Hamlet · William Shakespeare
SCENA SECUNDA[3]
_Enter Claudius King of Denmarke. Gertrude the Queene, Hamlet, Polonius, Laertes, and his Sister Ophelia, Lords Attendant._[4] [Sidenote: _Florish. Enter Claudius, King of Denmarke, Gertrad the Queene, Counsaile: as Polonius, and his sonne Laertes, Hamelt Cum Abijs._] _King._ Though yet of _Hamlet_ our deere Brothers death [Sidenote: _Claud._] The memory be greene: and that it vs befitted To beare our hearts in greefe, and our whole Kingdome To be contracted in one brow of woe: Yet so farre hath Discretion fought with Nature, That we with wisest sorrow thinke on him, [Page 16] Together with remembrance of our selues. Therefore our sometimes Sister, now our Queen, Th'Imperiall Ioyntresse of this warlike State, [Sidenote: to this] Haue we, as 'twere, with a defeated ioy, With one Auspicious, and one Dropping eye, [Sidenote: an auspitious and a] With mirth in Funerall, and with Dirge in Marriage, In equall Scale weighing Delight and Dole[1] Taken to Wife; nor haue we heerein barr'd[2] Your better Wisedomes, which haue freely gone With this affaire along, for all our Thankes. [Sidenote: 8] Now followes, that you know young _Fortinbras_,[3] Holding a weake supposall of our worth; Or thinking by our late deere Brothers death, Our State to be disioynt, and out of Frame, Colleagued with the dreame of his Aduantage;[4] [Sidenote: this dreame] He hath not fayl'd to pester vs with Message, Importing the surrender of those Lands Lost by his Father: with all Bonds of Law [Sidenote: bands] To our most valiant Brother. So much for him.
_Enter Voltemand and Cornelius._[5] Now for our selfe, and for this time of meeting Thus much the businesse is. We haue heere writ To Norway, Vncle of young _Fortinbras_, Who Impotent and Bedrid, scarsely heares Of this his Nephewes purpose, to suppresse His further gate[6] heerein. In that the Leuies, The Lists, and full proportions are all made Out of his subiect: and we heere dispatch You good _Cornelius_, and you _Voltemand_, For bearing of this greeting to old Norway, [Sidenote: bearers] Giuing to you no further personall power To businesse with the King, more then the scope Of these dilated Articles allow:[7] [Sidenote: delated[8]] Farewell and let your hast commend your duty.[9] [Page 18] _Volt._ In that, and all things, will we shew our duty. _King._ We doubt it nothing, heartily farewell. [Sidenote: 74] [1]_Exit Voltemand and Cornelius._ And now _Laertes_, what's the newes with you? You told vs of some suite. What is't _Laertes_? You cannot speake of Reason to the Dane, And loose your voyce. What would'st thou beg _Laertes_, That shall not be my Offer, not thy Asking?[2] The Head is not more Natiue to the Heart, The Hand more Instrumentall to the Mouth, Then is the Throne of Denmarke to thy Father.[3] What would'st thou haue _Laertes_? _Laer._ Dread my Lord, [Sidenote: My dread] Your leaue and fauour to returne to France, From whence, though willingly I came to Denmarke To shew my duty in your Coronation, Yet now I must confesse, that duty done, [Sidenote: 22] My thoughts and wishes bend againe towards toward France,[4] And bow them to your gracious leaue and pardon.
