Scene I

[Elsinore. A room in the Castle.]

Enter King, Queen, Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Lords.

KING:

And can you by no drift of conference
Get from him why he puts on this confusion,
Grating so harshly all his days of quiet
With turbulent and dangerous lunacy?

KING:

And can’t you, by any circumstance,
Get from him why he puts on this craziness,
Grating all his days of quiet so harshly
With turbulence and dangerous lunacy?

ROSENCRANTZ:

He does confess he feels himself distracted,(5)
But from what cause he will by no means speak.

ROSENCRANTZ:

He does confess that he feels himself troubled,
But he will by no means speak about the cause.

GUILDENSTERN:

Nor do we find him forward to be sounded,
But with a crafty madness keeps aloof
When we would bring him on to some confession
Of his true state.(10)

GUILDENSTERN:

Nor do we find him easy to figure out the reason why,
Because, with a crafty craziness, keeps his distance
When we try to bring him to some confession
Of his true state.

QUEEN:

Did he receive you well?

QUEEN:

Did he receive you well?

ROSENCRANTZ:

Most like a gentleman.

ROSENCRANTZ:

Most like a gentleman.

GUILDENSTERN:

But with much forcing of his disposition.

GUILDENSTERN:

But with much forcing to make himself do it.

ROSENCRANTZ:

Niggard of question, but of our demands
Most free in his reply.(15)

ROSENCRANTZ:

Difficult to question, but, when we ask for something,
He is most free in his reply.

QUEEN:

Did you assay him
To any pastime?

QUEEN:

Did you try to get him
To engage in any pastime?

ROSENCRANTZ:

Madam, it so fell out that certain players
We o'erraught on the way. Of these we told him,
And there did seem in him a kind of joy(20)
To hear of it. They are here about the court,
And, as I think, they have already order
This night to play before him.

ROSENCRANTZ:

Madam, it just so happened that certain players
We passed on the way here. We told him about them,
And it seemed to make him happy
To hear of it. They are here at the court,
And, I think, they are already hired
To play before him tonight.

POLONIUS:

'tis most true;
And he beseech'd me to entreat your Majesties(25)
To hear and see the matter.

POLONIUS:

This is very true,
And he begged me to invite your majesties
To hear and see the play.

KING:

With all my heart, and it doth much content me
To hear him so inclin'd.
Good gentlemen, give him a further edge
And drive his purpose on to these delights.(30)

KING:

With all my heart, and it makes me happy
To hear that he is so inclined.
Good gentlemen, cut him some slack,
And keep his attentions on these delights.

ROSENCRANTZ:

We shall, my lord.

ROSENCRANTZ:

We shall, my lord.

Exeunt Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

KING:

Sweet Gertrude, leave us too;
For we have closely sent for Hamlet hither,
That he, as 'twere by accident, may here
Affront Ophelia.(35)
Her father and myself, lawful espials,
Will so bestow ourselves that, seeing unseen,
We may of their encounter frankly judge
And gather by him, as he is behaved,
If't be the affliction of his love or no,(40)
That thus he suffers for.

KING:

Sweet Gertrude, leave us too,
For we have secretly sent for Hamlet to come here,
That here he may, as if by accident
Meet Ophelia.
Her father and I, lawful spies,
Will so hide ourselves that, seeing but unseen,
We may honestly judge their encounter,
And gather from him, or how he behaves,
If it’s the affliction of his love or not
That he suffers like this for.

QUEEN:

I shall obey you;
And for your part, Ophelia, I do wish
That your good beauties be the happy cause
Of Hamlet's wildness. So shall I hope your virtues(45)
Will bring him to his wonted way again,
To both your honours.

QUEEN:

I shall obey you.
And for your part, Ophelia, I do wish
That your good beauties are the happy cause
Of Hamlet's wildness. I really hope your virtues
Will bring him to his usual way again,
To the honor of both of you.

OPHELIA:

Madam, I wish it may.

