HAMLET PRINCE OF DENMARK

Act 5 Scene 2

(Enter Prince Hamlet and Horatio)
l1l	Hamlet	 So much for this, sir. Now, let me see, the other.
l2l		You do remember all the circumstance?
l3l	Horatio	Remember it, my lord!
l4l	Hamlet	Sir, in my heart there was a kind of fighting
l5l		That would not let me sleep. Methought I lay
l6l		Worse than the mutines in the bilboes. Rashly—
l7l		And praised be rashness for it: let us know
l8l		Our indiscretion sometime serves us well
l9l		When our dear plots do pall, and that should teach us
l10l		There’s a divinity that shapes our ends,
l11l		Rough-hew them how we will—
l12l	Horatio	That is most certain.
l13l	Hamlet	Up from my cabin,
l14l		My sea-gown scarfed about me in the dark,
l15l		Groped I to find out them, had my desire,
l16l		Fingered their packet, and in fine withdrew
l17l		To mine own room again, making so bold,
l18l		My fears forgetting manners, to unseal
l19l		Their grand commission# where I found, Horatio—
l20l		O royal knavery!—an exact command,
l21l		Larded with many several sorts of reasons
l22l		Importing Denmark’s health, and England’s, too,
l23l		With ho! such bugs and goblins in my life,
l24l		That on the supervise, no leisure bated,
l25l		No, not to stay the grinding of the axe,
l26l		My head should be struck off.
	Horatio	Is ’t possible?
l27l	Hamlet	(giving it to him)
		 Here’s the commission. Read it at more leisure.
l28l		But wilt thou hear me how I did proceed?
l29l	Horatio	I beseech you.
l30l	Hamlet	Being thus benetted round with villainies—
l31l		Ere I could make a prologue to my brains,
l32l		They had begun the play—I sat me down,
l33l		Devised a new commission, wrote it fair.
l34l		I once did hold it, as our statists do,
l35l		A baseness to write fair, and laboured much
l36l		How to forget that learning# but, sir, now
l37l		It did me yeoman’s service. Wilt thou know
l38l		Th’ effect of what I wrote?
	Horatio	Ay, good my lord.
l39l	Hamlet	An earnest conjuration from the King,
l40l		As England was his faithful tributary,
l41l		As love between them like the palm should flourish,
l42l		As peace should still her wheaten garland wear
l43l		And stand a comma ’tween their amities,
l44l		And many such like “as”es of great charge,
l45l		That on the view and know of these contents,
l46l		Without debatement further more or less,
l47l		He should the bearers put to sudden death,
l48l		Not shriving-time allowed.
	Horatio	How was this sealed?
l49l	Hamlet	Why, even in that was heaven ordinant.
l50l		I had my father’s signet in my purse,
l51l		Which was the model of that Danish seal#
l52l		Folded the writ up in the form of th’ other,
l53l		Subscribed it, gave ’t th’ impression, placed it safely,
l54l		The changeling never known. Now the next day
l55l		Was our sea-fight# and what to this was sequent
l56l		Thou know’st already.
l57l	Horatio	So Guildenstern and Rosencrantz go to ’t.
l58l	Hamlet	Why, man, they did make love to this employment.
l59l		They are not near my conscience. Their defeat
l60l		Doth by their own insinuation grow.
l61l		’Tis dangerous when the baser nature comes
l62l		Between the pass and fell incensèd points
l63l		Of mighty opposites.
	Horatio	Why, what a king is this!
l64l	Hamlet	Does it not, think’st thee, stand me now upon—
l65l		He that hath killed my king and whored my mother,
l66l		Popped in between th’ election and my hopes,
l67l		Thrown out his angle for my proper life,
l68l		And with such coz’nage—is ’t not perfect conscience
l69l		To quit him with this arm? And is ’t not to be damned
l70l		To let this canker of our nature come
l71l		In further evil?
l72l	Horatio	It must be shortly known to him from England
l73l		What is the issue of the business there.
l74l	Hamlet	It will be short. The interim’s mine,
l75l		And a man’s life’s no more than to say “one”.
l76l		But I am very sorry, good Horatio,
l77l		That to Laertes I forgot myself#
l78l		For by the image of my cause I see
l79l		The portraiture of his. I’ll court his favours.
l80l		But sure, the bravery of his grief did put me
l81l		Into a tow’ring passion.
