А

Sc, I. Platform before the palace. Enter Ber. and

way] of Laere's departing for France. Ham.'s for-
row for the death of his father: Is dissuaded froin

going to Wittenburg. Exeunt.
Sc. III. Manet Ham. His soliloquy; On the baseness of

human nature, and the frailty of his mother the
queen, in so soon forgetting her former husband
the late king, and incestuously marrying his bro-
ther the present king, with a comparison between

them to the disadvantage of the latter.
Sc. IV. To Ham. enter Hor. Ber. and Mar. . They ac-

conscience. Exit ghost. Hami's soliloquy.

He swears to revenge his father's death. Sc. IX. Hor. and Mar. who had followed Ham, at a dis

tance, came up with him, and are inquisitive about what passed between him and the ghost. He eyades satisfying them, and makes them swear to be secret in what they had seen; and if he should hereafter feign madness, they should by no token whatever discover the fraud. Exeunt.

ACT II.

Sc, I. An apartinent in Poli's house. Enter Pol. and Reyn.

Pol. gives money and notes to Rey. to deliver to
Laer, and bids him make enquiry into the conduct

and behaviour of Laer, abroad. Exit Rey.
Sc, II. To Pol. enter Oph. She relates a visit she had re-

ceived from Ham. wherein he appeared to be mad.
Pol. concludes that 'tis for love of Opk. he hath run
mad; and determines to acquaint the king hereof.

Exeunt.
Sc. III. The palace. Enter king, queen, Ros. Guil. lords,

and other attendants. King mentions Ham.'s mad-
ness, and desires Ros. and Guil. to accompany him;
and, if possible, to find out the cause of his mad-
ness. [Exeunt Rof. and Guil.] Enter Pol. with
news of the ambassador's return. He tells the king
he thinks he hath found the cause of Ham.'s lunacy.

Exit Pol.
Sc. IV. Re-enter Pol. with ambassadors, who end their bu-

finess with the king. Pol. proceeds to Thew the
cause of Hame's madness; reads a letter from Ham.

to Oph. It is agreed to try Ham. with Oph. by
turning them together, and watching them. Ex-

eunt king and queen.
Sc. V. Enter Ham. reading. Pol. accosts him. Ham, talks

wildly to him. Exit Pol.
Sc. VI. Enter Rof. and Guil. Ham. sounds them on the

occasion of their being at Denmark, and finds they
were sent for by the king. Talk of the players,

who are expected.
Sc. VII. Enter Pol. with the news of players being arrived.

Enter players. Ham. welcomes them. Aíks for
a speech from one of them. The speech. Enquires
if they can act Gonzago, and tells them he will in-
sert a short speech therein for them to study. Ex-

cunt.
Sc. VIII. Manet Hamlet. His soliloquy; on the behaviour

of the player under a feigned passion, compared with
his own under a real one. The effect of stage-
playing so great, that guilty persons have, by the
cunning of the scene, been induced to confess their
crimes. He determines to have something played
like the murther of his father, before his uncle :
and from his behaviour under the play to judge of
his guilt.

A CT III.

Sc, I. The palace. Enter king, queen, Pol. Oph. Ros.

Guil. and lords. Talk of Ham.'s madness; the
cause not discovered.

Exit queen ; and Ham.'s
trial with Oph, comes on, Exeunt all but Oph.

Sc, II,

Sc. II. Oph. with a book. Enter Ham. His soliloquy of

life, and dissolution : discovers Oph. talks rudely with her; and bids her get to a nunnery. Exit Ham. Ophe's soliloquy on Ham.'s noble perfections,

overthrown by madness. Sc. III. Enter king and Pol. who had overheard what passed

between Ham. and Oph. King concludes that love is not the cause of his madness: Counsels with Pol. about fending him to England for the demand of tribute; which Pol. agrees to, provided his mother the queen cannot by conference with him difcover the cause of his griefs. Pol. proposes to be

secretly a witness of this conference. Exeunt. Sc. IV. Enter Ham. and the players. His instructions to

them. Exeunt players. Enter Pol. Ref. and Guil. with news that the king and queen will hear the

play. Exeunt. Sc, V. To Ham. enter Hor. Ham.'s commendations of

Hor,'s virtues. Begs him to eye the king at the

play, and note his behaviour. Sc. VI, Enter king, queen, Pol. Oph. Ros. Guil. lords,

as to the play. Hamlet's mad talk : to the king,

to Pol. to Oph. Sc. VII. Dumb shew enters. Enter player king and queen,

yery lovingly embracing. King lies down on a bank of flowers. She seeing him asleep leaves him. Anon comes in a fellow, takes off his coronet, kisses it, and pours poison in the king's ears and Exit. The queen returns, finds the king dead, and makes passionate action. The poisoner, with two or three mutes, comes in again, seeming to lament her. The dead body is carried away.

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