Hamlet (18 page)

ROSENCRANTZ
    What have you done, my lord, with the dead body?

HAMLET
    
Compounded
⁵
it with dust, whereto ’tis kin.

ROSENCRANTZ
    Tell us where ’tis, that we may take it thence

and bear it to the chapel.

HAMLET
    Do not believe it.

ROSENCRANTZ
    Believe what?

HAMLET
    That I can
keep your counsel and not mine own
¹⁰
.

Besides, to be
demanded of
a sponge, what
replication
¹¹

should be made by the son of a king?

ROSENCRANTZ
    Take you me for a sponge, my lord?

HAMLET
    Ay, sir, that soaks up the king’s
countenance
¹⁴
, his

rewards, his
authorities
¹⁵
. But such officers do the king best

service in the end: he keeps them, like an ape an apple, in the

corner of his jaw, first
mouthed
¹⁷
to be last swallowed: when

he needs what you have gleaned, it is but squeezing you,

and, sponge, you shall be dry again.

ROSENCRANTZ
    I understand you not, my lord.

HAMLET
    I am glad of it: a knavish speech
sleeps in
²¹
a foolish

ear.

ROSENCRANTZ
    My lord, you must tell us where the body is, and

go with us to the king.

HAMLET
    
The body is with the king, but the king is not with
²⁵

the body. The king is a thing—

GUILDENSTERN
    A thing, my lord?

HAMLET
    Of nothing. Bring me to him.
Hide fox, and all after
²⁸
.

KING
    I have sent to seek him and to find the body.

How dangerous is it that this man goes loose!

Yet must not we put the strong law on him:

He’s loved
of
the
distracted
⁴
multitude,

Who like not in their judgement, but their eyes,

And where ’tis so, th’offender’s
scourge
is
weighed
⁶
,

But ne’er the offence. To
bear all smooth and even
⁷
,

This sudden sending him away must seem

Deliberate pause
⁹
.
Diseases desperate grown

By desperate
appliance
¹⁰
are relieved,

Or not at all.

                      How now? What hath befall’n?

ROSENCRANTZ
    Where the dead body is bestowed, my lord,

We cannot get from him.

KING
    But where is he?

ROSENCRANTZ
    
Without
¹⁵
, my lord, guarded, to know your pleasure.

KING
    Bring him before us.

ROSENCRANTZ
    Ho, Guildenstern! Bring in my lord.

Calls

KING
    Now, Hamlet, where’s Polonius?

HAMLET
    At supper.

KING
    At supper? Where?

HAMLET
    Not where he eats, but where he is eaten: a certain

convocation
of worms are
e’en
²²
at him. Your worm is your

only emperor for diet: we fat all creatures else to fat us, and

we fat ourselves for maggots: your fat king and your lean

beggar is but
variable service
²⁵
, two dishes, but to one table.

That’s the end.

KING
    Alas, alas!

HAMLET
    A man may fish with the worm that hath
eat
²⁸
of a

king, and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm.

KING
    What dost thou mean by this?

HAMLET
    Nothing but to show you how a king may go a

progress
³²
through the guts of a beggar.

KING
    Where is Polonius?

HAMLET
    In heaven, send thither to see. If your messenger

find him not there, seek him i’th’other place yourself. But

indeed, if you find him not this month, you shall nose him as

you go up the stairs into the lobby.

To Rosencrantz or Attendants

KING
    Go seek him there.

HAMLET
    He will stay till ye come.

KING
    Hamlet, this deed of thine, for thine especial safety —

Which we do
tender
⁴¹
, as we dearly grieve

For that which thou hast done — must send thee hence

With fiery quickness: therefore prepare thyself.

The
bark
⁴⁴
is ready and the wind at help,

Th’associates
tend
and everything
at bent
⁴⁵

For England.

HAMLET
    For England?

KING
    Ay, Hamlet.

HAMLET
    Good.

KING
    So is it, if thou knew’st our purposes.

HAMLET
    I see a
cherub
⁵¹
that sees them. But come, for

England! Farewell, dear mother.

KING
    Thy loving father, Hamlet.

HAMLET
    My mother. Father and mother is man and wife:

man and wife is one flesh, and so, my mother. Come, for

England!

KING
    Follow him
at foot
⁵⁷
, tempt him with speed aboard:

Delay it not, I’ll have him hence tonight.

Away! For everything is sealed and done

That else
leans on
⁶⁰
th’affair: pray you make haste.

