Oph. He took me by the wrist and held me hard;

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

As he would draw it. Long stay'd he so.
At last, a little shaking of mine arm,

90

95

And thrice his head thus waving up and down,
He rais'd a sigh so piteous and profound
That it did seem to shatter all his bulk
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 help,
And, to the last, bended their light on me.
Pol. [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

100

105

That does afflict our natures. I am sorry, What, have you given him any hard words of late?

Oph. No, my good lord, but, as you did command,

I did repel his letters and deni'd
His access to me.

Pol.

That hath made him mad. 110 I am sorry that with better heed and judgement I had not quoted him. I fear'd he did but trifle And meant to wreck thee; but beshrew my

And since so neighbour'd to his youth and

humour,

15

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 So much as from occasions 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 are 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 a while
For the supply and profit of our hope,
Your visitation shall receive such thanks
As fits a king's remembrance.

25

Ros. Both your Majesties Might, by the sovereign power you have of us, Put your dread pleasures more into command Than to entreaty.

Guil.

We both obey,

And here give up ourselves, in the full bent 30
To lay our services freely at your feet,
To be commanded.

King. Thanks, Rosencrantz and gentle Guild

[Exeunt [Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and some Attendants).

Are joyfully return'd.

40

King. Thou still hast been the father of good

news.

Pol. Have I, my lord? Assure you, my good liege.

I hold my duty as I hold my soul,
Both to my God and to my gracious king.
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.

45

King. O, speak of that; that I do long to hear.

Pol. Give first admittance to the 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 sweet queen, that he hath found

The head and source of all your son's distem

I will be brief. Your 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. 96 Pol. Madam, I swear I use no art at all. That he is mad, 'tis true; 't is true 't is pity, And pity 't is 't is true. A foolish figure! But farewell it, for I will use no art. Mad let us grant him then; and now remains 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.

101

105

I have a daughter - have whilst she is mine
Who, in her duty and obedience, mark,
Hath given me this. Now gather, and surmise.
[Reads] the letter.

That she should lock herself from his resort, Admit no messengers, receive no tokens. Which done, she took the fruits of my ad

vice;

145

Pol. I mean, the matter you read, my lord. 197 Ham. Slanders, sir; for the satirical slave says here that old men have grey beards, that their faces are wrinkled, their eyes purging thick amber or plum-tree gum, and that they have a plentiful lack of wit, together with weak hams; all which, sir, though I most powerfully and potently believe, yet I hold it not honesty to have it thus set down; for you yourself, sir, should be old as I am, if like a crab you could go backward.

206

Ham. A dream itself is but a shadow. Ros. Truly, and I hold ambition of so airy and light a quality that it is but a shadow's shadow.

Ham. Then are our beggars bodies, and our monarchs and outstretch'd heroes the beggars' shadows. Shall we to the court? for, by my fay, I cannot reason.

272

Ros. [Aside to Guil.] What say you? Ham. [Aside.] Nay, then, I have an eye of you. If you love me, hold not off.

Guil. My lord, we were sent for.

$03

Ham. I will tell you why; so shall my anticipation prevent your discovery, and your secrecy to the King and Queen moult no feather. I have of late- but wherefore I know not - lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercise ; and indeed it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory, this most excellent [310 canopy, the air, look you, this brave o'erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours. What a piece of work is a man! [315 How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world! The paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is [320 this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me, - no, nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so.

Ros. My lord, there was no such stuff in my thoughts.

325

Ham. Why did you laugh then, when I said, "Man delights not me"?

Ros. To think, my lord, if you delight not in man, what lenten entertainment the players shall receive from you. We coted them on the way, and hither are they coming to offer you

Ham. What, are they children? Who maintains 'em? How are they escoted? Will they pursue the quality no longer than they can sing? Will they not say afterwards, if they should grow themselves to common players, as it is most like, if their means are no bettertheir writers do them wrong, to make them exclaim against their own succession?

Ros. Faith, there has been much to do on both sides, and the nation holds it no sin to tarre them to controversy. There was for a while no money bid for argument unless the poet and the player went to cuffs in the question.

Ham. Is 't possible?

378

Guil. O, there has been much throwing about of brains.

Ham. Do the boys carry it away? Ros. Ay, that they do, my lord; Hercules and his load too.

Ham. It is not strange; for mine uncle is King of Denmark, and those that would make mows at him while my father lived, give twenty, forty, [fifty,] an hundred ducats apiece for his picture in little. ['Sblood,] there is something in this more than natural, if philosophy could find it out.

[Flourish for the Players. Guil. There are the players.

Ham. Gentlemen, you are welcome to Elsinore. Your hands, come. The appurtenance of welcome is fashion and ceremony. Let me comply with you in the garb, lest my extent to the players, which, I tell you, must show fairly outward, should more appear like entertainment than yours. You are welcome; but my uncle-father and aunt-mother are deceiv'd.

Guil. In what, my dear lord?

Ham. I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw.

Enter POLONIUS.

Pol. Well be with you, gentlemen!

Ham. [Aside to them.] Hark you, Guildenstern, and you too, at each ear a hearer: that great baby you see there is not yet out of his swathing-clouts.

401

Ros. Happily he is the second time come to them, for they say an old man is twice a child. Ham. I will prophesy he comes to tell me of the players; mark it. [Aloud.] You say right, sir; for o' Monday morning 't was so indeed. 407 Pol. My lord, I have news to tell you. Ham. My lord, I have news to tell you. When Roscius was an actor in Rome,

Pol. The actors are come hither, my lord.
Ham. Buzz, buzz!

Pol. Upon mine honour, —

413

Ham. Then came each actor on his ass," Pol. The best actors in the world, either for tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoralcomical, historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-comical-historical-pastoral, scene individable, or poem unlimited; Seneca cannot be too heavy, nor Plautus too light. For the law of writ and the liberty, these are the only

You're welcome, masters, welcome all. I am glad to see thee well. Welcome, good friends. O, my old friend! Thy face is valanc'd since I saw thee last; com'st thou to beard me in Denmark? What, my young lady and mistress! By 'r lady, your ladyship is nearer heaven [445 than when I saw you last, by the altitude of a chopine. Pray God, your voice, like a piece of incurrent gold, be not crack'd within the ring. Masters, you are all welcome. We'll e'en to't like French falconers - fly at anything we see; we'll have a speech straight. Come, [450 give us a taste of your quality; come, a passionate speech.

1. Play. What speech, my lord?

Ham. I heard thee speak me a speech once, but it was never acted; or, if it was, not above once. For the play, I remember, [455 pleas'd not the million; 't was caviare to the

general; but it was as I receiv'd it, and others, whose judgement in such matters cried in the top of mine- - an excellent play, well digested in the scenes, set down with as much [460 modesty as cunning. I remember, one said there were no sallets in the lines to make the matter savoury, nor no matter in the phrase that might indict the author of affectation; but call'd it an honest method, [as wholesome as (465 sweet, and by very much more handsome than fine.] One speech in it I chiefly lov'd; 't was Eneas' tale to Dido, and thereabout of it especially where he speaks of Priam's slaughter. If it live in your memory, begin at this line: let me see, let me see

471

"The rugged Pyrrhus, like the Hyrcanian beast,"

-It is not so. It begins with Pyrrhus: · "The rugged Pyrrhus, he whose sable arms, Black as his purpose, did the night resemble 475 When he lay couched in the ominous horse, Hath now this dread and black complexion smear'd

With heraldry more dismal. Head to foot
Now is he total gules, horribly trick'd
With blood of fathers, mothers, daughters,