Hamlet (23 page)

He does well to commend it himself, there are no tongues

else
for’s turn
¹⁴⁵
.

HORATIO
    This
lapwing
¹⁴⁶
runs away with the shell on his head.

HAMLET
    He did
comply with his dug
¹⁴⁷
, before he sucked it.

Thus has he — and many more of the same
bevy
¹⁴⁸
that I know

the
drossy
age dotes on — only got the
tune
¹⁴⁹
of the time and

outward
habit of encounter
, a kind of
yeasty
collection
¹⁵⁰
,

which
carries them through
and through the most
fond
¹⁵¹
and

winnowed
opinions;
and do but blow them to their trials, the
¹⁵²

bubbles are out.

HORATIO
    You will lose this wager, my lord.

HAMLET
    I do not think so: since he went into France, I have

been in continual practice; I shall win
at the odds
¹⁵⁶
. But thou

wouldst not think how ill all’s here about my heart, but it is

no matter.

HORATIO
    Nay, good my lord—

HAMLET
    It is but foolery; but it is such a kind of
gain-giving
¹⁶⁰

as would perhaps trouble a woman.

HORATIO
    If your mind dislike anything, obey it: I will forestall

their
repair
¹⁶³
hither, and say you are not fit.

HAMLET
    Not a whit, we defy
augury
:
there’s a special
¹⁶⁴

providence in the fall of a sparrow. If
it
¹⁶⁵
be now, ’tis not to

come: if it be not to come, it will be now: if it be not now, yet

it will come: the
readiness
is all. Since no man
has aught of
¹⁶⁷

what he leaves, what is’t to leave
betimes
¹⁶⁸
?

KING
    Come, Hamlet, come and take this hand from me.

Puts Laertes’ hand into Hamlet’s

HAMLET
    Give me your pardon, sir: I’ve done you wrong,

But pardon’t, as you are a gentleman.

This
presence
¹⁷²
knows,

And you must needs have heard, how I am punished

With sore distraction. What I have done

That might your
nature
, honour and
exception
¹⁷⁵

Roughly awake, I here proclaim was madness.

Was’t Hamlet wronged Laertes? Never Hamlet:

If Hamlet from himself be ta’en away,

And when he’s not himself does wrong Laertes,

Then Hamlet does it not, Hamlet denies it.

Who does it, then? His madness. If’t be so,

Hamlet is of the
faction
¹⁸²
that is wronged,

His madness is poor Hamlet’s enemy.

Sir, in this audience,

Let my
disclaiming from
a
purposed
¹⁸⁵
evil

Free me so far in your most
generous
¹⁸⁶
thoughts

That I have
¹⁸⁷
shot mine arrow o’er the house,

And hurt my brother.

LAERTES
    I am satisfied in nature,

Whose motive in this case should stir me most

To
my revenge: but in my terms of honour
¹⁹¹

I stand aloof, and
will
¹⁹²
no reconcilement

Till by some elder masters, of known honour

I have a
voice
and precedent of
peace
¹⁹⁴
,

To keep my
name ungored
¹⁹⁵
. But till that time,

I do receive your offered love like love,

And will not wrong it.

HAMLET
    I do embrace it freely,

And will this brother’s wager
frankly
¹⁹⁹
play.—

Give us the foils. Come on.

LAERTES
    Come, one for me.

HAMLET
    I’ll be your
foil
²⁰²
, Laertes: in mine ignorance

Your skill shall, like a star i’th’darkest night,

Stick fiery off
²⁰⁴
indeed.

LAERTES
    You mock me, sir.

HAMLET
    No, by this hand.

KING
    Give them the foils, young Osric. Cousin Hamlet,

You know the wager?

HAMLET
    Very well, my lord:

Your grace hath
laid the odds
²¹⁰
o’th’weaker side.

KING
    I do not fear it: I have seen you both:

But since
he is bettered
, we have therefore
odds
²¹²
.

LAERTES
    This is too heavy, let me see another.

HAMLET
    This
likes
me well. These foils
have all a length
²¹⁴
?

OSRIC
    Ay, my good lord.

KING
    Set me the
stoups
²¹⁶
of wine upon that table:

If Hamlet give the first or second hit,

Or
quit in answer of the third exchange
²¹⁸
,

Let all the battlements their
ordnance
²¹⁹
fire:

The king shall drink to Hamlet’s
better breath
²²⁰
,

And in the cup an
union
²²¹
shall he throw

Richer than that which four successive kings

In Denmark’s crown have worn. Give me the cups,

And let the
kettle
²²⁴
to the trumpets speak,

The trumpet to the cannoneer without,

The cannons to the heavens, the heaven to earth,

‘Now the king drinks to Hamlet.’ Come, begin:

And you, the judges, bear a wary eye.