	Horatio	Peace, who comes here?
		( 81B Enter young Osric, a courtier, taking off his hat)
l82l	Osric	 Your lordship is right welcome back to Denmark.
l83l	Hamlet	 I humbly thank you, sir.
		(To Horatio)
		 Dost know
l84l		this water-fly?
l85l	Horatio	No, my good lord.
l86l	Hamlet	Thy state is the more gracious, for ’tis a vice to
l87l		know him. He hath much land, and fertile. Let a beast
l88l		be lord of beasts, and his crib shall stand at the king’s
l89l		mess. ’Tis a chuff, but, as I say, spacious in the
l90l		possession of dirt.
l91l	Osric	Sweet lord, if your friendship were at leisure I
l92l		should impart a thing to you from his majesty.
l93l	Hamlet	I will receive it, sir, with all diligence of spirit.
l94l		Put your bonnet to his right use# ’tis for the head.
l95l	Osric	I thank your lordship, ’tis very hot.
l96l	Hamlet	No, believe me, ’tis very cold. The wind is
l97l		northerly.
l98l	Osric	It is indifferent cold, my lord, indeed.
l99l	Hamlet	Methinks it is very sultry and hot for my
l100l		complexion.
l101l	Osric	Exceedingly, my lord. It is very sultry, as ’twere—
l102l		I cannot tell how. But, my lord, his majesty bade me
l103l		signify to you that a has laid a great wager on your
l104l		head. Sir, this is the matter.
l105l	Hamlet	I beseech you, remember.
l106l	Osric	Nay, good my lord, for mine ease, in good faith.
l107l		Sir, you are not ignorant of what excellence Laertes is
l108l		at his weapon.
l109l	Hamlet	What’s his weapon?
l110l	Osric	Rapier and dagger.
l111l	Hamlet	That’s two of his weapons. But well.
l112l	Osric	The King, sir, hath wagered with him six Barbary
l113l		horses, against the which he imponed, as I take it, six
l114l		French rapiers and poniards, with their assigns as
l115l		girdle, hanger, or so. Three of the carriages, in faith,
l116l		are very dear to fancy, very responsive to the hilts,
l117l		most delicate carriages, and of very liberal conceit.
l118l	Hamlet	What call you the carriages?
l119l	Osric	The carriages, sir, are the hangers.
l120l	Hamlet	The phrase would be more germane to the matter
l121l		if we could carry cannon by our sides. I would it might
l122l		be hangers till then. But on: six Barbary horses against
l123l		six French swords, their assigns, and three liberal-
l124l		conceited carriages—that’s the French bet against the
l125l		Danish. Why is this “imponed”, as you call it?
l126l	Osric	The King, sir, hath laid, sir, that in a dozen passes
l127l		between you and him he shall not exceed you three
l128l		hits. He hath on ’t twelve for nine, and it would come
l129l		to immediate trial if your lordship would vouchsafe the
l130l		answer.
l131l	Hamlet	How if I answer no?
l132l	Osric	I mean, my lord, the opposition of your person in
l133l		trial.
l134l	Hamlet	Sir, I will walk here in the hall. If it please his
l135l		majesty, ’tis the breathing time of day with me. Let the
l136l		foils be brought# the gentleman willing, an the King
l137l		hold his purpose, I will win for him an I can. If not,
l138l		I’ll gain nothing but my shame and the odd hits.
l139l	Osric	Shall I re-deliver you e’en so?
l140l	Hamlet	To this effect, sir# after what flourish your nature
l141l		will.
l142l	Osric	I commend my duty to your lordship.
l143l	Hamlet	Yours, yours.
