thrice he walked
204394402By their oppressed and fear-surprisèd eyes
205395403 Within his truncheon's length, whilst they, distilled
206396404Almost to jelly with the act of fear,
207397405Stand dumb and speak not to him. This to me
208398406In dreadful secrecy impart they did,
209399407And I with them the third night kept the watch,
210400408Where, as they had delivered, both in time,
211401409Form of the thing, each word made true and good,
212402410The apparition comes. I knew your father.
But where was this?
My lord, upon the platform where we watch.
Did you not speak to it?
My lord, I did,
216408416But answer made it none. Yet once methought
217409417It lifted up it head and did address
218410418Itself to motion, like as it would speak;
219411419But even then the morning cock crew loud,
220412420And at the sound it shrunk in haste away
'Tis very strange.
As I do live, my honored lord, 'tis true,
223416424And we did think it writ down in our duty
Indeed, sirs, but this troubles me.
We do, my lord.
Armed, say you?
Armed, my lord.
From top to toe?
My lord, from head to foot.
Then saw you not his face.
Oh, yes, my lord, he wore his beaver up.
What looked he, frowningly?
A countenance more in sorrow than in anger.
Pale, or red?
Nay, very pale.
And fixed his eyes upon you?
Most constantly.
I would I had been there.
It would have much amazed you.
Very like. Stayed it long?
While one with moderate haste might tell a hundred.
Longer, longer.
Not when I saw't.
His beard was grizzled, no?
It was as I have seen it in his life,
I will watch tonight.
248451Perchance 'twill walk again.
I warr'nt it will.
If it assume my noble father's person,
250445454I'll speak to it, though hell itself should gape
251446455And bid me hold my peace. I pray you all,
252447456If you have hitherto concealed this sight
253448457Let it be tenable in your silence still,
254449458And whatsomever else shall hap tonight,
255450459Give it an understanding but no tongue;
256451460I will requite your loves. So, fare you well.
257452461Upon the platform 'twixt eleven and twelve
Our duty to your honor.
258.1Exeunt [all but Hamlet]. Your loves, as mine to you. Farewell.
260456465My father's spirit--in arms! All is not well.
261457466I doubt some foul play. Would the night were come!
262458467Till then, sit still, my soul. Fond deeds will rise,
263459468Though all the earth o'erwhelm them, to men's eyes.