OPHELIA:

Madam, I wish it may.

POLONIUS:

Ophelia, walk you here. Gracious, so please you,
We will bestow ourselves. Read on this book,(50)
That show of such an exercise may colour
Your loneliness. We are oft to blame in this—
'tis too much proved—that with devotion's visage
And pious action we do sugar o'er
The Devil himself.(55)

POLONIUS:

Ophelia, you walk here. Gracious king, if it pleases you,
We will bestow ourselves. [To Ophelia.] Read this book,
Showing that such an exercise may colours
Your loneliness. We are often to blame in this, it’s been
proven often, that with devotion's face and
holy actions, we sugar over
The Devil himself.

KING:

O, 'tis too true!
How smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience!
The harlot's cheek, beautied with plastering art,
Is not more ugly to the thing that helps it
Than is my deed to my most painted word.(60)
O heavy burden!

KING:

O, it is too true!
How hurting a lash that speech gives my conscience!
The prostitute's cheek, covered with makeup,
Isn’t more ugly to the thing that helps it
Than is my deed to my very artificial words.
O heavy burden!

Enter Hamlet.

POLONIUS:

I hear him coming. Let's withdraw, my lord.

POLONIUS:

I hear him coming. Let's hide, my lord.

[Exeunt.]

HAMLET:

To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune(65)
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep—
No more—and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to. 'tis a consummation(70)
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep—
To sleep—perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub!
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause—there's the respect(75)
That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of disprized love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns(80)
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death(85)
The undiscover'd country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,(90)
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action. Soft you now!(95)
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remembered.

HAMLET:

To be, or not to be, that is the question.
Is it nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to fight against a sea of troubles,
And end them by fighting? To die, to sleep,
Nothing more, and by sleeping, to be able to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That the body gets as part of life is an ending
To be wished for very earnestly. To die, to sleep,
To sleep! Perhaps to dream. Yes, there's the catch,
For what dreams may come in that sleep of death,
When we have left this life on earth,
Must make us stop. There's the respect
That makes a mess of long life,
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's insults,
The pangs of rejected love, the law's delay,
The inexperience of office, and the disdain
That patient merit takes from the unworthy,
When he himself might his final settlement make
With a bare, sharp knife? Who would bear these burdens
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
Except that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country, from whose borders
No traveler returns, puzzles the mind,
And makes us bear those problems we have
Rather than fly to others that we don’t know about?
In this way, a conscience can make cowards of us all,
And in this way the natural color of making up your mind
Is covered with the pale shadow of thinking,
And projects of great substance and significance,
And in this regard, their movement turns erratic,
And lose the name of action. Wait!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in your eyes
May all my sins be remembered.

OPHELIA:

Good my lord,
How does your honour for this many a day?

OPHELIA:

My good lord,
How has your honor been for this many a day?

HAMLET:

I humbly thank you; well, well, well.(100)

HAMLET:

I humbly thank you, Well, well, well.

OPHELIA:

My lord, I have remembrances of yours
That I have longed long to redeliver.
I pray you, now receive them.

OPHELIA:

My lord, I have mementos of yours
That I have longed to re-deliver to you for a long time.
I beg you, take them back now.

HAMLET:

No, not I!
I never gave you aught.(105)

HAMLET:

No, not I,
I never gave you anything.

OPHELIA:

My honour'd lord, you know right well you did,
And with them words of so sweet breath compos'd
As made the things more rich. Their perfume lost,
Take these again; for to the noble mind
Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind.(110)
There, my lord.

OPHELIA:

My honored lord, you know right well you did,
And with them, words composed of so sweet an air
As made the things more rich. Their sweet air being
Gone, take them back again, because to the noble mind
Rich gifts grow poor when the givers prove unkind.
There, my lord.

HAMLET:

Ha, ha! Are you honest?

HAMLET:

Ha! ha! Are you sincere?

