Pol.

Ham.

Enter POLONIUS, ROSENCRANTZ, and GUILDENSTErn

How now my lord; will the king hear this piece of work?

And the queen too, and that presently.

Bid the players make haste.

[Exit Polonius]

Will you two help to hasten them?

Guil.

We will, my lord.

Ros.

[Exeunt Rosencrantz and Guildenstern]

Nay, do not think I flatter;

For what advancement may I hope from thee,
That no revenue hast but thy good spirits,

To feed and clothe thee; why should the poor be

flatter'd ?

No, let the candied tongue lick absurd pomp,

And crook the pregnant hinges of the knee

Where thrift may follow fawning. Dost thou hear?

Since my dear soul was mistress of her choice,

And could of men distinguish her election,

Sh' hath seal'd thee for herself; for thou hast been
As one, in suffering all, that suffers nothing;

A man that fortune's buffets and rewards

Hath ta'en with equal thanks; and blest are those
Whose blood and judgment are so well commingled,
That they are not a pipe for fortune's finger
To sound what stop she please. Give me that man
That is not passion's slave, and I will wear him

Hor.

Ham.

King Ham.

King.

Ham.

Pol.

Ham.

Pol.

As I do thee.Something too much of this.
There is a play to-night before the king;
One scene of it comes near the circumstance
Which I have told thee of my father's death:
I prithee, when you seest that act a-foot,
Even with the very comment of thy soul
Observe my uncle; if his occulted guilt
Do not itself unkennel in one speech,
It is a damned ghost that we have seen,
And my imaginations are as foul

As Vulcan's stithy. Give him heedful note;
For I mine eyes will rivet to his face,

And after we will both our judgments join
In censure of his seeming.

Well, my lord:

If he steal aught the whilst this play is playing,
And 'scape detected, I will pay the theft.

They are coming to the play. I must be idle. Get you
a place.

Flourish of Trumpets and Kettle-drums. Enter KING, Queen,
POLONIUS, OPHELIA, ROSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, and
other Lords attendant, with the Guard, carrying torches
How fares our cousin Hamlet ?

Excellent, i' faith; of the chameleon's dish: I eat the
air, promise-cramm'd; you cannot feed capons so.

I have nothing with this answer, Hamlet; these words are not mine.

No, nor mine now. [To Polonius] My lord, you play'd
once i' th'university, you say?

That did I, my lord, and was accounted a good actor.
And what did you enact?

I did enact Julius Caesar; I was killed i' the Capitol ;
Brutus killed me.

Ham.

Ros.

Queen

Ham.

Pol.

Ham.

Oph.

It was a brute part of him to kill so capital a calf there.
Be the players ready ?

Ay, my lord; they stay upon your patience.

Come hither, my dear Hamlet, sit by me.

No, good mother, here's mettle more attractive.

[To the King] O ho! do you mark that?

Lady, shall I lie in your lap?

No, my

[Lying down at Ophelia's feet]

lord.

I mean, my head

upon your lap ?

Oph.

Ay, my lord.

Ham.

Ham.

Oph.

Ham.

Oph.

Ham.

Oph.

Ham.

Oph.

Ham.

Oph.

Ham.

Do you think I meant country matters ?
I think nothing, my lord.

That's a fair thought to lie between a maid's legs.

What is, my lord?

Nothing.

You are merry, my lord.

Who, I?

Ay, my lord.

O God, your only jig-maker. What should a man do but be merry? for, look you, how cheerfully my mother looks, and my father died within's two hours.

Nay, 'tis twice two months, my lord.

So long? Nay then, let the devil wear black, for I'll have a suit of sables. O heavens! die two months ago, and not forgotten yet! Then there's hope a great man's memory may outlive his life half a year; but, by'r lady, he must build churches then, or else shall he suffer not thinking on, with the hobby-horse, whose epitaph is "For, O! for, O! the hobby-horse is forgot."

Oph.
Ham.

Oph.

Ham.

Oph.

Ham.

Oph. Prologue

Ham.

Oph.

Ham.

P. Ring

The Trumpets sound. Dumb Show follows

Enter a Bing and a Queen, the Queen embracing him, and he her: she kneels to him: he takes her up, and declines his head upon her neck. He lies down upon a bank of flowers: she seeing him asleep, leaves him. Anon comes in another man, who takes off the King's crown; kisses it; pours poison in his ears; and leaves him. The Queen returns; finds the Bing dead; and makes passionate action: the Poisoner (with some three or four) comes in again; seems to condole with her; and the dead body is carried away." The Poisoner wooes the Queen with gifts; she seems harsh awhile, but in the end accepts lobe.

What means this, my lord?

Marry, this munching Mallico? It means mischief.
Belike this show imports the argument of the play?

Enter Prologue

[Exeunt]

We shall know by this fellow; the players cannot keep; they'll tell all.

Will he tell us what this show meant?

Ay, or any show that you'll show him; be not you asham'd to show, he'll not shame to tell you what it

means.

You are naught, you are naught: I'll mark the play.

For us, and for our tragedy,
Here stooping to your clemency,
We beg your hearing patiently.

Is this a prologue, or the posy of a ring?
'Tis brief, my lord.

As woman's love.

[Gxit Prologue]

Enter two Players, King and Queen
Full thirty times hath Phoebus' car gone round
Neptune's salt wash, and Tellus orb'd the ground,
And thirty dozen moons with borrowed sheen
About the world have times twelve thirties been,
Since love our hearts, and Hymen did our hands
Unite commutual in most sacred bands.

P. Queen

P. Bing

P. Queen

Ham.
P. Queen

P. Ring

So many journeys may the sun and moon
Make us again count o'er ere love be done,
But woe is me! you are so sick of late,
So far from cheer, and from our former state,
That I distrust you. Yet, though I distrust,
Discomfort you, (my lord) it nothing must;
For women fear too much, even as they love,
And women's fear and love hold quantity,
Either none, in neither aught, or in extremity.
Now, what my love is, proof hath made you know,
And as my love is siz'd, my fear is so;

Where love is great, the littlest doubts are fear,
Where little fears grow great, great love grows there.

Faith, I must leave thee, love, and shortly too;
My operant powers their functions leave to do;
And thou shalt live in this fair world behind,
Honour'd, belov'd; and haply one as kind,
For husband shalt thou-

Oh, confound the rest!
Such love must needs be treason in my breast;
In second husband let me be accurst!
None wed the second but who kill'd the first.

[Aside] That's wormwood.

The instances that second marriage move
Are base respects of thrift, but none of love,
A second time I kill my husband dead,
When second husband kisses me in bed.

I do believe you think what now you speak,
But what we do determine, oft we break.
Purpose is but the slave to memory,
Of violent birth, but poor validity;

Which now, like fruit unripe, sticks on the tree,
But fall unshaken when they mellow be.
Most necessary 'tis that we forget

To pay our selves what to our selves is debt;
What to our selves in passion we propose,
The passion ending, doth the purpose lose.
The violence of either, grief, or joy,

Their own enactures with themselves destroy;
Where joy most revels, grief doth most lament ;
Grief joys, joy grieves, on slender accident.