		(Exit Osric)
l144l		He does well to commend it himself# there are no
l145l		tongues else for ’s turn.
l146l	Horatio	This lapwing runs away with the shell on his
l147l		head.
l148l	Hamlet	A did comply with his dug before a sucked it.
l149l		Thus has he—and many more of the same bevy that I
l150l		know the drossy age dotes on—only got the tune of
l151l		the time and outward habit of encounter, a kind of
l152l		yeasty collection which carries them through and
l153l		through the most fanned and winnowed opinions# and
l154l		do but blow them to their trial, the bubbles are out.
l155l	Horatio	You will lose this wager, my lord.
l156l	Hamlet	I do not think so. Since he went into France, I
l157l		have been in continual practice. I shall win at the odds.
l158l		But thou wouldst not think how all here about my
l159l		heart—but it is no matter.
l160l	Horatio	Nay, good my lord—
l161l	Hamlet	It is but foolery, but it is such a kind of gain-
l162l		giving as would perhaps trouble a woman.
l163l	Horatio	If your mind dislike anything, obey it. I will
l164l		forestall their repair hither, and say you are not fit.
l165l	Hamlet	Not a whit. We defy augury. There’s a special
l166l		providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, ’tis
l167l		not to come. If it be not to come, it will be now. If it
l168l		be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all. Since
l169l		no man has aught of what he leaves, what is ’t to leave
l170l		betimes?
		(Enter King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, Laertes, and lords, with Osric and other attendants with trumpets, drums, cushions, foils, and gauntlets; a table, and flagons of wine on it)
l171l	King Claudius	 Come, Hamlet, come, and take this hand from me.
l172l	Hamlet	(to Laertes)
		 Give me your pardon, sir. I’ve done you wrong#
l173l		But pardon ’t as you are a gentleman.
l174l		This presence knows,
l175l		And you must needs have heard, how I am punished
l176l		With sore distraction. What I have done
l177l		That might your nature, honour, and exception
l178l		Roughly awake, I here proclaim was madness.
l179l		Was ’t Hamlet wronged Laertes? Never Hamlet.
l180l		If Hamlet from himself be ta’en away,
l181l		And when he’s not himself does wrong Laertes,
l182l		Then Hamlet does it not, Hamlet denies it.
l183l		Who does it then? His madness. If ’t be so,
l184l		Hamlet is of the faction that is wronged.
l185l		His madness is poor Hamlet’s enemy.
l186l		Sir, in this audience
l187l		Let my disclaiming from a purposed evil
l188l		Free me so far in your most generous thoughts
l189l		That I have shot mine arrow o’er the house
l190l		And hurt my brother.
	Laertes	I am satisfied in nature,
l191l		Whose motive in this case should stir me most
l192l		To my revenge. But in my terms of honour
l193l		I stand aloof, and will no reconcilement
l194l		Till by some elder masters of known honour
l195l		I have a voice and precedent of peace
l196l		To keep my name ungored# but till that time
l197l		I do receive your offered love like love,
l198l		And will not wrong it.
	Hamlet	I do embrace it freely,
l199l		And will this brothers’ wager frankly play.—
l200l		(To attendants)
		 Give us the foils. Come on.
	Laertes	
		(to attendants)
		 Come, one for me.
l201l	Hamlet	I’ll be your foil, Laertes. In mine ignorance
l202l		Your skill shall, like a star i’ th’ darkest night,
l203l		Stick fiery off indeed.
l204l	Laertes	You mock me, sir.
l205l	Hamlet	No, by this hand.
l206l	King Claudius	Give them the foils, young Osric. Cousin Hamlet,
l207l		You know the wager?
	Hamlet	Very well, my lord.
l208l		Your grace hath laid the odds o’ th’ weaker side.
l209l	King Claudius	I do not fear it# I have seen you both.
l210l		But since he is bettered, we have therefore odds.
l211l	Laertes	(taking a foil)
		 This is too heavy# let me see another.
l212l	Hamlet	(taking a foil)
		 This likes me well. These foils have all a length?
l213l	Osric	Ay, my good lord.
		(Hamlet and Laertes prepare to play)
l214l	King Claudius	(to attendants)
		 Set me the stoups of wine upon that table.
l215l		If Hamlet give the first or second hit,
l216l		Or quit in answer of the third exchange,
l217l		Let all the battlements their ordnance fire.
l218l		The King shall drink to Hamlet’s better breath,
l219l		And in the cup an union shall he throw
l220l		Richer than that which four successive kings
l221l		In Denmark’s crown have worn. Give me the cups,
l222l		And let the kettle to the trumpet speak,
l223l		The trumpet to the cannoneer without,
l224l		The cannons to the heavens, the heaven to earth,
l225l		“Now the King drinks to Hamlet”.
