Original Text |
Translated Text |
| Source: Folger Shakespeare Library |
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Enter King and Laertes. KING
Now must your conscience my acquittance seal,
And you must put me in your heart for friend,
Sith you have heard, and with a knowing ear,
That he which hath your noble father slain
Pursued my life. 5 LAERTES It well appears. But tell me
Why you proceeded not against these feats,
So criminal and so capital in nature,
As by your safety, greatness, wisdom, all things else,
You mainly were stirred up. 10 | Claudius and Laertes have been bonding. Claudius has not only told Laertes that it was Hamlet that killed Polonius, but he's also led him to believe that Hamlet was plotting against Claudius for no good reason. Laertes wonders why Claudius didn't have Hamlet killed, or at the very least locked up for his crimes. |
KING O, for two special reasons,
Which may to you perhaps seem much unsinewed,
But yet to me they’re strong. The Queen his mother
Lives almost by his looks, and for myself
(My virtue or my plague, be it either which), 15
She is so conjunctive to my life and soul
That, as the star moves not but in his sphere,
I could not but by her. The other motive
Why to a public count I might not go
Is the great love the general gender bear him, 20
Who, dipping all his faults in their affection,
Work like the spring that turneth wood to stone,
Convert his gyves to graces, so that my arrows,
Too slightly timbered for so loud a wind,
Would have reverted to my bow again, 25
But not where I have aimed them. | Claudius explains he had two basic reasons: (1) it would have killed Gertrude, and (2) the public adores Hamlet. If Claudius had acted against Hamlet, they would have turned on him. |
LAERTES
And so have I a noble father lost,
A sister driven into desp’rate terms,
Whose worth, if praises may go back again,
Stood challenger on mount of all the age 30
For her perfections. But my revenge will come. | Yeah, well, thanks for not taking care of him when you should have, Laertes says. Due to the King's inaction, Laertes lost his dad and his sister has gone insane. Still, he'll get his revenge. |
KING
Break not your sleeps for that. You must not think
That we are made of stuff so flat and dull
That we can let our beard be shook with danger
And think it pastime. You shortly shall hear more. 35
I loved your father, and we love ourself,
And that, I hope, will teach you to imagine— Enter a Messenger with letters. How now? What news? MESSENGER Letters, my lord, from
Hamlet. 40
These to your Majesty, this to the Queen. KING From Hamlet? Who brought them? MESSENGER
Sailors, my lord, they say. I saw them not.
They were given me by Claudio. He received them
Of him that brought them. 45 KING Laertes, you shall hear
them.—
Leave us. Messenger exits.
Reads. "High and mighty, you shall know I am set
naked on your kingdom. Tomorrow shall I beg leave to 50
see your kingly eyes, when I shall (first asking your
pardon) thereunto recount the occasion of my sudden
and more strange return. Hamlet."
What should this mean? Are all the rest come back?
Or is it some abuse and no such thing? 55 | Claudius is telling Laertes to cool his jets. He says he loved Polonius, too, and there's more that Laertes doesn't yet know. Presumably he's planning to tell Laertes that he's had Hamlet killed—once he gets word that it's done. But just then a messenger comes in with a letter for the king. Surprise! Hamlet is alive and coming home. |
LAERTES Know you the hand? KING ’Tis Hamlet’s character. “Naked”—
And in a postscript here, he says “alone.”
