Enter King, Queene, Hamlet, Leartes, Corambis,
and the two Amba s s adors, with Attendants.
King Lordes, we here haue writ to Fortenbra s s e,
Nephew to olde Norway, who impudent
And bed-rid, scarcely heares of this his
Nephews purpose: and Wee heere dispatch
Yong good Cornelia, and you Voltemar
For bearers of these greetings to olde
Norway, giuing to you no further personall power
To bu sine s s e with the King,
Then those related articles do shew:
Farewell, and let your ha ste commend your dutie.
Gent. In this and all things will wee shew our dutie.
King. Wee doubt nothing, hartily farewel:
And now Leartes, what's the news with you?
You said you had a sute what i' st Leartes?
Lea. My gratious Lord, your fauorable licence,
.1 162Now that the funerall rites are all performed,
I may haue leaue to go againe to France,
.1 164For though the fauour of your grace might stay mee,
.2 165Yet something is there whispers in my hart,
Which makes my minde and spirits bend all for France.
King: Haue you your fathers leaue, Leartes?
Cor. He hath, my lord, wrung from me a forced graunt,
And I beseech you grant your Highne s s e leaue.
.1 170 King With all our heart, Leartes fare thee well.
Lear. I in all loue and dutie take my leaue.
King. And now princely Sonne Hamlet, Exit.
What meanes these sad and melancholy moodes?
For your intent going to Wittenberg,
Wee hold it mo st vnmeet and vnconuenient,
.1 176Being the Ioy and halfe heart of your mother.
Therefore let mee intreat you stay in Court,
All Denmarkes hope our coo sin and deare st Sonne.
Ham. My lord, ti's not the sable sute I weare:
No nor the teares that still stand in my eyes,
Nor the di stracted hauiour in the visage,
Nor all together mixt with outward semblance,
.1 183Is equall to the sorrow of my heart,
.2 184Him haue I lo st I mu st of force forgoe,
These but the ornaments and sutes of woe.
King This shewes a louing care in you, Sonne Hamlet,
But you mu st thinke your father lo st a father,
That father dead, lo st his, and so shalbe vntill the
.1 189Generall ending. Therefore cease laments,
It is a fault gain st heauen, fault gain st the dead,
A fault gain st nature, and in reasons
Common course mo st certaine,
None liues on earth, but hee is borne to die.
Que. Let not thy mother loose her praiers H amlet,
Stay here with vs, go not to Wittenburg.
Ham. I shall in all my be st obay you madam.
King Spoke like a kinde and a mo st louing Sonne,
And there's no health the King shall drinke to day,
But the great Canon to the clowdes shall tell
The rowse the King shall drinke vnto Prince Hamlet.
Exeunt all but Hamlet.
Ham. O that this too much grieu'd and sallied fle sh
Would melt to nothing, or that the vniuersall
.1 204Globe of heauen would turne al to a Chaos!
O God, within two months; no not two: married,
Mine vncle: O let me not thinke of it,
My fathers brother: but no more like
My father, then I to Hercules.
Within two months, ere yet the salt of mo st
Vnrighteous teares had left their flu shing
In her galled eyes: she married, O God, a bea st
Deuoyd of reason would not haue made
Such speede: Frailtie, thy name is Woman,
Why she would hang on him, as if increase
Of appetite had growne by what it looked on.
O wicked wicked speede, to make such
Dexteritie to ince stuous sheetes,
Ere yet the shooes were olde,
The which she followed my dead fathers corse
Like Nyobe, all teares: married, well it is not,
Nor it cannot come to good:
But breake my heart, for I mu st holde my tongue.
Enter Horatio and Marcellus.
Hor. Health to your Lord ship.
Ham. I am very glad to see
you, (Horatio) or I much
forget my selfe.
Hor. The same my Lord, and your poore seruant euer.
Ham. O my good friend, I change that name with you:
but what make you from Wittenberg Horatio?
Marcellus.
Marc. My good Lord.
Ham. I am very glad to see you, good euen sirs:
But what is your affaire in Elsenoure?
Weele teach you to drinke deepe ere you depart.