HAMLET
    Come on, sir.

LAERTES
    Come on, sir.

HAMLET
    One.

LAERTES
    No.

HAMLET
    Judgement.

OSRIC
    A hit, a very palpable hit.

LAERTES
    Well, again.

KING
    Stay, give me drink.— Hamlet, this

pearl is thine: Here’s to thy health.—

Give him the cup.

HAMLET
    I’ll play this bout first: set by awhile.— Come.

Another hit; what say you?

LAERTES
    A touch, a touch, I do confess.

KING
    Our son shall win.

GERTRUDE
    He’s
fat
²⁴³
, and scant of breath.—

Here’s a
napkin
²⁴⁴
, rub thy brows:

The queen
carouses to
²⁴⁵
thy fortune, Hamlet.

HAMLET
    Good madam.

KING
    Gertrude, do not drink!

GERTRUDE
    I will, my lord; I pray you, pardon me.

KING
    It is the poisoned cup: it is too late.

HAMLET
    I dare not drink yet, madam: by and by.

GERTRUDE
    Come, let me wipe thy face.

LAERTES
    My lord, I’ll hit him now.

KING
    I do not think’t.

LAERTES
    And yet ’tis almost gainst my conscience.

HAMLET
    Come, for the third: Laertes, you but dally.

I pray you
pass
²⁵⁶
with your best violence:

I am afeard you
make a
wanton
²⁵⁷
of me.

LAERTES
    Say you so? Come on.

OSRIC
    Nothing, neither way.

LAERTES
    Have at you now!

KING
    Part them: they are incensed.

HAMLET
    Nay, come, again.

OSRIC
    Look to the queen there, ho!

HORATIO
    They bleed on both sides.— How is it, my lord?

OSRIC
    How is’t, Laertes?

LAERTES
    Why, as a
woodcock
to mine own
springe
²⁶⁶
, Osric:

I am justly killed with mine own treachery.

HAMLET
    How does the queen?

KING
    She swoons to see them bleed.

GERTRUDE
    No, no, the drink, the drink — O my dear Hamlet —

The drink, the drink! I am poisoned.

Dies

HAMLET
    O, villainy! Ho! Let the door be locked:

Treachery! Seek it out.

LAERTES
    It is here, Hamlet. Hamlet, thou art slain:

No medicine in the world can do thee good,

In thee there is not half an hour of life;

The treacherous instrument is in thy hand,

Unbated and envenomed. The foul
practice
²⁷⁸

Hath turned itself on me: lo, here I lie,

Never to rise again. Thy mother’s poisoned.

I can no more. The king, the king’s to blame.

HAMLET
    The point envenomed too!

Then, venom, to thy work.

ALL
    Treason! Treason!

KING
    O, yet defend me, friends, I am but hurt.

HAMLET
    Here, thou incestuous, murd’rous, damnèd Dane,

Drink off
this potion. Is thy
union
²⁸⁷
here?

Follow my mother.

King dies

LAERTES
    He is justly served:

It is a poison
tempered
²⁹⁰
by himself.

Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet:

Mine and my father’s death come not upon thee,

Nor thine on me.

Dies

HAMLET
    Heaven make thee free of it! I follow thee.—

I am dead, Horatio.— Wretched queen, adieu!—

You that look pale and tremble at this
chance
²⁹⁶
,

That are but
mutes
or audience to this
act
²⁹⁷
,

Had I but time — as this
fell
²⁹⁸
sergeant, death,

Is
strict
in his
arrest
²⁹⁹
— O, I could tell you.

But let it be.— Horatio, I am dead:

Thou liv’st: report me and my
causes
³⁰¹
right

To the
unsatisfied
³⁰²
.

HORATIO
    Never believe it.

I am more an
antique Roman
³⁰⁴
than a Dane:

Here’s yet some liquor left.

HAMLET
    As thou’rt a man,

Give me the cup: let go, by heaven, I’ll have’t.

O, good Horatio, what a wounded name —

Things standing thus unknown — shall live behind me!

If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart,

Absent thee from
felicity
³¹¹
awhile,

And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain,

To tell my story.

What warlike noise is this?

OSRIC
    Young Fortinbras, with conquest come from Poland,

To th’ambassadors of England gives

This warlike volley.

HAMLET
    O, I die, Horatio:

The potent poison quite
o’er-crows
³¹⁸
my spirit.

I cannot live to hear the news from England,

But I do prophesy
th’election
³²⁰
lights

On Fortinbras: he has my dying
voice
³²¹
,

So tell him, with the
occurrents
³²²
more and less