Can you advise me? LAERTES
I am lost in it, my lord. But let him come. 60
It warms the very sickness in my heart
That I shall live and tell him to his teeth
“Thus didst thou.” KING If it be so, Laertes
(As how should it be so? how otherwise?), 65
Will you be ruled by me? LAERTES Ay, my lord,
So you will not o’errule me to a peace. KING
To thine own peace. If he be now returned,
As checking at his voyage, and that he means 70
No more to undertake it, I will work him
To an exploit, now ripe in my device,
Under the which he shall not choose but fall;
And for his death no wind of blame shall breathe,
But even his mother shall uncharge the practice 75
And call it accident. LAERTES My lord, I will be ruled,
The rather if you could devise it so
That I might be the organ. | Grr. The letter is definitely from Hamlet. Claudius recognizes his handwriting. Time for Plan B. Claudius asks Laertes if he's willing to do as Claudius says, and Laertes says he is, if it means getting his revenge against Hamlet. That's definitely what Claudius has in mind, but he has to make it look like an accident so that his wife won't get upset. Whatever. As long as he can do the killing, Laertes is in. |
KING It falls right. 80
You have been talked of since your travel much,
And that in Hamlet’s hearing, for a quality
Wherein they say you shine. Your sum of parts
Did not together pluck such envy from him
As did that one, and that, in my regard, 85
Of the unworthiest siege. LAERTES What part is that, my lord? KING
A very ribbon in the cap of youth—
Yet needful too, for youth no less becomes
The light and careless livery that it wears 90
Than settled age his sables and his weeds,
Importing health and graveness. Two months since
Here was a gentleman of Normandy.
I have seen myself, and served against, the French,
And they can well on horseback, but this gallant 95
Had witchcraft in ’t. He grew unto his seat,
And to such wondrous doing brought his horse
As had he been encorpsed and demi-natured
With the brave beast. So far he topped my thought
That I in forgery of shapes and tricks 100
Come short of what he did. LAERTES A Norman was ’t? KING A Norman. LAERTES
Upon my life, Lamord. KING The very same. 105 LAERTES
I know him well. He is the brooch indeed
And gem of all the nation. KING He made confession of you
And gave you such a masterly report
For art and exercise in your defense, 110
And for your rapier most especial,
That he cried out ’twould be a sight indeed
If one could match you. The ’scrimers of their
nation
He swore had neither motion, guard, nor eye, 115
If you opposed them. Sir, this report of his
Did Hamlet so envenom with his envy
That he could nothing do but wish and beg
Your sudden coming-o’er, to play with you.
Now out of this— 120 | Claudius is full of flattery and praise for Laertes. He brings up some noble Norman who allegedly (emphasis on the "allegedly") said that Laertes was a fantastic fencer. Claudius claims this really infuriated Hamlet, who wanted to challenge Laertes to a duel. |
LAERTES What out of this, my lord? KING
Laertes, was your father dear to you?
Or are you like the painting of a sorrow,
A face without a heart? LAERTES Why ask you this? 125 KING
Not that I think you did not love your father,
But that I know love is begun by time
And that I see, in passages of proof,
Time qualifies the spark and fire of it.
There lives within the very flame of love 130
A kind of wick or snuff that will abate it,
And nothing is at a like goodness still;
For goodness, growing to a pleurisy,
Dies in his own too-much. That we would do
We should do when we would; for this “would” 135
changes
And hath abatements and delays as many
As there are tongues, are hands, are accidents;
And then this “should” is like a spendthrift sigh,
That hurts by easing. But to the quick of th’ ulcer: 140
Hamlet comes back; what would you undertake
To show yourself indeed your father’s son
More than in words? | Yeah, yeah. What's your point? Laertes asks. Claudius answers his question with another question. He asks if Laertes loves his father. Then he goes further and asks if Laertes is a son who's full of "woulds" and "shoulds" (meaning empty words) or if he's a son who can prove his love with action. What, Claudius wants to know, would Laertes be willing to do to prove that he loves his father? |
LAERTES To cut his throat i’ th’ church. | Laertes doesn't mince words. He says he's willing to cut Hamlet's throat in a church, if need be. (If you hadn't noticed yet, Laertes is a great foil for Hamlet.) |
KING
No place indeed should murder sanctuarize; 145
Revenge should have no bounds. But, good Laertes,
Will you do this? Keep close within your chamber.
Hamlet, returned, shall know you are come home.
