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KING:

But how hath she
Receiv'd his love?(135)

KING:

But how has she
Received his love?

POLONIUS:

What do you think of me?

POLONIUS:

What do you think of me?

KING:

As of a man faithful and honourable.

KING:

As of a man faithful and honorable.

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,(140)
Before my daughter told me—what might you,
Or my dear Majesty your queen here, think,
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?(145)
What might you think? No, I went round to work
And my young mistress thus I did bespeak:
‘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,(150)
Admit no messengers, receive no tokens.
Which done, she took the fruits of my advice,
And he, repellèd—a short tale to make—
Fell into a sadness, then into a fast,
Thence to a watch, thence into a weakness,(155)
Thence to a lightness, and, by this declension,
Into the madness wherein now he raves,
And all we mourn for.

POLONIUS:

I would gladly prove so. But what might you think,
When I had seen this hot love on the wing,
As I thought it was before my daughter told me—
I must tell you that— what might you,
Or my dear majesty your queen here, think
If I had pretended to be a lifeless object like a desk or
Book, or allowed myself to wink and be silent and stupid,
Or looked upon this love without really watching it,
What might you think? No, I went straight to work,
And I spoke to young girl like this:
”Lord Hamlet is a prince, out of your league,
This love must not be,” and then I gave her rules,
That she should lock herself away from his company,
Admit no messengers from him, receive none of his gifts,
Which when I finished, she took my advice,
And he, rejected, to make it long story short,
Fell into a sadness, then into a fast,
Then to a watch, then into a weakness,
Then to a lightness, and by this method,
Into the madness where now he raves,
And all we worry about.

KING:

Do you think 'tis this?

KING:

Do you think it is this?

QUEEN:

It may be, very like.(160)

QUEEN:

It may be, very likely.

POLONIUS:

Hath there been such a time—I would fain know
that—
That I have positively said ‘'tis so,’
When it proved otherwise?

POLONIUS:

Has there been such a time, I’d gladly know that,
That I have positively said “it is so,”
And it wasn’t?

KING:

Not that I know.(165)

KING:

Not that I know of.

POLONIUS:

Take this from this, if this be otherwise.
If circumstances lead me, I will find
Where truth is hid, though it were hid indeed
Within the centre.

POLONIUS:

Take this from this, if this isn’t the case now.
If get the opportunity, I will find
Where truth is hidden, though it were hidden indeed
Within the centre of the man.

KING:

How may we try it further?(170)

KING:

How can we find out more?

POLONIUS:

You know, sometimes he walks four hours together
Here in the lobby.

POLONIUS:

You know sometimes he walks for hours and hours
Here in the lobby.

QUEEN:

So he does indeed.

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;(175)
Mark the encounter. If he love her not,
And he not from his reason fall'n thereon
Let me be no assistant for a state,
But keep a farm and carters.

POLONIUS:

At such a time, I’ll make sure my daughter meets him.
You and I will be behind a curtain then,
Listening to their encounter. If he doesn’t love her,
And he’s not gone crazy because of love,
Let me be no assistant for a state,
But be a farmer and horse carter.

KING:

We will try it.(180)

KING:

We will try it.

Enter Hamlet [reading on a book.]

QUEEN:

But look where sadly the poor wretch comes reading.

QUEEN:

But look where sadly the poor wretch comes reading.

POLONIUS:

Away, I do beseech you both, away.

Exeunt King and Queen.

I'll board him presently. O, give me leave.
How does my good Lord Hamlet?

POLONIUS:

Leave now, I beg you, both of you leave now!

I’ll talk to him in a minute. O, give me permission.
How does my good Lord Hamlet?

HAMLET:

Well, God-a-mercy.(185)

HAMLET:

Well, God have mercy.

POLONIUS:

Do you know me, my lord?

POLONIUS:

Do you know me, my lord?

HAMLET:

Excellent well. You are a fishmonger.