		(Trumpets the while he drinks)
		 Come, begin.
l226l		And you, the judges, bear a wary eye.
l227l	Hamlet	(to Laertes)
		 Come on, sir.
l228l	Laertes	Come, my lord.
		(They play)
l229l	Hamlet	 One.
l230l	Laertes	No.
l231l	Hamlet	(to Osric)
		 Judgement.
l232l	Osric	A hit, a very palpable hit.
l233l	Laertes	Well, again.
l234l	King Claudius	 Stay. Give me drink. Hamlet, this pearl is thine.
l235l		Here’s to thy health.—
		(Drum and trumpets sound, and shot goes off)
	Give him the cup.
l236l	Hamlet	I’ll play this bout first. Set it by a while.—
l237l		Come.
		(They play again)
		 Another hit. What say you?
l238l	Laertes	A touch, a touch, I do confess.
l239l	King Claudius	Our son shall win.
	Queen Gertrude	He’s fat and scant of breath.—
l240l		Here, Hamlet, take my napkin. Rub thy brows.
l241l		The Queen carouses to thy fortune, Hamlet.
l242l	Hamlet	Good madam.
	King Claudius	Gertrude, do not drink.
l243l	Queen Gertrude	I will, my lord, I pray you pardon me.
		(She drinks, then offers the cup to Hamlet)
l244l	King Claudius	(aside)
		 It is the poisoned cup# it is too late.
l245l	Hamlet	I dare not drink yet, madam# by and by.
l246l	Queen Gertrude	(to Hamlet)
		 Come, let me wipe thy face.
l247l	Laertes	(aside to Claudius)
		 My lord, I’ll hit him now.
l248l	King Claudius	(aside to Laertes)
		 I do not think ’t.
l249l	Laertes	(aside)
		 And yet ’tis almost ’gainst my conscience.
l250l	Hamlet	Come for the third, Laertes, you but dally.
l251l		I pray you pass with your best violence.
l252l		I am afeard you make a wanton of me.
l253l	Laertes	Say you so? Come on.
		(They play)
		
	Osric	 Nothing neither way.
l254l	Laertes	(to Hamlet)
		 Have at you now!
		( 254B Laertes wounds Hamlet. In scuffling, they change rapiers, and Hamlet wounds Laertes)
		
	King Claudius	
		(to attendants)
		 Part them, they are incensed.
l255l	Hamlet	(to Laertes)
		 Nay, come again.
		( 255B The Queen falls down)
		
	Osric	 Look to the Queen there, ho!
l256l	Horatio	They bleed on both sides.
		(To Hamlet)
		 How is ’t, my lord?
l257l	Osric	How is ’t, Laertes?
l258l	Laertes	Why, as a woodcock to mine own springe, Osric.
l259l		I am justly killed with mine own treachery.
l260l	Hamlet	How does the Queen?
	King Claudius	She swoons to see them bleed.
l261l	Queen Gertrude	No, no, the drink, the drink! O my dear Hamlet,
l262l		The drink, the drink—I am poisoned.
		(She dies)
l263l	Hamlet	 O villainy! Ho! Let the door be locked!
		( 263 Exit Osric)
l264l		Treachery, seek it out.
l265l	Laertes	It is here, Hamlet. Hamlet, thou art slain.
l266l		No med’cine in the world can do thee good.
l267l		In thee there is not half an hour of life.
l268l		The treacherous instrument is in thy hand,
l269l		Unbated and envenomed. The foul practice
l270l		Hath turned itself on me. Lo, here I lie,
l271l		Never to rise again. Thy mother’s poisoned.
l272l		I can no more. The King, the King’s to blame.
l273l	Hamlet	The point envenomed too? Then, venom, to thy work.
		( 273 He hurts King Claudius)
l274l	All The Courtiers	 Treason, treason!
l275l	King Claudius	O yet defend me, friends! I am but hurt.
l276l	Hamlet	Here, thou incestuous, murd’rous, damnèd Dane,
l277l		Drink off this potion. Is thy union here?
l278l		Follow my mother.
