2688Enter Horatio, [Queen] Gertrude, and a Gentleman. I will not speak with her.
She is importunate,
2691Indeed, distract. Her mood
2747will needs be pitied.
What would she have?
She speaks much of her father, says she hears
27502694There's tricks i'th' world, and hems, and beats her heart,
27512695Spurns enviously at straws, speaks things in doubt
27522696That carry but half sense. Her speech is nothing,
27532697Yet the unshapèd use of it doth move
27542698The hearers to collection; they yawn at it,
27552699And botch the words up fit to their own thoughts,
27562700Which, as her winks and nods and gestures yield them,
27572701Indeed would make one think there might be thought,
27582702Though nothing sure, yet much unhappily.
'Twere good she were spoken with, for she may strew
27602704Dangerous conjectures in ill-breeding minds.
[Exit Gentleman.]
[Aside] To my sick soul, as sin's true nature is,
27632708Each toy seems prologue to some great amiss.
27642709So full of artless jealousy is guilt,
27652710It spills itself in fearing to be spilt.
Enter Ophelia.
Where is the beauteous majesty of Denmark?
How now, Ophelia?
She sings.
How should I your true love know
From another one?
And his sandal shoon.
Alas, sweet lady, what imports this song?
Say you? Nay, pray you, mark.
He is dead and gone, lady,
He is dead and gone.
At his heels a stone.
Nay, but Ophelia--
Pray you, mark.
Song.
2778White his shroud as the mountain snow--
Alas, look here, my lord.
Song.
Larded all with sweet flowers,
27812725Which bewept to the ground did not go
How do you, pretty lady?
Well Good dild you. They say the owl was a baker's
27852729daughter. Lord, we know what we are, but know not what we may be.
Conceit upon her father.
Pray let's have no words of this, but when they ask you
27892733what it means, say you this:
Tomorrow is Saint Valentine's Day,
2735All in the morning betime,
2737To be your Valentine.
27922738Then up he rose, and donned his close
And dupped the chamber door,
27932739Let in the maid, that out a maid
Never departed more.
Pretty Ophelia--
Indeed? Without an oath I'll make an end on't.
By Gis and by Saint Charity,
27982744Young men will do't if they come to't;
28002746Quoth she, "Before you tumbled me,
2801You promised me to wed."
"So would I ha' done, by yonder sun,
28032748An thou hadst not come to my bed."
How long hath she been thus?
I hope all will be well. We must be patient. But I cannot choose
28062751but weep to think they would lay him i'th' cold ground. My brother
28072752shall know of it. And so I thank you for your good counsel. Come,
28082753my coach! Good night, ladies, good night,
28092754sweet ladies, good night, good night.
[To Horatio] Follow her close.
2812Give her good watch, I pray you.
28132756Oh, this is the poison of deep grief! It springs
death and now behold!
Oh, Gertrude, Gertrude,
28152758When sorrows come, they come not single spies
28162759But in battalions. First, her father slain;
28172760Next, your son gone, and he most violent author
28182761Of his own just remove; the people muddied,
28192762Thick and unwholesome in thoughts and whispers
28202763For good Polonius' death, and we have done but greenly
28212764In hugger-mugger to inter him; poor Ophelia
28222765Divided from herself and her fair judgment,
28232766Without the which we are pictures or mere beasts;
28242767Last, and as much containing as all these,
28252768Her brother is in secret come from France,
28262769Feeds on this wonder, keeps himself in clouds,
28272770And wants not buzzers to infect his ear
28282771With pestilent speeches of his father's death,
28292772Wherein necessity, of matter beggared,
28302773Will nothing stick our person to arraign
28312774In ear and ear. O my dear Gertrude, this,
28322775Like to a murd'ring piece, in many places
A noise within.
Attend!
Where is my Switzers? Let them guard the door.
What is the matter? 28382780Messenger Save yourself, my lord!
28392781The ocean, overpeering of his list,
28402782Eats not the flats with more impiteous haste
28412783Than young Laertes, in a riotous head,
28422784O'erbears your officers. The rabble call him lord,
28432785And, as the world were now but to begin,
28442786Antiquity forgot, custom not known,
28452787The ratifiers and props of every word,
28462788The[y] cry, "Choose we! Laertes shall be king!"
