PERSONS REPRESENTED. CLAUDIUS, King of Denmark. HAMLET, Nephew to the King. POLONIUS, Lord Chamberlain. HORATIO, Friend to Hamlet. ROSENCRANTZ, } Courtiers. GUILDENSTERN, MARCELLUS,Officers. BERNARDO, FRANCISCO, a Soldier. Ghost of Hamlet's Father. GERTRUDE, Queen of Denmark, and Mother to Hamlet. OPHELIA, Daughter to Polonius. Players, Grave-diggers, Messengers, and other Attendants. SCENE-Elsinore. A Room of State in the Castle. Enter the King, Queen, HAMLET, POLONIUS, LAERTES, Lords, and Attendants. King. HOUGH yet of Hamlet our dear brother's death The memory be green : Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature, That we with wisest sorrow think on him, Together with remembrance of ourselves. Ham. A little more than kin, and less than kind. King. How is it that the clouds still hang on you? Ham. Not so, my lord, I am too much i' the sun. Queen. Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour off, And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark. Do not, for ever, with thy veiled lids Seek for thy noble father in the dust: Thou know'st, 'tis common; all that live must die, Ham. Ay, madam, it is common. Why seems it so particular with thee? If it be, Ham. Seems, madam! nay, it ìs; I know not seems. 'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, Nor the dejected haviour of the visage, No, nor the fruitful river in the eye, Together with all forms, moods, shows of grief, To give these mourning duties to your father : To do obsequious sorrow. But to perséver A fault to heav'n. We pray you, throw to earth As of a father: for let the world take note, You are the most immediate to our throne; Our chiefest courtier, cousin, and our son. I pray thee, stay with us, go not to Wittenberg. [Flourish. Exeunt King, Queen, Lords, &c. Ham. O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God! How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world! Fye on't! O fye! 'tis an unweeded garden That grows to seed; things rank, and gross in nature, Possess it merely. That it should come to this! But two months dead!-nay, not so much, not two: So excellent a king; that was, to this, Hyperion to a satyr: so loving to my mother, That he might not beteem the winds of heaven Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth! Must I remember? why, she would hang on him, As if increase of appetite had grown By what it fed on: Yet, within a month!—— A little month; or ere those shoes were old, Like Niobe, all tears;-married mine uncle, It is not, nor it cannot còme tò, good; But break, my heart: for I must hold my tongue! Enter HORATIO, BERNARDO, and MARCELLUS. Hor. Hail to your lordship! Ham. I'm glad to see you well Horatio, or I do forget myself. ; Hor. The same, my lord, and your poor servant ever. Ham. Sir, my good friend; I'll change that name with you. And what make you from Wittenberg, Horatio?— Hor. A truant disposition, good my lord. Ham. I would not hear your enemy say so : To make it truster of your own report Hor. My lord, I came to see your father's funeral. Ham. I pray thee, do not mock me, fellow student; I think, it was to see my mother's wedding. Hor. Indeed, my lord, it follow'd hard upon. Ham. Thrift, thrift, Horatio! the funeral bak'd meats Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables. Hor. O, where, |