HAMLET:

Excellent well, you're a man who sells fish.

POLONIUS:

Not I, my lord.

POLONIUS:

Not I, my lord.

HAMLET:

Then I would you were so honest a man.

HAMLET:

Then I wish you were so honest a man.

POLONIUS:

Honest, my lord?(190)

POLONIUS:

Honest, my lord!

HAMLET:

Ay, sir. To be honest, as this world goes, is to be one
man picked out of ten thousand.

HAMLET:

Yes, sir, to be honest, as this world goes, is to be one
man picked out of ten thousand.

POLONIUS:

That's very true, my lord.

POLONIUS:

That's very true, my lord.

HAMLET:

For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a
good kissing carrion—Have you a daughter?(195)

HAMLET:

For if the sun breeds maggots in a dead dog, being a
god-kissing rotten flesh— Have you a daughter?

POLONIUS:

I have, my lord.

POLONIUS:

I have, my lord.

HAMLET:

Let her not walk i' th' sun. Conception is a blessing,
but not as your daughter may conceive. Friend, look to't.

HAMLET:

Let her not walk in the sun. Pregnancy is a blessing, but
not as your daughter may get pregnant. Friend, look to it.

POLONIUS:

How say you by that? Still harping on my daughter.
Yet he knew me not at first. He said I was a fishmonger.(200)
He is far gone. And truly in my youth I suffered much
extremity for love, very near this. I'll speak to him again.—
What do you read, my lord?

POLONIUS:

How say you by that? [Aside.] Still harping on my
daughter. But he didn’t know me at first, he said I was a
man who sold fish. He is far gone, far gone! In my youth I
truly suffered much agony for love almost like this. I’ll
speak to him again. What do you read, my lord?

HAMLET:

Words, words, words.

HAMLET:

Words, words, words.

POLONIUS:

What is the matter, my lord?(205)

POLONIUS:

What is the matter, my lord?

HAMLET:

Between who?

HAMLET:

Between who?

POLONIUS:

I mean, the matter that you read, my lord.

POLONIUS:

I mean, the matter that you are reading, my lord.

HAMLET:

Slanders, sir; for the satirical rogue says here that old
men have grey beards; that their faces are wrinkled; their
eyes purging thick amber and plum-tree gum; and that they(210)
have a plentiful lack of wit, together with most 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, shall grow old as I am if, if like a crab,
you could go backward.(215)

HAMLET:

Slanders, sir. for the satirical slave says here that old
men have grey beards, that their faces are wrinkled, their
eyes ooze thick yellow mucous and plum-tree sap, and
that they have a plentiful lack of wit, together with most
weak legs. all of which, sir, although I believe it most
powerfully and potently, yet I think it was dishonest to
have written it like this, because you yourself, sir, should
be old as I am, if, like a crab, you could go backward.

POLONIUS:

Though this be madness, yet there is a method
in't.—
Will you walk out of the air, my lord?

POLONIUS:

[Aside.] Though this be craziness, yet there is a method
in it. Will you walk out of the air, my lord?

HAMLET:

Into my grave?

HAMLET:

Into my grave?

POLONIUS:

Indeed, that is out of the air. [Aside.] How pregnant(220)
sometimes his replies are! a happiness that often madness
hits on, which reason and sanity could not so prosperously
be delivered of. I will leave him and suddenly contrive the
means of meeting between him and my daughter.— My hon-
ourable lord, I will most humbly take my leave of you.(225)

POLONIUS:

Indeed, that is out of the air. [Aside.] How full of meaning
his replies sometimes are! A happiness that often
craziness hits on, which reason and sanity couldn’t
arranged so happily. I will leave him and hurriedly
contrive the means for a meeting between him and my
daughter. My honorable lord, I will most humbly take my
leave of you.

HAMLET:

You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will
more willingly part withal—except my life, except my life,
except my life.

HAMLET:

You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will more
willingly part with, except my life, except my life, except my
life.

