Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.

Persons Represented.

FRANCISCO, a Soldier.

HAMLET, Son to the former, and Nephew to the REYNALDO, Servant to Polonius.

SCENE I.-ELSINORE. A PLATFORM BEFORE And will not let belief take hold of him,

That hath a stomach 10 in't: which is no other This bird of dawning singeth all night long:

King. Though yet of Hamlet our dear bro-
ther's death

The memory be green; and that it us befitted
To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole king-
To be contracted in one brow of woe;
[dom
Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature,
That we with wisest sorrow think on him,
Together with remembrance of ourselves.
Therefore, our sometime sister, now our queen,
The imperial jointress of this warlike state,
Have we, as 'twere, with a defeated joy,-
With one auspicious, and one dropping eye;
With mirth in funeral, and with dirge in marri-
In equal scale weighing delight and dole, 1- [age,
Taken to wife: nor have we herein barr'd
Your better wisdoms, which have freely gone
With this affair along:-For all, our thanks.

Now follows, that you know, young Fortin-
Holding a weak supposal of our worth;
[bras.
Or thinking, by our late dear brother's death,
Our state to be disjoint and out of frame,
Colleagued with this dream of his advantage,
He hath not fail'd 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.
Now 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
His further gait herein; in that the levies,
The lists, and full proportions, are all made
Out of his subject:-and we here despatch
You, good Cornelius, and you, Voltimand,
For bearers of this greeting to old Norway;
Giving to you no further personal power
To business with the king, more than the scope
Of these dilated articles allow.
[duty.

Farewell; and let your haste commend your
Cor. Vol. In that, and all things, will we show
our duty.

King. We doubt it nothing; heartily farewell.
[Exeunt Voltimand 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,

And 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.
What wouldst thou have, Laertes?

Laer.
My dread lord,
Your leave and favour to return to France;

King. Have you your father's leave? What says Polonius? [slow leave, Pol. He hath, my lord, wrung from me my By laboursome petition; and, at last, Upon his will I seal'd my hard consent: I do beseech you, give him leave to go.

K. 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,
Ham. [Aside.] A little more than kin, and
less than kind.

K. How is it that the clouds still hang on you?
H. Not so, my lord, I am too much i' the sun.

Q. Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour off,
And let thine eye look like a friend on Den-
Do not, for ever, with thy vailed lids [mark.
Seek for thy noble father in the dust:
Thou know'st 'tis common; all that live, must
Passing through nature to eternity.
[die,
Ham. Ay, madam, it is common.
Queen.

If it be,

Why seems it so particular with thee? [seems.
H. Seems, madam! nay, it is; I know not
'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother,
Nor customary suits of solemn black,
Nor windy suspiration of forc'd breath,
No, nor the fruitful river in the eye,
Nor the dejected haviour of the visage,
Together with all forms, modes, shows of grief,
That can denote me truly: These, indeed, seem,
For they are actions that a man might play:
But I have that within, which passeth show;
These, but the trappings and the suits of woe.
King. 'Tis sweet and commendable in your

nature, Hamlet,

To give these mourning duties to your father:
But, you must know, your father lost a father;
That father lost his; and the survivor bound
In filial obligation, for some term

To do obsequious sorrow: But to perséver
In 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:
For 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,
To reason most absurd; whose common theme
Is death of fathers, and who still hath cried,
From the first corse, till he that died to-day,
This must be so. We pray you, throw to earth
This unprevailing woe; and think of us
As 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
In going back to school in Wittenberg,

From whence, though willingly, I came to Den- It is most retrograde to our desire:
To show my duty in your coronation; [mark,
Yet now I must confess, that duty done,
My thoughts and wishes bend again toward
[don.
And bow them to your gracious leave and par-

France,

And, we beseech you, bend you to remain
Here, in the cheer and comfort of our eye,
Our chiefest courtier, cousin, and our son.
Queen. Let not thy mother lose her prayers,
Hamlet;

I pray thee stay with us, go not to Wittenberg.

Ham. I shall in all my best obey you, madam.
King. Why, 'tis a loving and a fair reply;
Be as ourself in Denmark. -Madam, come;
This gentle and unfore'd accord of Hamlet
Sits smiling to my heart: in grace whereof,
No jocund health, that Denmark drinks to-day,
But the great cannon to the clouds shall tell; I think, it was to see my mother's wedding.
And the king's rousel the heaven shall bruit 2

Against yourself: I know, you are no truant.
But what is your affair in Elsinore?
We'll teach you to drink deep ere you depart.
Hor. My lord, I came to see your father's
funeral.
[student;
Ham. I pray thee, do not mock me, fellow-

Hor. Indeed, my lord, it follow'd hard upon. Ham. Thrift, thrift, Horatio! the funeral bak'd meats

again,

Re-speaking earthly thunder. Come away.

[Exeunt King, Queen, Lords, &c., Polonius, and Laertes.

Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.
'Would I had met my dearest1 foe in heaven
Or ever I had seen that day, Horatio!-
My father,-Methinks, I see my father.
Hor.
Where,

Ham. In my mind's eye, Horatio.

Seem to me all the uses of this world!

Hor. I saw him once, he was a goodly king.

Fie on't! O fie! 'tis an unweeded garden,

Ham. He was a man, take him for all in all,

nature,

Possess it merely. That it should come to this!

His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God! My lord?

How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable

That grows to seed; things rank, and gross in I shall not look upon his like again.