_King._ Haue you your Fathers leaue? What sayes _Pollonius_? [A] _Pol._ He hath my Lord: I do beseech you giue him leaue to go. _King._ Take thy faire houre _Laertes_, time be thine, And thy best graces spend it at thy will: But now my Cosin _Hamlet_, and my Sonne? [Footnote A: _In the Quarto_:-- _Polo._ Hath[5] my Lord wroung from me my slowe leaue By laboursome petition, and at last Vpon his will I seald my hard consent,[6] I doe beseech you giue him leaue to goe.] [Page 20] _Ham._ A little more then kin, and lesse then kinde.[1] _King._ How is it that the Clouds still hang on you? _Ham._ Not so my Lord, I am too much i'th'Sun.[2] [Sidenote: so much my ... in the sonne.] _Queen._ Good Hamlet cast thy nightly colour off,[4] [Sidenote: nighted[3]] And let thine eye looke like a Friend on Denmarke. Do not for euer with thy veyled[5] lids [Sidenote: vailed] Seeke for thy Noble Father in the dust; Thou know'st 'tis common, all that liues must dye, Passing through Nature, to Eternity. _Ham._ I Madam, it is common.[6] _Queen._ If it be; Why seemes it so particular with thee. _Ham._ Seemes Madam? Nay, it is: I know not Seemes:[7] 'Tis not alone my Inky Cloake (good Mother) [Sidenote: cloake coold mother [8]] Nor Customary suites of solemne Blacke, Nor windy suspiration of forc'd breath, No, nor the fruitfull Riuer in the Eye, Nor the deiected hauiour of the Visage, Together with all Formes, Moods, shewes of Griefe, [Sidenote: moodes, chapes of] That can denote me truly. These indeed Seeme,[9] [Sidenote: deuote] For they are actions that a man might[10] play: But I haue that Within, which passeth show; [Sidenote: passes] These, but the Trappings, and the Suites of woe.
_King._ 'Tis sweet and commendable In your Nature _Hamlet_, To giue these mourning duties to your Father:[11] But you must know, your Father lost a Father, That Father lost, lost his, and the Suruiuer bound In filiall Obligation, for some terme To do obsequious[12] Sorrow. But to perseuer In obstinate Condolement, is a course [Footnote 2: A word-play may be here intended between _sun_ and _son_: _a little more than kin--too much i' th' Son_. So George Herbert: For when he sees my ways, I die; But I have got his _Son_, and he hath none; and Dr. Donne: at my death thy Son Shall shine, as he shines now and heretofore.] [Page 22] Of impious stubbornnesse. Tis vnmanly greefe, It shewes a will most incorrect to Heauen, A Heart vnfortified, a Minde impatient, [Sidenote: or minde] An Vnderstanding simple, and vnschool'd: For, what we know must be, and is as common As any the most vulgar thing to sence, Why should we in our peeuish Opposition Take it to heart? Fye, 'tis a fault to Heauen, A fault against the Dead, a fault to Nature, To Reason most absurd, whose common Theame Is death of Fathers, and who still hath cried, From the first Coarse,[1] till he that dyed to day, [Sidenote: course] This must be so. We pray you throw to earth This vnpreuayling woe, and thinke of vs As of a Father; For let the world take note, You are the most immediate to our Throne,[2] And with no lesse Nobility of Loue, Then that which deerest Father beares his Sonne, Do I impart towards you. For your intent [Sidenote: toward] [Sidenote: 18] In going backe to Schoole in Wittenberg,[3] It is most retrograde to our desire: [Sidenote: retrogard] And we beseech you, bend you to remaine Heere in the cheere and comfort of our eye, Our cheefest Courtier Cosin, and our Sonne.
There's magic in thy majesty, which has From thy admiring daughter took the spirits, Standing like stone with thee.] [Page 30] Forme of the thing; each word made true and good, The Apparition comes. I knew your Father: These hands are not more like. _Ham_. But where was this? _Mar_. My Lord, vpon the platforme where we watcht. [Sidenote: watch] _Ham_. Did you not speake to it? _Her_. My Lord, I did; But answere made it none: yet once me thought It lifted vp it head, and did addresse It selfe to motion, like as it would speake: But euen then, the Morning Cocke crew lowd; And at the sound it shrunke in hast away, And vanisht from our sight. _Ham_. Tis very strange. _Hor_. As I doe liue my honourd Lord 'tis true; [Sidenote: 14] And we did thinke it writ downe in our duty To let you know of it. [Sidenote: 32,52] _Ham_. Indeed, indeed Sirs; but this troubles me. [Sidenote: Indeede Sirs but] Hold you the watch to Night? _Both_. We doe my Lord. [Sidenote: _All_.] _Ham_. Arm'd, say you? _Both_. Arm'd, my Lord. [Sidenote: _All_.] _Ham_. From top to toe? _Both_. My Lord, from head to foote. [Sidenote: _All_.] _Ham_. Then saw you not his face? _Hor_. O yes, my Lord, he wore his Beauer vp.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.