And, England, if my love thou hold’st at
aught
⁶¹
—

As my great power
thereof may give thee sense
⁶²
,

Since yet thy
cicatrice
⁶³
looks raw and red

After the Danish sword, and thy
free awe
⁶⁴

Pays homage to us — thou mayst not
coldly set
⁶⁵

Our sovereign
process
, which
imports at full
⁶⁶
,

By letters
conjuring
⁶⁷
to that effect,

The
present
⁶⁸
death of Hamlet. Do it, England,

For like the
hectic
⁶⁹
in my blood he rages,

And thou must cure me. Till I know ’tis done,

Howe’er my haps
⁷¹
, my joys were ne’er begun.

FORTINBRAS
    Go, captain, from me greet the Danish king:

Tell him that by his
licence
²
Fortinbras

Claims the
conveyance of
³
a promised march

Over his kingdom. You know the rendezvous.

If that his majesty would aught with us,

We shall express our
duty
in his
eye
⁶
,

And let him know so.

CAPTAIN
    I will do’t, my lord.

FORTINBRAS
    Go
softly
⁹
on.

GERTRUDE
    I will not speak with her.

HORATIO
    She is
importunate
, indeed
distract
²
:

Her mood will needs be pitied.

GERTRUDE
    What would she have?

HORATIO
    She speaks much of her father; says she hears

There’s tricks i’th’world, and
hems
⁶
, and beats her heart,

Spurns enviously at straws
, speaks things
in doubt
⁷

That carry but half sense: her speech is nothing,

Yet the unshapèd
use
⁹
of it doth move

The hearers to
collection
; they
aim
¹⁰
at it,

And
botch
¹¹
the words up fit to their own thoughts,

Which
, as her winks and nods and gestures
yield
¹²
them,

Indeed would make one think there might be
thought
¹³
,

Though nothing sure, yet much
unhappily
¹⁴
.

GERTRUDE
    ’Twere good she were spoken with, for she may strew

Dangerous conjectures in
ill-breeding
¹⁶
minds.

Let her come in.

Horatio goes to the door or may exit

To my sick soul — as sin’s true nature is —

Each
toy
seems prologue to some great
amiss
¹⁹
:

So full of
artless jealousy
²⁰
is guilt,

It spills itself in fearing to be spilt
²¹
.

OPHELIA
    Where is the beauteous majesty of Denmark?

GERTRUDE
    How now, Ophelia!

OPHELIA
    How should I your true love know

     From another one?

     By his
cockle hat
²⁶
and staff,

     And his sandal
shoon
²⁷
.

GERTRUDE
    Alas, sweet lady, what imports this song?

OPHELIA
    Say you? Nay, pray you, mark.

     He is dead and gone, lady,

     
He is dead and gone.

     At his head a grass-green turf,

     At his heels a stone.

GERTRUDE
    Nay, but, Ophelia—

OPHELIA
    Pray you, mark.

     White his shroud as the mountain snow—

GERTRUDE
    Alas, look here, my lord.

OPHELIA
    
Larded
³⁸
with sweet flowers

     Which bewept to the grave did not go

     With true-love
showers
⁴⁰
.

KING
    How do ye, pretty lady?

OPHELIA
    Well, God
yield
you! They say the
owl was a baker’s
⁴²

daughter. Lord, we know what we are, but know not what

we may be. God be at your table!

KING
    
Conceit upon
⁴⁵
her father.

OPHELIA
    Pray you let’s have no words of this, but when they

ask you what it means, say you this:

     ‘Tomorrow is Saint Valentine’s day,

     All in the morning
betime
⁴⁹
,

     And I a maid at your window,

     To be your
Valentine
⁵¹
.’

     Then up he
rose
⁵²
, and donned his clothes,

     And
dupped
the
chamber door
⁵³
:

     Let in the
maid
⁵⁴
, that out a maid

     Never departed more.

KING
    Pretty Ophelia.

OPHELIA
    Indeed, la, without an oath, I’ll make an end on’t:

     By
Gis
⁵⁸
and by Saint Charity,

     
Alack, and fie for shame!

     Young men will
do’t
⁶⁰
, if they come to’t,

     By
cock
⁶¹
, they are to blame.

     Quoth she, ‘Before you
tumbled
⁶²
me,

     You promised me to wed.’

     ‘So would I ha’ done, by yonder sun,

     
An
⁶⁵
thou hadst not come to my bed.’

KING
    How long hath she been thus?

OPHELIA
    I hope all will be well. We must be patient, but I

cannot choose but weep to think they should lay him

i’th’cold ground. My brother shall know of it: and so I thank

you for your good counsel. Come, my coach! Goodnight,

ladies, goodnight, sweet ladies, goodnight, goodnight.