But two months dead! -nay, not so much, not

A little month; or ere those shoes were old,
With which she follow'd my poor father's body,
Like Niobe, all tears;-why she, even she, -
Oheaven! a beast, that wants discourse of reason,
Would have mourn'd 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 galled eyes,
She married:-0 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, Bernardo, and Marcellus.

Hor. Hail to your lordship!
Ham.

I am glad to see you well:
Horatio, or I do forget myself.

Hor. The same, my lord, and your poor ser

But what, in faith, make you from Wittenberg?
Hor. A truant disposition, good my lord.
Ham. I would not hear your enemy say so:

Nor shall you do mine ear that violence,
To make it truster of your own report

The king my father!

Hor. Season your admiration for a while
With an attent ear; till I may deliver,
Upon the witness of these gentlemen,
This marvel to you.

Ham. For Heaven's love, let me hear.
Hor. Two nights together had these gentlemen,
Marcellus and Bernardo, on their watch,
In the dead waist and middle of the night,
Been thus encounter'd. A figure like your father,
Armed at point,2 exactly cap-à-pé,
Appears before them, and, with solemn march
Goes slow and stately by them: thrice he walk'd,
By their oppress'd and fear-surprised eyes,
Within his truncheon's length; whilst they,

But answer made it none: yet once, methought,
It lifted up its head, and did address
Itself 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 vanish'd from our sight.

Ham.

"Tis very strange.

Hor. As I do live, my honour'd lord, 'tis true;

And we did think it writ down in our duty,
To let you know of it.

Ham. Indeed, indeed, sirs, but this troubles
Hold you the watch to-night?

All.

Ham. Arm'd, say you?

[me.

We do, my lord.

Arm'd, my lord. 2 Completely.

Ham.

From top to toe?

Then saw you not

All. My lord, from head to foot.

Ham.

His face?

Hor. O, yes, my lord! he wore his beaver1 up.
Ham. What, look'd he frowningly?
Hor.

In sorrow than in anger.
Ham.

Hor. Nay, very pale.

Ham.

A countenance more

Pale, or red?

And fix'd his eyes upon you?

Hor. Most constantly.
Ham.

I would, I had been there.

Hor. It would have much amaz'd you,
Ham.
Very like,

Very like: Stay'd it long?

And now no soil, nor cautel, 1 doth besmirch 2
The virtue of his will: but, you must fear,
His greatness weigh'd, his will is not his own;
For he himself is subject to his birth:
He may not, as unvalued persons do,
Carve for himself; for on his choice depends
The safety and the health of the whole state;
And therefore must his choice be circumscrib'd
Unto the voice and yielding of that body,
Whereof he is the head: Then if he says he loves
It fits your wisdom so far to believe it, [you,
As he in his particular act and place
May give his saying deed; which is no further
Than the main voice of Denmark goes withal.
Then weigh what loss your honour may sustain,
If with too credents ear you list his songs;

Hor. While one with moderate haste might Or lose your heart; or your chaste treasure open

tell a hundred.

Mar. Ber. Longer, longer.

Hor. Not when I saw it.
Ham.

To his unmaster'd 4 importunity.
Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister;
And keep you in the rear of your affection,

His beard was grizzl'd? no? Out of the shot and danger of desire.
Hor. It was, as I have seen it in his life,

Perchance, 'twill walk again.
Hor.

I warrant, it will.
Ham. If it assume my noble father's person,
I'll speak to it, though hell itself should gape,
And bid me hold my peace. I pray you all,
If you have hitherto conceal'd this sight,
Let it be tenable in yo your silence still:
And whatsoever else shall hap to-night,
Give 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 honour. Ham. Your loves, as mine to you: Farewell. [Exeunt Hor. Mar. and Ber.

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: Foul deeds will rise,
Though all the earth o'erwhelm them, to men's
eyes.
[Exit.

SCENE III.-A ROOM IN POLONIUS' HOUSE.
Enter Laertes and Ophelia.

Laer. My necessaries are embark'd; farewell:
And, sister, as the winds give benefit,
And convoy is assistant, do not sleep,
But let me hear from you.

For nature, crescent, 2 does not grow alone
In thews, and bulk, but, as this temple waxes,
The inward service of the mind and soul
Grows wide withal. Perhaps, he loves you now;

The chariest maid is prodigal enough,
If she unmask her beauty to the moon:
Virtue itself scapes not calumnious strokes:
The canker galls the infants of the spring,
Too oft before their buttons be disclos'd;
And in the morn and liquid dew of youth
Contagious blastments are most imminent.
Be wary then: best safety lies in fear;
Youth to itself rebels, though none else near.

Oph. I shall the effect of this good lesson keep,
As watchman to my heart: But, good my brother,
Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven;
Whilst, like a puff'd and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,
And recks5 not his own read. 6
O fear me not.
I stay too long; But here my father comes.

Laer.

Enter Polonius.

A double blessing is a double grace;
Occasion smiles upon a second leave.
P. Yethere, Laertes! aboard, aboard, for shame;
The wind sits in the shoulder of your sail,
And you are staid for: There, my blessing with
you; [Laying his hand on Laertes' head.
And these few precepts in thy memory
Look thou character.7 Give thy thoughts no
tongue,

Nor any unproportion'd thought his act.
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.
The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul, with hooks of steel:
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new hatch'd, unfledg'd comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel: but, being in,
Bear it, that the opposer may beware of thee.
Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice:
Take each man's censure, & but reserve thy judg-
Costly thy habit, as thy purse can buy, (ment.
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy:
For the apparel oft proclaims the man;
And they in France of the best rank and station,
Are most select and generous, chief in that.