28472789Caps, hands, and tongues applaud it to the clouds:
28482790"Laertes shall be king, Laertes king!"
How cheerfully on the false trail they cry!
A noise within.
28502792Oh, this is counter, you false Danish dogs!
The doors are broke.
Where is this king?--Sirs, stand you all without.
No, let's come in.
I pray you, give me leave.
We will, we will.
I thank you. Keep the door.
109.1[Exeunt followers and Messenger.] I thank you. Keep the door. O thou vile king,
Calmly, good Laertes.
That drop of blood that's calm proclaims me bastard,
28622803Cries "Cuckold!" to my father, brands the harlot
28632804Even here between the chaste unsmirchèd brow
What is the cause, Laertes,
28662807That thy rebellion looks so giant-like?--
28672808Let him go, Gertrude. Do not fear our person.
28682809There's such divinity doth hedge a king
28692810That treason can but peep to what it would,
28702811Acts little of his will.--Tell me, Laertes,
28712812Why thou art thus incensed?--Let him go, Gertrude.--
Speak, man. Where is my father?
Dead.
But not by him.
Let him demand his fill.
How came he dead? I'll not be juggled with.
28782819To hell, allegiance! Vows, to the blackest devil!
28792820Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit!
28802821I dare damnation. To this point I stand,
28812822That both the worlds I give to negligence,
28822823Let come what comes, only I'll be revenged
Who shall stay you?
My will, not all the world's.
28862827And for my means, I'll husband them so well
Good Laertes,
2889If you desire to know the certainty
28902830Of your dear father, is't writ in your revenge
28912831That, swoopstake, you will draw both friend and foe,
None but his enemies.
Will you know them, then?
To his good friends thus wide I'll ope my arms,
28962836And, like the kind life-rend'ring pelican,
Why, now you speak
28992839Like a good child and a true gentleman.
29002840That I am guiltless of your father's death,
29012841And am most sensibly in grief for it,
29022842It shall as level to your judgment 'pear
A noise within.
Let her come in.
29072847O heat, dry up my brains! Tears seven times salt
29082848Burn out the sense and virtue of mine eye!
29092849By heaven, thy madness shall be paid with weight
29102850Till our scale turn the beam. O rose of May,
29112851Dear maid, kind sister, sweet Ophelia!
29122852O heavens, is't possible a young maid's wits
29132853Should be as mortal as a poor man's life?
2914Nature is fine in love, and where 'tis fine
2915It sends some precious instance of itself
2916After the thing it loves.
Song.
They bore him bare-faced on the bier,
29192855And in his grave rained many a tear.
Hadst thou thy wits, and didst persuade revenge,
You must sing "a-down, a-down,"
2860an you call
2924him "a-down-a." Oh, how the wheel becomes it!
2861It is
2925the false steward that stole his master's daughter.
This nothing's more than matter.
There's rosemary; that's for remembrance. Pray you, love,
29282864remember. And there is pansies; that's for thoughts.
A document in madness, thoughts and remembrance fitted.
There's fennel for you, and columbines. There's rue for
29332867you, and here's some for me; we may call it herb of grace o'Sundays.
29342868You may wear your rue with a difference. There's a daisy. I would
29352869give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died.
29372870They say 'a made a good end.
29382871For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy.
Thought and afflictions, passion, hell itself
29402873She turns to favor and to prettiness.
Song.
And will 'a not come again?
Go to thy deathbed,
And we cast away moan.
2949And of all Christians' souls, I pray God.
29502882God b'wi'you!
183.1[Exit Ophelia, followed by the Queen.] Do you [see] this, O God?
Laertes, I must commune with your grief,
29532885Or you deny me right. Go but apart,
29542886Make choice of whom your wisest friends you will,
29552887And they shall hear and judge 'twixt you and me.
29562888If by direct or by collateral hand
29572889They find us touched, we will our kingdom give,
29582890Our crown, our life, and all that we call ours
29592891To you in satisfaction; but if not,
29602892Be you content to lend your patience to us,
29612893And we shall jointly labor with your soul
Let this be so.
29642896His means of death, his obscure funeral--
29652897No trophy, sword, nor hatchment o'er his bones,
29662898No noble rite, nor formal ostentation--
29672899Cry to be heard as 'twere from heaven to earth,
So you shall,
29702902And where th'offense is, let the great ax fall.