Lord Hamlet, - with his doublet all unbrac'd;
No hat upon his head; his stockings foul'd,
Ungarter'd, and down-gyved to his ancle;
Pale as his shirt; his knees knocking each other;

And with a look so piteous in purport,

As if he had been loosed out of hell,

To speak of horrors, he comes before me,

Pol. Mad for thy love?

Oph. My lord, I do not know;

But, truly, I do fear it.

Pol. What said he?

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Oph. He took me by the wrist, and held me hard:

Then goes he to the length of all his arm;

And, with his other hand thus.o'er his brow,...

He falls to such perusal of my face,
As he would draw it. Long staid he so;

:

At last, a little shaking of mine arm,

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And thrice his head thus waving up and down,

He rais'd a sigh so piteous and profound,

As it did seem to shatter all his bulk,

And end his being: That done, he lets me go :-
And, with his head over his shoulder turn'd,
He seem'd to find his way without his eyes;
For out o' doors he went without their helps,
And, to the last, bended their light on me.

Pol. Come, go with me; I will go seek the king.

This is the very ecstacy of love;

Whose violent property foredoes itself,
And leads the will to desperate undertakings,

As oft as any passion under heaven,

Z

110

That

That does afflict our natures. I am sorry, What, have you given him any hard words of late?

Oph. No, my good lord; but, as you did command, I did repel his letters, and deny'd His access to me.

Pol. That hath made him mad.

I am sorry, that with better heed, and judgment,
I had not quoted him: I fear'd, he did but trifle,
And meant to wreck thee; but, beshrew my jealousy!
It seems, it is as proper to our age
To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions,

As it is common for the younger sort

To lack discretion. Come, go we to the king

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This must be known; which, being kept close, might

move

More grief to hide, than hate to utter love.

Come.

SCENE II.

[Exeunt.

The Palace. Enter the King, Queen, ROSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, and Attendants.

King. Welcome, dear Rosencrantz, and Guilden

stern!

Moreover that we much did long to see you,
The need, we have to use you, did provoke
Our hasty sending. Something have you heard
Of Hamlet's transformation; so I call it,
Since nor the exterior nor the inward man

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Resembles

i

Resembles that it was: What it should be,
More than his father's death, that thus hath put him
So much from the understanding of himself,
I cannot dream of: I entreat you both,

142

That,-being of so young days brought up with him;
And, since, so neighbour'd to his youth and humour, -
That you vouchsafe your rest here in our court
Some little time: so by your companies
To draw him on to pleasures; and to gather,
So much as from occasion you may glean,
Whether aught, to us unknown, afflicts him thus,
That, open'd, lies within our remedy.

Queen. Good gentlemen, he hath much talk'd of

you;

And, sure I am, two men there are not living,
To whom he more adheres. If it will please you

To shew us so much gentry, and good will,

As to expend your time with us a while,
For the supply and profit of our hope,
Your visitation shall receive such thanks

As fits a king's remembrance.

Ros. Both your majesties

Might, by the sovereign power you have of us,
Put your dread pleasures more into command
Than to entreaty.

Guil. But we both obey;
And here give up ourselves, in the full bent,
To lay our service freely at your feet,
To be commanded.

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160

King. Thanks, Rosencrantz, and gentle Guilden

stern.

Queen. Thanks, Guildenstern, and gentle Rosen

crantz:

And I beseech you instantly to visit

My too much changed son.-Go, some of you,

And bring these gentlemen where Hamlet is.

Guil. Heavens make our presence, and our prac

Pol. The embassadors from Norway, my good lord, Are joyfully return'd.

King. Thou still hast been the father of good news. Pol. Have I, my lord? Assure you, my good liege,

I hold my duty, as I hold my soul,

Both to my God, and to my gracious king:
And I do think (or else this brain of mine
Hunts not the trail of policy so sure
As it hath us'd to do) that I have found.
The very cause of Hamlet's lunacy.

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King. O, speak of that; that I do long to hear. Pol. Give first admittance to the embassadors;.. My news shall be the fruit to that great feast. King. Thyself do grace to them, and bring them in. [Exit POLONIUS.

He tells me, my dear Gertrude, he hath found

The head and source of all your son's distemper.
Queen. I doubt, it is no other but the main;
His father's death, and our o'er-hasty marriage.

Re-enter POLONIUS, with VOLTIMAND, and COR

NELIUS.

King. Well, we shall sift him. - Welcome, my

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good friends!
Say, Voltimand, what from our brother Norway?
Volt. Most fair return of greetings, and desires.
Upon our first, he sent out to suppress
His nephew's levies; which to him appear'd
To be a preparation 'gainst the Polack;
But, better look'd into, he truly found
It was against your highness: Whereat griev'd, -
That so his sickness, age, and impotence,
Was falsely borne in hand,-sends out arrests
On Fortinbras; which he, in brief, obeys;
Receives rebuke from Norway; and, in fine,
Makes vow before his uncle, never more
To give the assay of arms against your majesty.
Whereon old Norway, overcome with joy,
Gives him threescore thousand crowns in annual fee;
And his commission, to employ those soldiers,

So levied as before, against the Polack:
With an entreaty, herein further shewn,
That it might please you to give quiet pass
Through your dominions for this enterprize;
On such regards of safety and allowance,
As therein are set down.

E

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King.