Enter Guildenstern and Rosencrantz.

POLONIUS:

Fare you well, my lord.

POLONIUS:

Goodbye, my lord.

HAMLET:

These tedious old fools!(230)

HAMLET:

These tedious old fools!

POLONIUS:

You go to seek the Lord Hamlet. There he is.

POLONIUS:

You’re looking for the Lord Hamlet, there he is.

ROSENCRANTZ:

God save you, sir!

ROSENCRANTZ:

God save you, sir!

[Exit Polonius.]

GUILDENSTERN:

My honoured lord!

GUILDENSTERN:

My honored lord!

ROSENCRANTZ:

My most dear lord!

ROSENCRANTZ:

My most dear lord!

HAMLET:

My excellent good friends! How dost thou,
Guildenstern? Ah, Rosencrantz! Good lads, how do ye
both?

HAMLET:

My excellent good friends! How are you, Guildenstern?
Ah, Rosencrantz! Good lads, how do you both?

ROSENCRANTZ:

As the indifferent children of the earth.(235)

ROSENCRANTZ:

As the indifferent children of the earth.

GUILDENSTERN:

Happy, in that we are not over-happy.
On Fortune's cap we are not the very button.

GUILDENSTERN:

Happy in that we are not over-happy,
We are not the only button on fortune's cap.

HAMLET:

Nor the soles of her shoe?

HAMLET:

Nor the soles of her shoe?

ROSENCRANTZ:

Neither, my lord.

ROSENCRANTZ:

Neither, my lord.

HAMLET:

Then you live about her waist, or in the middle of her(240)
favours?

HAMLET:

Then you live about her waist, or in the middle of her
favors?

GUILDENSTERN:

Faith, her privates we.

GUILDENSTERN:

God, we are her privates.

HAMLET:

In the secret parts of Fortune? O! most true! she is a
strumpet. What news?

HAMLET:

In the secret parts of fortune? O, most true, she is a
loose woman. What's the news?

ROSENCRANTZ:

None, my lord, but that the world's grown(245)
honest.

ROSENCRANTZ:

None, my lord, but that the world's grown honest.

HAMLET:

Then is doomsday near. But your news is not true. Let
me question more in particular. What have you, my good
friends, deserved at the hands of Fortune that she sends you
to prison hither?(250)

HAMLET:

Then is doomsday near, but your news is not true. Let
me question more in particular, my good friends, what
you have done to deserve such fortune, that she sends
you to prison hither?

GUILDENSTERN:

Prison, my lord?

GUILDENSTERN:

Prison, my lord!

HAMLET:

Denmark's a prison.

HAMLET:

Denmark's a prison.

ROSENCRANTZ:

Then is the world one.

ROSENCRANTZ:

Then the world is one.

HAMLET:

A goodly one; in which there are many confines,
wards, and dungeons, Denmark being one o' the worst.(255)

HAMLET:

A goodly one, in which there are many cells, wards, and
dungeons, Denmark being one of the worst.

ROSENCRANTZ:

We think not so, my lord.

ROSENCRANTZ:

We don’t think so, my lord.

HAMLET:

Why, then 'tis none to you; for there is nothing either
good or bad but thinking makes it so. To me it is a prison.

HAMLET:

Why, then it is not a prison to you, for there is nothing
either good or bad but only thinking makes it so. To me, it is a prison.

ROSENCRANTZ:

Why, then your ambition makes it one. 'tis too
narrow for your mind.(260)

ROSENCRANTZ:

Why, then, your ambition makes it one, your ambition is
too narrow for your mind.

HAMLET:

O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count
myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad
dreams.

HAMLET:

O God, I could be put into a nutshell and count myself a
king of infinite space, if it were not that I have bad dreams.

GUILDENSTERN:

Which dreams indeed are ambition; for the
very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a(265)
dream.

GUILDENSTERN:

Those dreams are indeed ambition, for the very
substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream.