Whither wilt thou lead me? Speak. I'll go no further.

Mark me.

Mark me. I will.

My hour is almost come

686718When I to sulf'rous and tormenting flames

687719Must render up myself.

Alas, poor ghost!

Pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing

690722To what I shall unfold.

Speak. I am bound to hear.

So art thou to revenge, when thou shalt hear.

What?

I am thy father's spirit,

695727Doomed for a certain term to walk the night,

696728And for the day confined to fast in fires,

697729Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature

698730Are burnt and purged away. But that I am forbid

699731To tell the secrets of my prison house,

700732I could a tale unfold whose lightest word

701733Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood,

702734Make thy two eyes like stars start from their spheres,

703735Thy knotted and combinèd locks to part,

704736And each particular hair to stand on end

705737Like quills upon the fearful porpentine.

706738But this eternal blazon must not be

707739To ears of flesh and blood. List, list, oh, list:

708740If thou didst ever thy dear father love--

O God!

Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.

Murder?

Murder most foul, as in the best it is,

713745But this most foul, strange, and unnatural.

Haste me to know't, 715that I with wings as swift

716747As meditation or the thoughts of love

717748May sweep to my revenge.

I find thee apt,

719750And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed

720751That roots itself in ease on Lethe wharf

721752Wouldst thou not stir in this. Now, Hamlet, hear:

722753'Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard,

723754A serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark

724755Is by a forgèd process of my death

725756Rankly abused. But know, thou noble youth,

726757The serpent that did sting thy father's life

727758Now wears his crown.

Oh, my prophetic soul! My uncle?

Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast,

730761With witchcraft of his wits, with traitorous gifts--

731762Oh, wicked wit and gifts, that have the power

732763So to seduce!--won to his shameful lust

733764The will of my most seeming virtuous queen.

734765Oh, Hamlet, what falling off was there!

735766From me, whose love was of that dignity

736767That it went hand in hand even with the vow

737768I made to her in marriage, and to decline

738769Upon a wretch whose natural gifts were poor

739770To those of mine. But virtue, as it never will be moved,

740771Though lewdness court it in a shape of heaven,

741772So but though to a radiant angel linked,

742773Will sort itself in a celestial bed

774And prey on garbage.

743775But soft, methinks I scent the morning air.

744776Brief let me be. Sleeping within my orchard,

745777My custom always of the afternoon,

746778Upon my secure hour, thy uncle stole

747779With juice of cursèd hebona in a vial,

748780And in the porches of my ears did pour

749781The lep'rous distillment, whose effect

750782Holds such an enmity with blood of man

751783That swift as quicksilver it courses through

752784The natural gates and alleys of the body,

753785And with a sudden vigor it doth possess

754786And curd like eager droppings into milk

755787The thin and wholesome blood; so did it mine,

756788And a most instant tetter barked about

757789Most lazarlike with vile and loathsome crust

758790All my smooth body.

759791Thus was I sleeping by a brother's hand

760792Of life, of crown, of queen at once dispatched,

761793Cut off even in the blossoms of my sin,

762794Unhousled, disappointed, unaneled,

763795No reck'ning made, but sent to my account

764796With all my imperfections on my head.

765797Oh, horrible, oh, horrible, most horrible!

766798If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not.

767799Let not the royal bed of Denmark be

768800A couch for luxury and damnèd incest.

769801But howsomever thou pursues this act,

770802Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive

771803Against thy mother aught; leave her to heaven

772804And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge

773805To prick and sting her. Fare thee well at once.

774806The glow-worm shows the matin to be near

775807And 'gins to pale his uneffectual fire.

776808Adieu, adieu, adieu! Remember me.

O all you host of heaven! O earth! What else?

778810And shall I couple hell? Oh, fie! Hold, hold, my heart,

779811And you, my sinews, grow not instant old,

780812But bear me swiftly up. Remember thee?

781813Ay, thou poor ghost, whiles memory holds a seat

782814In this distracted globe. Remember thee?

783815Yea, from the table of my memory

784816I'll wipe away all trivial fond records,

785817All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past

786818That youth and observation copied there,

787819And thy commandment all alone shall live

788820Within the book and volume of my brain,

789821Unmixed with baser matter. Yes, by heaven.

790822Oh, most pernicious woman!

791823Oh, villain, villain, smiling damnèd villain!

792824My tables--meet it is I set it down

793825That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain.

794826At least I am sure it may be so in Denmark.

795827So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word.

796828It is "Adieu, adieu, remember me."

829I have sworn't.

My lord, my lord!

Lord Hamlet!

Heavens secure him!

So be it.

Illo, ho, ho, my lord!

Hillo, ho, ho, boy, come, and come!

How is't, my noble lord?

What news, my lord?

Oh, wonderful!

Good my lord, tell it.

No, you will reveal it.

Not I, my lord, by heaven.

Nor I, my lord.

How say you then, would heart of man once think it--

812845But you'll be secret?

Ay, by heaven.

There's never a villain848dwelling in all Denmark

815849But he's an arrant knave.

There needs no ghost, my lord, come from the grave

817851To tell us this.

Why, right, you are in the right.

819853And so, without more circumstance at all

820854I hold it fit that we shake hands and part:

821855You as your business and desire shall point you

822856(For every man hath business and desire,

823857Such as it is), and for my own poor part

824858I will go pray.

These are but wild and whirling words, my lord.

I am sorry they offend you--heartily,

827861Yes, faith, heartily.

There's no offense, my lord.

Yes, by Saint Patrick, but there is, Horatio,

830864And much offense too. Touching this vision here,

831865It is an honest ghost, that let me tell you.

832866For your desire to know what is between us,

833867O'ermaster it as you may. And now, good friends,

834868As you are friends, scholars, and soldiers,

835869Give me one poor request.

What is't, my lord? We will.

Never make known what you have seen tonight.

My lord, we will not.

Nay, but swear't.

In faith, my lord, not I.

Nor I, my lord, in faith.

Upon my sword.

We have sworn, my lord, already.

Indeed, upon my sword, indeed.

Swear.

Ha, ha, boy, say'st thou so? Art thou there, truepenny?--

847882Come on, you hear this fellow in the cellarage.

848883Consent to swear.

Propose the oath, my lord.

Never to speak of this that you have seen.

851886Swear by my sword.

Swear.

Hic et ubique? Then we'll shift our ground.

854889Come hither, gentlemen,

855890And lay your hands again upon my sword.

857891Swear by my sword

856892Never to speak of this that you have heard.

Swear by his sword.

Well said, old mole. Canst work i'th' earth so fast?

860895A worthy pioneer!--Once more remove, good friends.

Oh, day and night, but this is wondrous strange.

And therefore as a stranger give it welcome.

863898There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,

864899Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. But come,

865900Here as before: never, so help you mercy,

866901How strange or odd some'er I bear myself

867902(As I perchance hereafter shall think meet

868903To put an antic disposition on),

869904That you at such times seeing me never shall,

870905With arms encumbered thus, or this headshake,

871906Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase

872907As, "Well, well, we know," or "We could an if we would,"

873908Or "If we list to speak," or "There be, an if they might,"

874909Or such ambiguous giving out, to note

875910That you know aught of me. This do swear,

876911So grace and mercy at your most need help you.

Swear.

Rest, rest, perturbèd spirit.--So, gentlemen,

880914With all my love I do commend me to you,

881915And what so poor a man as Hamlet is

882916May do t'express his love and friending to you,

883917God willing, shall not lack. Let us go in together,

884918And still your fingers on your lips, I pray.

885919The time is out of joint. Oh, cursèd spite,

886920That ever I was born to set it right!

887921Nay, come, let's go together.