2

Polonius

My liege and madam, to expostulate
What majesty should be, what duty is,
Why day is day, night, night, and time is time —
Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time.
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, 
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief. Your noble son is mad.
Mad call I it, for to define true madness,
What is't but to be nothing else but mad?
But let that go.

Gertrude

Polonius

[He reads from a letter.]

Gertrude

Polonius

[He reads.]

Claudius 

Polonius 

Claudius

Polonius

Claudius 

Gertrude

Polonius

Claudius

Polonius     

[Indicating his head and shoulder]

Claudius

Polonius

Gertrude

Polonius

Claudius 

[Enter Hamlet reading a book].

Gertrude

Polonius

[Exit Claudius and Gertrude.]
[Enter four or five Players.]

Hamlet

You are welcome, masters, welcome all. I am glad to see thee well.
Welcome, good friends. [To a young actor] Oh, my old friend!
Thy face is valanced since I saw thee last. Com'st
thou to beard me in Denmark? [To a young boy actor] What,
my young lady and mistress! By'r lady, your ladyship is nearer
heaven than when I saw you last, by the altitude of a chopine. 
Pray God your voice, like a piece of uncurrent gold, be not
cracked within the ring.  [To all]  Masters, you are all 
welcome. We'll e'en to't like French falconers — fly at
anything we see. We'll have a speech straight. Come, give
us a taste of your quality. Come, a passionate speech.

Polonius

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,
The flash and outbreak of a fiery mind,
A savageness in unreclaimèd blood,
Of general assault.

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