We’ll put on those shall praise your excellence
And set a double varnish on the fame 150
The Frenchman gave you; bring you, in fine,
together
And wager on your heads. He, being remiss,
Most generous, and free from all contriving,
Will not peruse the foils, so that with ease, 155
Or with a little shuffling, you may choose
A sword unbated, and in a pass of practice
Requite him for your father. | Great. Here's the plan: Once Hamlet gets home, Laertes will keep to himself, and everyone else around will be full of praise for his fine sword skills. Claudius figures they can get Hamlet to agree to have a duel. He's even willing to put a little bet down on the fight, which might help to convince the Prince to join in. Because Hamlet is trusting, he's unlikely to really examine the different swords available to the men in the fencing match. That means Laertes can choose a sword that isn't blunted (dull swords were used for these friendly duels), and then plunge it into Hamlet. |
LAERTES I will do ’t,
And for that purpose I’ll anoint my sword. 160
I bought an unction of a mountebank
So mortal that, but dip a knife in it,
Where it draws blood no cataplasm so rare,
Collected from all simples that have virtue
Under the moon, can save the thing from death 165
That is but scratched withal. I’ll touch my point
With this contagion, that, if I gall him slightly,
It may be death. | The guys then go into planning overkill. Just in case Laertes can't kill Hamlet with a sharp sword, they have a Plan B: a handy-dandy ointment of death obtained from the local mountebank (a traveling quack doctor). If Laertes dips the tip of his sword in the ointment and then stabs Hamlet, Hamlet's sure to die. |
KING Let’s further think of this,
Weigh what convenience both of time and means 170
May fit us to our shape. If this should fail,
And that our drift look through our bad
performance,
’Twere better not assayed. Therefore this project
Should have a back or second that might hold 175
If this did blast in proof. Soft, let me see.
We’ll make a solemn wager on your cunnings—
I ha ’t!
When in your motion you are hot and dry
(As make your bouts more violent to that end) 180
And that he calls for drink, I’ll have prepared
him
A chalice for the nonce, whereon but sipping,
If he by chance escape your venomed stuck,
Our purpose may hold there.—But stay, what 185
noise? | Claudius' final contribution to this scheme is a Plan C: He'll poison his own drink and offer it to Hamlet, who's sure to get hot and thirsty with all the fencing. Boom shakalaka! Now that's a plan. |
Enter Queen. QUEEN
One woe doth tread upon another’s heel,
So fast they follow. Your sister’s drowned, Laertes. LAERTES Drowned? O, where? QUEEN
There is a willow grows askant the brook 190
That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream.
Therewith fantastic garlands did she make
Of crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples,
That liberal shepherds give a grosser name,
But our cold maids do “dead men’s fingers” call 195
them.
There on the pendant boughs her coronet weeds
Clamb’ring to hang, an envious sliver broke,
When down her weedy trophies and herself
Fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread wide, 200
And mermaid-like awhile they bore her up,
Which time she chanted snatches of old lauds,
As one incapable of her own distress
Or like a creature native and endued
Unto that element. But long it could not be 205
Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,
Pulled the poor wretch from her melodious lay
To muddy death. LAERTES Alas, then she is drowned. QUEEN Drowned, drowned. 210 | Gertrude totally kills their murdery buzz with some bad news: Ophelia has drowned in a brook. According to Gertrude, Ophelia went to the brook with garlands of flowers, intending to hang them on the boughs of a far out tree as though they were crowns. A branch broke beneath her, and she tumbled into the brook. At first, Ophelia's clothes made her float, so she sang old songs and generally appeared like a singing mermaid, without even thinking to cry for help. But her clothes became soaked and pulled her down into the brook, still singing. Gertrude presents Ophelia's death as a kind of accident, but it may also have been a suicide. It's also not entirely clear how Gertrude knows all of this. Was she there when it happened? |
LAERTES
Too much of water hast thou, poor Ophelia,
And therefore I forbid my tears. But yet
It is our trick; nature her custom holds,
Let shame say what it will. When these are gone,
The woman will be out.—Adieu, my lord. 215
I have a speech o’ fire that fain would blaze,
But that this folly drowns it. He exits. KING Let’s follow, Gertrude.
How much I had to do to calm his rage!
Now fear I this will give it start again. 220
Therefore, let’s follow. They exit. | Laertes, hearing of Ophelia's death, calls himself a "woman" for crying over his sister and leaves to be alone. Claudius comments to Gertrude that he worked very hard to calm Laertes (uh-huh), and he's afraid this will make the kid flare up again. They better follow him to make sure he's okay. |