Hamlet

Hamlet

Being thus benetted round with villains,     
Ere I could make a prologue to my brains,
They had begun the play. I sat me down,    
Devised a new commission, wrote it fair.
I once did hold it, as our statists do, 
A baseness to write fair, and labored much
How to forget that learning. But, sir, now
It did me yeoman's service. Wilt thou know
Th' effects of what I wrote?

Horatio

Hamlet

Horatio

Hamlet

Horatio

Hamlet

Horatio 

Hamlet

Horatio

Hamlet

Horatio

[Enter young Osric, a courtier.]

Osric

Hamlet

Horatio

Hamlet 

Osric   

[With his hat in his hand]

Hamlet

Osric   

Hamlet

Osric

Hamlet

Osric

Hamlet   

[Motioning for Osric to put on his hat.] 

Osric

Hamlet   

Osric   

Hamlet   

Osric

Hamlet   

Horatio

Osric   

Hamlet

Osric

Hamlet   

Osric

Hamlet

Osric   

Hamlet

Osric   

Hamlet   

[Exit Osric.] 

Horatio

Hamlet

Horatio   

Hamlet

Horatio   

Hamlet

Horatio

Hamlet

Hamlet   

Here's the commission; read it at more leisure.
But wilt thou hear me how I did proceed?

Horatio   

I beseech you.

Hamlet

Being thus benetted round with villains,     
Ere I could make a prologue to my brains,
They had begun the play. I sat me down,    
Devised a new commission, wrote it fair.
I once did hold it, as our statists do, 
A baseness to write fair, and labored much
How to forget that learning. But, sir, now
It did me yeoman's service. Wilt thou know
Th' effects of what I wrote?

Horatio

                                                 Ay, good my lord.

Hamlet

Horatio

Hamlet

Horatio

Hamlet

Horatio 

Hamlet

Horatio

Hamlet

Horatio

[Enter young Osric, a courtier.]

Osric

Hamlet

Horatio

Hamlet 

Osric   

[With his hat in his hand]

Hamlet

Osric   

Hamlet

Osric

Hamlet

Osric

Hamlet   

[Motioning for Osric to put on his hat.] 

Osric

Hamlet   

Osric   

Hamlet   

Osric

Hamlet   

Horatio

Osric   

Hamlet

Osric

Hamlet   

Osric

Hamlet

Osric   

Hamlet

Osric   

Hamlet   

[Exit Osric.] 

Horatio

Hamlet

Horatio   

Hamlet

Horatio   

Hamlet

Horatio

Hamlet

Hamlet

Why, man, they did make love to this employment. 
They are not near my conscience. Their defeat
Does by their own insinuation grow.
'Tis dangerous when the baser nature comes
Between the pass and fell incensed points
Of mighty opposites.

Horatio 

                                       Why, what a king is this!    

Hamlet

Horatio

Hamlet

Horatio

[Enter young Osric, a courtier.]

Osric

Hamlet

Horatio

Hamlet 

Osric   

[With his hat in his hand]

Hamlet

Osric   

Hamlet

Osric

Hamlet

Osric

Hamlet   

[Motioning for Osric to put on his hat.] 

Osric

Hamlet   

Osric   

Hamlet   

Osric

Hamlet   

Horatio

Osric   

Hamlet

Osric

Hamlet   

Osric

Hamlet

Osric   

Hamlet

Osric   

Hamlet   

[Exit Osric.] 

Horatio

Hamlet

Horatio   

Hamlet

Horatio   

Hamlet

Horatio

Hamlet

Claudius

I pray thee, good Horatio, wait upon him. 
[Exit Horatio.] 
[Aside to Laertes] Strengthen your patience in our last night's speech.
We'll put the matter to the present push.
[Aloud] Good Gertrude, set some watch over your son. 
This grave shall have a living monument.    
An hour of quiet thereby shall we see. 
Till then, in patience our proceeding be.
[Exit.]

Claudius

                                       This is mere madness, 
And thus awhile the fit will work on him.
Anon, as patient as the female dove
When that her golden couplets are disclosed,
His silence will sit drooping.

Hamlet

                                      [to Laertes] Hear you, sir,
What is the reason that you use me thus?
I loved you ever. But it is no matter.
Let Hercules himself do what he may,
The cat will mew, and dog will have his day.

Hamlet

Let me see. Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, 
a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. He 
has bore me on his back a thousand times; and now
how abhorred in my imagination it is! My gorge rises
at it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not
how oft. Where be your gibes now? Your gambols? 
Your songs? Your flashes of merriment that were wont
to set the table on a roar? No one now to mock your 
own grinning? Quite chop-fall'n? Now get you to my    
lady's chamber and tell her — let her paint an inch thick,
to this favor she must come. Make her laugh at that.
Prithee, Horatio, tell me one thing.

Hamlet

[To First Gravedigger] How long have thou been grave-maker?

First Gravedigger

Of all the days i'th' year, I came to't that day that our
last King Hamlet o'ercame Fortinbras.

Hamlet   

How long is that since?

First Gravedigger

Cannot you tell that? Every fool can tell that. It was the
very day that young Hamlet was born — he that was mad 
and sent into England.

Hamlet

Ay, marry, why was he sent into England?

First Gravedigger

Why, because he was mad. He shall recover his wits there;
or if he do not, it's no great matter there.

Hamlet   

Why?

First Gravedigger

'Twill not be seen in him. There the men are as mad as he.

Hamlet

How came he mad?

First Gravedigger   

Very strangely, they say.

Hamlet   

How, strangely?

First Gravedigger   

Faith, e'en with losing his wits.

Hamlet   

Upon what ground?    

First Gravedigger

Why, here in Denmark. I have been sexton here,
man and boy, thirty years.

Hamlet   

Who is to be buried in't?

First Gravedigger

One that was a woman, sir; but, rest her soul, she's dead.

Hamlet

[To Horatio] How absolute the knave is! We must speak by the card, 
or equivocation will undo us. By the Lord, Horatio,
these three years I have taken note of it — the age is grown
so picked that the toe of the peasant comes so near the
heels of the courtier he galls his kibe.     

Hamlet

Whose grave's this, sir?

First Gravedigger

Mine, sir.
[Sings.]
      Oh, a pit of clay for to be made 
      For such a guest is meet.

Hamlet

I think it be thine indeed, for thou liest in't.

First Gravedigger

You lie out on't, sir, and therefore 'tis not yours. 
For my part, I do not lie in't, and yet it is mine.

Hamlet

Thou dost “lie” in't, to be in't and say it is thine.
'Tis for the dead, not for the quick; therefore thou liest.

First Gravedigger

'Tis a quick lie, sir; 'twill away 
again from me to you.

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