OPHELIA:

My lord?

OPHELIA:

My lord?

HAMLET:

Are you fair?

HAMLET:

Are you truthful?

OPHELIA:

What means your lordship?(115)

OPHELIA:

What do you mean?

HAMLET:

That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should
admit no discourse to your beauty.

HAMLET:

That if you be sincere and truthful, your sincerity
shouldn’t have any talks to your beauty.

OPHELIA:

Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than
with honesty?

OPHELIA:

Could beauty, my lord, have better dealings than with sincerity?

HAMLET:

Ay, truly; for the power of beauty will sooner transform(120)
honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of
honesty can translate beauty into his likeness. This was
sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof. I did
love you once.

HAMLET:

Yes, truly, for the power of beauty will transform
sincerity from what it is to a pimp faster than the force of
sincerity can translate beauty into his image. This used to
be contradictory, but now the time proves it’s true. I did
love you once.

OPHELIA:

Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.(125)

OPHELIA:

Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.

HAMLET:

You should not have believed me; for virtue cannot
so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I
loved you not.

HAMLET:

You should not have believed me, for virtue can’t graft a
new plant onto our old stock but we shall relish of it. I
didn’t love you.

OPHELIA:

I was the more deceived.

OPHELIA:

I was deceived all the more.

HAMLET:

Get thee to a nunnery! Why wouldst thou be a(130)
breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest, but yet
I could accuse me of such things that it were better my
mother had not borne me. I am very proud, revengeful,
ambitious; with more offences at my beck than I have
thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape,(135)
or time to act them in. What should such fellows as I do,
crawling between earth and heaven? We are arrant knaves
all; believe none of us. Go thy ways to a nunnery. Where's
your father?

HAMLET:

Get yourself to a convent. Why would you give birth to
sinners? I don’t care about my sincerity, but I could
accuse myself of such things that it were better my
mother had not had me. I am very proud, revengeful,
ambitious, with more offenses at my command than I
have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them
shape, or time to commit them in. What should such
fellows as I do crawling between earth and heaven? We
are wicked men, all, believe none of us. Take yourself a
convent. Where's your father?

OPHELIA:

At home, my lord.(140)

OPHELIA:

At home, my lord.

HAMLET:

Let the doors be shut upon him, that he may play the
fool nowhere but in's own house. Farewell.

HAMLET:

Shut the doors on him, that he may play the fool
nowhere else but in his own house. Goodbye.

OPHELIA:

O, help him, you sweet heavens!

OPHELIA:

O, help him, you sweet heavens!

HAMLET:

If thou dost marry, I'll give thee this plague for thy
dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt(145)
not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery. Go, farewell. Or
if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool; for wise men know
well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery,
go; and quickly too. Farewell.

HAMLET:

If you do, by Mary, I’ll give you this curse for your
wedding gift: whether you as chaste as ice, as pure as
snow, you shalt not escape slander. Go to a convent, go.
Goodbye. Or, if you will marry, make it a fool, by Mary,
for wise men know well enough what monsters you make
of them. To a convent, go, and quickly too. Goodbye.

OPHELIA:

O heavenly powers, restore him!(150)

OPHELIA:

O heavenly powers, restore him!

HAMLET:

I have heard of your paintings too, well enough. God
hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another.
You jig, you amble, and you lisp; and nickname God's creatures
and make your wantonness your ignorance. Go to, I'll
no more on't! it hath made me mad. I say, we will have no(155)
more marriages. Those that are married already—all but
one—shall live; the rest shall keep as they are. To a nunnery,
go.

HAMLET:

I have heard enough about your paintings too, God has
given you one face, and you paint yourselves another.
You dance, you walk, and you whisper and nickname
animals, and make your looseness your ignorance. Go
to, I’ll say no more about it, it has made me crazy. I say,
we will have no more marriages. those that are married
already, all but one, shall live, the rest stay the same. To
a convent, go.