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
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As a would draw it. Long stay’d he so.
At last, a little shaking of mine arm,
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
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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.
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POLONIUS Come, go with me, I will go seek the King.
This is the very ecstasy of love,
Whose violent property fordoes itself
And leads the will to desperate undertakings
As oft as any passion under heaven
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That does afflict our natures. I am sorry –
What, have you given him any hard words of late?
OPHELIA No, my good lord, but as you did command,
I did repel his letters and denied
His access to me.
POLONIUS That hath made him mad.
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I am sorry that with better heed and judgment
I had not quoted him. I fear’d he did but trifle
And meant to wrack thee. But beshrew my jealousy!
By heaven, it is as proper to our age
To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions
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As it is common for the younger sort
To lack discretion. Come, go we to the King.
This must be known, which, being kept close, might move
More grief to hide than hate to utter love.
Come. Exeunt.
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2.2 Flourish. Enter KING and QUEEN, ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN, with attendants.
KING Welcome, dear Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
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,
5
Sith nor th’exterior nor the inward man
Resembles that it was. What it should be,
More than his father’s death, that thus hath put him
So much from th’understanding of himself
I cannot dream of. I entreat you both
10
That, being of so young days brought up with him,
And sith so neighbour’d to his youth and haviour,
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,
15
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 is not living
20
To whom he more adheres. If it will please you
To show us so much gentry and good will
As to expend your time with us awhile
For the supply and profit of our hope,
Your visitation shall receive such thanks
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As fits a king’s remembrance.
ROSENCRANTZ Both your Majesties
Might, by the sovereign power you have of us,
Put your dread pleasures more into command
Than to entreaty.
GUILDENSTERN But we both obey,
And here give up ourselves in the full bent
30
To lay our service freely at your feet
To be commanded.
KING Thanks, Rosencrantz and gentle Guildenstern.
QUEEN Thanks, Guildenstern and gentle Rosencrantz.
And I beseech you instantly to visit
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My too much changed son. Go, some of you,
And bring these gentlemen where Hamlet is.
GUILDENSTERN
Heavens make our presence and our practices
Pleasant and helpful to him.
QUEEN Ay, amen.
Exeunt Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and an attendant.
Enter POLONIUS.
POLONIUS
Th’ambassadors from Norway, my good lord,
40
Are joyfully return’d.
KING Thou still hast been the father of good news.
POLONIUS Have I, my lord? I assure my good liege
I hold my duty as I hold my soul,
Both to my God and to my gracious King;
45
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.
KING O speak of that: that do I long to hear.
50
POLONIUS Give first admittance to th’ambassadors.
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.
55
QUEEN I doubt it is no other but the main,
His father’s death and our o’er-hasty marriage.
KING Well, we shall sift him.
Enter POLONIUS, VOLTEMAND and CORNELIUS.
Welcome, my good friends.
Say, Voltemand, what from our brother Norway?
VOLTEMAND
Most fair return of greetings and desires.
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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
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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
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To give th’assay of arms against your Majesty:
Whereon old Norway, overcome with joy,
Gives him three thousand crowns in annual fee
And his commission to employ those soldiers
So levied, as before, against the Polack,
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With an entreaty, herein further shown,
[Gives a paper.]
That it might please you to give quiet pass
Through your dominions for this enterprise
On such regards of safety and allowance
As therein are set down.
KING It likes us well;
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And at our more consider’d time we’ll read,
Answer, and think upon this business.
Meantime, we thank you for your well-took labour.
Go to your rest, at night we’ll feast together.
Most welcome home.
Exeunt Voltemand and Cornelius.
POLONIUS This business is well ended.
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My liege and madam, to expostulate
What majesty should be, what duty is,
Why day is day, night night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time.
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,
90
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief. Yo
ur noble son is mad.
Mad call I it, for to define true madness,
What is’t but to be nothing else but mad?
But let that go.
QUEEN More matter with less art.
95
POLONIUS Madam, I swear I use no art at all.
That he is mad ’tis true; ’tis true ’tis pity;
And pity ’tis ’tis true. A foolish figure –
But farewell it, for I will use no art.
Mad let us grant him then. And now remains
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That we find out the cause of this effect,
Or rather say the cause of this defect,
For this effect defective comes by cause.
Thus it remains; and the remainder thus:
Perpend,
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I have a daughter – have while she is mine –
Who in her duty and obedience, mark,
Hath given me this. Now gather and surmise.
[Reads.] To the celestial and my soul’s idol, the most
beautified Ophelia – That’s an ill phrase, a vile phrase,
110
‘beautified’ is a vile phrase. But you shall hear – these;
in her excellent white bosom, these, etc.
QUEEN Came this from Hamlet to her?
POLONIUS Good madam, stay awhile, I will be faithful.
Doubt thou the stars are fire,
115
Doubt that the sun doth move,
Doubt truth to be a liar,
But never doubt I love.
O dear Ophelia, I am ill at these numbers. I have not art
to reckon my groans. But that I love thee best, O most
120
best, believe it. Adieu.
Thine evermore, most dear lady, whilst this
machine is to him, Hamlet.
This in obedience hath my daughter shown me,
And, more above, hath his solicitings,
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As they fell out by time, by means, and place,
All given to mine ear.
KING But how hath she receiv’d his love?
POLONIUS What do you think of me?
KING As of a man faithful and honourable.
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POLONIUS
I would fain prove so. But what might you think,
When I had seen this hot love on the wing –
As I perceiv’d it, I must tell you that,
Before my daughter told me – what might you
Or my dear Majesty your queen here think,
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If I had play’d the desk or table-book,
Or given my heart a winking mute and dumb,
Or look’d upon this love with idle sight –
What might you think? No, I went round to work,
And my young mistress thus I did bespeak:
140
‘Lord Hamlet is a prince out of thy star.
This must not be.’ And then I prescripts gave her,
That she should lock herself from his resort,
Admit no messengers, receive no tokens;
Which done, she took the fruits of my advice,
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And he, repelled – a short tale to make –
Fell into a sadness, then into a fast,
Thence to a watch, thence into a weakness,
Thence to a lightness, and, by this declension,
Into the madness wherein now he raves
150
And all we mourn for.
KING Do you think ’tis this?
QUEEN It may be; very like.
POLONIUS
Hath there been such a time – I would fain know that–
That I have positively said ‘’Tis so’,
When it prov’d otherwise?
KING Not that I know.
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POLONIUS Take this from this if this be otherwise.
[Points to his head and shoulder.]
If circumstances lead me, I will find
Where truth is hid, though it were hid indeed
Within the centre.
KING How may we try it further?
POLONIUS
You know sometimes he walks four hours together
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Here in the lobby.
QUEEN So he does indeed.
POLONIUS
At such a time I’ll loose my daughter to him.
Be you and I behind an arras then,
Mark the encounter. If he love her not,
And be not from his reason fall’n thereon,
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Let me be no assistant for a state,
But keep a farm and carters.
KING We will try it.
Enter HAMLET, reading on a book.
The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 126