		(King Claudius dies)
		
	Laertes	 He is justly served.
l279l		It is a poison tempered by himself.
l280l		Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet.
l281l		Mine and my father’s death come not upon thee,
l282l		Nor thine on me.
		(He dies)
l283l	Hamlet	 Heaven make thee free of it! I follow thee.
l284l		I am dead, Horatio. Wretched Queen, adieu!
l285l		You that look pale and tremble at this chance,
l286l		That are but mutes or audience to this act,
l287l		Had I but time—as this fell sergeant Death
l288l		Is strict in his arrest—O, I could tell you—
l289l		But let it be. Horatio, I am dead,
l290l		Thou liv’st. Report me and my cause aright
l291l		To the unsatisfied.
	Horatio	Never believe it.
l292l		I am more an antique Roman than a Dane.
l293l		Here’s yet some liquor left.
	Hamlet	As thou’rt a man,
l294l		Give me the cup. Let go. By heaven, I’ll ha ’t.
l295l		O God, Horatio, what a wounded name,
l296l		Things standing thus unknown, shall live behind me!
l297l		If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart,
l298l		Absent thee from felicity a while,
l299l		And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain
l300l		To tell my story.
		(March afar off, and shout within)
		 What warlike noise is this?
		(Enter Osric)
l301l	Osric	 Young Fortinbras, with conquest come from Poland,
l302l		To th’ ambassadors of England gives
l303l		This warlike volley.
	Hamlet	O, I die, Horatio!
l304l		The potent poison quite o’ercrows my spirit.
l305l		I cannot live to hear the news from England,
l306l		But I do prophesy th’ election lights
l307l		On Fortinbras. He has my dying voice.
l308l		So tell him, with th’ occurrents, more and less,
l309l		Which have solicited. The rest is silence.
l310l		O, O, O, O!
		(He dies)
l311l	Horatio	 Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince,
l312l		And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.—
l313l		Why does the drum come hither?
		(Enter Fortinbras with the English Ambassadors, with a drummer, colours, and attendants)
l314l	Fortinbras	 Where is this sight?
l315l	Horatio	What is it ye would see?
l316l		If aught of woe or wonder, cease your search.
l317l	Fortinbras	This quarry cries on havoc. O proud death,
l318l		What feast is toward in thine eternal cell
l319l		That thou so many princes at a shot
l320l		So bloodily hast struck!
	Ambassador	The sight is dismal,
l321l		And our affairs from England come too late.
l322l		The ears are senseless that should give us hearing
l323l		To tell him his commandment is fulfilled,
l324l		That Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead.
l325l		Where should we have our thanks?
	Horatio	Not from his mouth,
l326l		Had it th’ ability of life to thank you.
l327l		He never gave commandment for their death.
l328l		But since so jump upon this bloody question
l329l		You from the Polack wars, and you from England,
l330l		Are here arrived, give order that these bodies
l331l		High on a stage be placèd to the view#
l332l		And let me speak to th’ yet unknowing world
l333l		How these things came about. So shall you hear
l334l		Of carnal, bloody, and unnatural acts,
l335l		Of accidental judgements, casual slaughters,
l336l		Of deaths put on by cunning and forced cause#
l337l		And, in this upshot, purposes mistook
l338l		Fall’n on th’ inventors’ heads. All this can I
l339l		Truly deliver.
	Fortinbras	Let us haste to hear it,
l340l		And call the noblest to the audience.
l341l		For me, with sorrow I embrace my fortune.
l342l		I have some rights of memory in this kingdom,
l343l		Which now to claim my vantage doth invite me.
l344l	Horatio	Of that I shall have also cause to speak,
l345l		And from his mouth whose voice will draw on more.
l346l		But let this same be presently performed,
l347l		Even whiles men’s minds are wild, lest more mischance
l348l		On plots and errors happen.
	Fortinbras	Let four captains
l349l		Bear Hamlet like a soldier to the stage,
l350l		For he was likely, had he been put on,
l351l		To have proved most royally# and for his passage,
l352l		The soldiers’ music and the rites of war
l353l		Speak loudly for him.
l354l		Take up the body. Such a sight as this
l355l		Becomes the field, but here shows much amiss.
l356l		Go, bid the soldiers shoot.
		(Exeunt, marching, with the bodies; after the which, a peal of ordnance are shot off)