TPTT The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: ACT II
Introduction
ACT I
ACT II
SCENE I. A room in POLONIUS' house.
SCENE II. A room in the castle.
ACT III
ACT IV
ACT V
About the Play
Feedback
  Search:   
for:

Amazon Honor System Click Here to Pay Learn More
SCENE I. A room in POLONIUS' house.
Enter POLONIUS and REYNALDO
LORD POLONIUS
      Give him this money and these notes, Reynaldo.
REYNALDO
      I will, my lord.
LORD POLONIUS
      You shall do marvellous wisely, good Reynaldo,
      Before you visit him, to make inquire
5     Of his behavior.
REYNALDO
      My lord, I did intend it.
LORD POLONIUS
      Marry, well said; very well said. Look you, sir,
      Inquire me first what Danskers are in Paris;
      And how, and who, what means, and where they keep,
10    What company, at what expense; and finding
      By this encompassment and drift of question
      That they do know my son, come you more nearer
      Than your particular demands will touch it:
      Take you, as 'twere, some distant knowledge of him;
15    As thus, 'I know his father and his friends,
      And in part him: ' do you mark this, Reynaldo?
REYNALDO
      Ay, very well, my lord.
LORD POLONIUS
      'And in part him; but' you may say 'not well:
      But, if't be he I mean, he's very wild;
20    Addicted so and so:' and there put on him
      What forgeries you please; marry, none so rank
      As may dishonour him; take heed of that;
      But, sir, such wanton, wild and usual slips
      As are companions noted and most known
25    To youth and liberty.
REYNALDO
      As gaming, my lord.
LORD POLONIUS
      Ay, or drinking, fencing, swearing, quarrelling,
      Drabbing: you may go so far.
REYNALDO
      My lord, that would dishonour him.
LORD POLONIUS
30    'Faith, no; as you may season it in the charge
      You must not put another scandal on him,
      That he is open to incontinency;
      That's not my meaning: but breathe his faults so quaintly
      That they may seem the taints of liberty,
35    The flash and outbreak of a fiery mind,
      A savageness in unreclaimed blood,
      Of general assault.
REYNALDO
      But, my good lord,--
LORD POLONIUS
      Wherefore should you do this?
REYNALDO
40    Ay, my lord,
      I would know that.
LORD POLONIUS
      Marry, sir, here's my drift;
      And I believe, it is a fetch of wit:
      You laying these slight sullies on my son,
45    As 'twere a thing a little soil'd i' the working, Mark you,
      Your party in converse, him you would sound,
      Having ever seen in the prenominate crimes
      The youth you breathe of guilty, be assured
      He closes with you in this consequence;
50    'Good sir,' or so, or 'friend,' or 'gentleman,'
      According to the phrase or the addition
      Of man and country.
REYNALDO
      Very good, my lord.
LORD POLONIUS
      And then, sir, does he this--he does--what was I
55    about to say? By the mass, I was about to say
      something: where did I leave?
REYNALDO
      At 'closes in the consequence,' at 'friend or so,'
      and 'gentleman.'
LORD POLONIUS
      At 'closes in the consequence,' ay, marry;
60    He closes thus: 'I know the gentleman;
      I saw him yesterday, or t' other day,
      Or then, or then; with such, or such; and, as you say,
      There was a' gaming; there o'ertook in's rouse;
      There falling out at tennis:' or perchance,
65    'I saw him enter such a house of sale,'
      Videlicet, a brothel, or so forth.
      See you now;
      Your bait of falsehood takes this carp of truth:
      And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,
70    With windlasses and with assays of bias,
      By indirections find directions out:
      So by my former lecture and advice,
      Shall you my son. You have me, have you not?
REYNALDO
      My lord, I have.
LORD POLONIUS
75    God be wi' you; fare you well.
REYNALDO
      Good my lord!
LORD POLONIUS
      Observe his inclination in yourself.
REYNALDO
      I shall, my lord.
LORD POLONIUS
      And let him ply his music.
REYNALDO
80    Well, my lord.
LORD POLONIUS
      Farewell!

Exit REYNALDO

Enter OPHELIA

      How now, Ophelia! what's the matter?
OPHELIA
      O, my lord, my lord, I have been so affrighted!
LORD POLONIUS
      With what, i' the name of God?
OPHELIA
85    My lord, as I was sewing in my closet,
      Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced;
      No hat upon his head; his stockings foul'd,
      Ungarter'd, and down-gyved to his ancle;
      Pale as his shirt; his knees knocking each other;
90    And with a look so piteous in purport
      As if he had been loosed out of hell
      To speak of horrors,--he comes before me.
LORD POLONIUS
      Mad for thy love?
OPHELIA
      My lord, I do not know;
95    But truly, I do fear it.
LORD POLONIUS
      What said he?
OPHELIA
      He took me by the wrist and held me hard;
      Then goes he to the length of all his arm;
      And, with his other hand thus o'er his brow,
100   He falls to such perusal of my face
      As he would draw it. Long stay'd he so;
      At last, a little shaking of mine arm
      And thrice his head thus waving up and down,
      He raised a sigh so piteous and profound
105   As it did seem to shatter all his bulk
      And end his being: that done, he lets me go:
      And, with his head over his shoulder turn'd,
      He seem'd to find his way without his eyes;
      For out o' doors he went without their helps,
110   And, to the last, bended their light on me.
LORD POLONIUS
      Come, go with me: I will go seek the king.
      This is the very ecstasy of love,
      Whose violent property fordoes itself
      And leads the will to desperate undertakings
115   As oft as any passion under heaven
      That does afflict our natures. I am sorry.
      What, have you given him any hard words of late?
OPHELIA
      No, my good lord, but, as you did command,
      I did repel his fetters and denied
120   His access to me.
LORD POLONIUS
      That hath made him mad.
      I am sorry that with better heed and judgment
      I had not quoted him: I fear'd he did but trifle,
      And meant to wreck thee; but, beshrew my jealousy!
125   By heaven, it is as proper to our age
      To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions
      As it is common for the younger sort
      To lack discretion. Come, go we to the king:
      This must be known; which, being kept close, might
130   move
      More grief to hide than hate to utter love.
Exeunt
Return to top of page ... or ... Go to next scene