Hor. A trowant dispo sition, my good Lord.
Ham. Nor shall you make mee tru ster
Of your owne report again st your selfe:
Sir, I know you are no trowant:
But what is your affaire in Elsenoure?
Hor. My good Lord, I came to see your fathers funerall.
Ham. O I pre thee do not mocke mee fellow studient,
I thinke it was to see my mothers wedding.
Hor. Indeede my Lord, it followed hard vpon.
Ham. Thrift, thrift, Horatio, the funerall bak't meates
Did coldly furni sh forth the marriage tables,
Would I had met my deere st foe in heauen
Ere euer I had seene that day Horatio;
O my father, my father, me thinks I see my father.
Hor. Where my Lord?
Ham. Why, in my mindes eye Horatio.
Hor. I saw him once, he was a gallant King.
Ham. He was a man, take him for all in all,
I shall not looke vpon his like againe.
Hor. My Lord, I thinke I saw him ye sternight,
Ham. Saw, who?
Hor. My Lord, the King your father.
Ham. Ha, ha, the King my father ke you.
Hor. Ceasen your admiration for a while
With an attentiue eare, till I may deliuer,
Vpon the witne s s e of these Gentlemen
This wonder to you.
Ham. For Gods loue let me heare it.
Hor. Two nights together had these Gentlemen,
Marcellus and Bernardo, on their watch,
In the dead va st and middle of the night.
Beene thus incountered by a figure like your father,
Armed to poynt, exactly Capapea
Appeeres before them thrise, he walkes
Before their weake and feare oppre s s ed eies
Within his tronchions length,
While they di stilled almo st to gelly.
With the act of feare stands dumbe,
And speake not to him: this to mee
In dreadfull secre sie impart they did.
And I with them the third night kept the watch,
Where as they had deliuered forme of the thing.
Each part made true and good,
The Apparition comes: I knew your father,
These handes are not more like.
Ham. Tis very strange.
Hor. As I do liue, my honord lord, tis true,
And wee did thinke it right done,
In our dutie to let you know it.
Ham. Where was this?
Mar. My Lord, vpon the platforme where we watched.
Ham. Did you not speake to it?
Hor. My Lord we did, but answere made it none,
Yet once me thought it was about to speake,
And lifted vp his head to motion,
Like as he would speake, but euen then
The morning cocke crew lowd, and in all ha ste,
It shruncke in ha ste away, and vani shed
Our sight.
Ham. Indeed, indeed sirs, but this troubles me:
Hold you the watch to night?
All We do my Lord.
Ham. Armed say ye?
All Armed my good Lord.
Ham. From top to toe?
All. My good Lord, from head to foote.
Ham. Why then saw you not his face?
Hor. O yes my Lord, he wore his beuer vp.
Ham. How look't he, frowningly?
Hor. A countenance more in sorrow than in anger.
Ham. Pale, or red?
Hor. Nay, verie pal
Ham. And fixt his eies vpon you.
Hor. Mo st con stantly.
Ham. I would I had beene there.
Hor. It would a much amazed you.
Ham. Yea very like, very like, staid it long?
Hor. While one with moderate pace
Might tell a hundred.
Mar. O longer, longer.
Ham. His beard was gri sleld, no.
Hor. It was as I haue seene it in his life,
A sable siluer.
Ham. I wil watch to night, perchance t'wil walke againe.
Hor. I warrant it will.
Ham. If it a s s ume my noble fathers person,
Ile speake to it, if hell it selfe should gape,
And bid me hold my peace, Gentlemen,
If you haue hither consealed this sight,
Let it be tenible in your silence still,
And whatsoeuer else shall chance to night,
Giue it an vnder standing, but no tongue,
I will requit your loues, so fare you well,
Vpon the platforme, twixt eleuen and twelue,
Ile vi sit you.
All. Our duties to your honor. excunt.
Ham. O your loues, your loues, as mine to you,
Farewell, my fathers spirit in Armes,
Well, all's not well. I doubt some foule play,
Would the night were come,
Till then, sit still my soule, foule deeds will rise
Though all the world orewhelme them to mens eies. Exit.