SCENE II.

The same.
A room of state in the
castle.

Enter the KING, QUEEN, HAMLET, POLONIUS, LAERTES, VOLTIMAND, CORNELIUS, Lords, and Attendants.

King. Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother's death

The memory be green, and that it us befitted To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom

To be contracted in one brow of woe,
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 't were with a defeated joy,— 10
[With one auspicious and one dropping eye,
With mirth in funeral and with dirge in mar-
riage,

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In equal scale weighing delight and dole,-]
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 Fortinbras,
Holding a weak supposal of our worth,
Or thinking by our late dear brother's death
Our state to be disjoint and out of frame,
Colleagued with the 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 bands1 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 dispatch
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 articles2 allow.

1 Bands, bonds.

2 Dilated articles, articles set out at large.

30

King. We doubt it nothing: heartily fare

well. [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.
Dread my lord,
Your leave and favour to return to France,
From whence though willingly I came to Den-
mark,

52

To show my duty in your coronation,
Yet now, I must confess, that duty done,
My thoughts and wishes bend again towards
France,

And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon.

King. Have you your father's leave? What says Polonius?

Pol. He hath, my lord, wrung from me my slow leave

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By laboursome petition, and at last,
Upon his will I seal'd my hard consent:
I do beseech you, give him leave to go.
King. 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.

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 vailed3 lids

3 Vailed, lowered.

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80

"T is not alone my inky cloak, good mother,
Nor customary suits of solemn black,
Nor windy suspiration of fore'd breath,
No, nor the fruitful river in the eye,
Nor the dejected haviour of the visage,
Together with all forms, moods, 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, lost his; and the survivor
bound

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In filial obligation for some term
To do obsequious1 sorrow: but to perséver
In obstinate condolement, is a course
Of impious stubbornness; 't is unmanly grief:
It shows a will most incorrect to heaven,
A heart unfortified, a mind impatient,
An understanding simple and unschool'd:
[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 100
Take it to heart? Fie! 't is 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

I pray thee, stay with us; go not to Wittenberg. Ham. I shall in all my best obey you, madam. King. Why, 't is a loving and a fair reply: Be as ourself in Denmark. Madam, come; This gentle and unforc'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, And the king's rouse the heavens shall bruit again,

Re-speaking earthly thunder. Come away, [Exeunt all except Hamlet.

Ham. O, that this too too solid flesh would melt,

A little month, or e'er those shoes were old
With which she follow'd my poor father's body,
Like Niobe, all tears:-why she, even she-
O God! 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

1 Obsequious, mourning (i.e. referring to "obsequies").

2 Resolve, i.e. dissolve.

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father

3 Beteem, permit.

Horatio, or I do forget myself.

161

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? Marcellus?

Mar. My good lord,

Ham. I am very glad to see you. [To Bernardo] Good even, sir.

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

1 Dexterity, i.e. swiftness.

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

Ham. I pray thee, do not mock me, fellowstudent;

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

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Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables. Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven

Or ever I had seen that day, Horatio!
My father!—methinks I see my father.
Hor. O, where, my lord?
Ham.
In my
mind's eye, Horatio.
Hor. I saw him once; he was a goodly king.
Ham. He was a man, take him for all in all,
I shall not look upon his like again.

Hor. My lord, I think I saw him yesternight.
Ham. Saw who?

Hor. My lord, the king your father.
Ham.

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The king my father! Hor. Season your admiration for a while With an attent ear, till I may deliver,1 Upon the witness of these gentlemen, This marvel to you.

200

Arméd at point, 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,
distill'd

Almost to jelly with the act of fear,

Stand dumb, and speak not to him. This to me
In dreadful secrecy impart they did;
And I with them the third night kept the
watch:

Where, as they had deliver'd, both in time, Form of the thing, each word made true and good

The apparition comes: I knew your father; These hands are not more like.

210

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?
Hor. While one with moderate haste might
tell a hundred.

Mar. Ber. Longer, longer.
Hor. Not when I saw 't.
Ham.

His beard was grizzled,-no?
Hor. It was, as I have seen it in his life,
A sable silver'd.

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Ham. I will watch to-night; Perchance 't will 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 your silence still; And whatsoever else shall hap to-night, Give it an understanding, but no tongue: 250 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 Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo.

Laer. For Hamlet, and the trifling of his favour,

Hold it a fashion, and a toy1 in blood,
[A violet in the youth of primy nature,
Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting,
The perfume and suppliance of a minute;
No more.

Oph. No more but so?
Laer.

9

Think it no more: For nature, crescent, 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; And now no soil nor cautel2 doth besmirch 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 unvalu'd 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 you,

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It fits your wisdom so far to believe it,
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 credent3 ear you list his songs; 30

Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister,
And keep you in the rear of your affection,
Out of the shot and danger of desire.
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; 40
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,