Laer.
I am satisfied in nature,
Whose motive, in this case, should stir me most
To my revenge: but in my terms of honour,
I stand aloof; and will no reconcilement,
Till by some elder masters, of known honour,
I have a voice and precedent of peace,

To keep my name ungor'd': But till that time,
I do receive your offer'd love like love,

And will not wrong it.

Ham.

I embrace it freely;

And will this brother's wager frankly play.-
Give us the foils; come on.

Laer.

Ham. I'll be your foil,

norance

Come, one for me.

Laertes; in mine ig

Your skill shall, like a star i' the darkest night,

Stick fiery off indeed.

Laer.

You mock me, sir.

Ham. No, by this hand.

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

You know the wager?

Ham.
Very well, my lord;
Your grace hath laid the odds o' the weaker side.
King. I do not fear it: I have seen you both:
But since he's better'd, we have therefore odds.
Laer. This is too heavy, let me see another.
Ham. This likes me well These foils have all a
length?
[They prepare to play.

Osr. Ay, my good lord.
King. Set me the stoups of wine

table:

2.

upon that

If Hamlet give the first or second hit,
Or quit in answer of the third exchange,
Let all the battlements their ordnance fire;
The king shall drink to Hamlet's better breath;
And in the cup an union 3 shall he throw,

I Unwounded. 2 Large jugs. 3 A precious pearl.

Richer than that which four successive kings
In Denmark's crown have worn; Give me the

cups;

And let the kettle to the trumpet speak,

The trumpet to the cannoneer without,

The cannons to the heavens, the heaven to earth,

Now the king drinks to Hamlet.

And you, the judges, bear a wary eye.

Come, begin;

Ham. Come on, sir.

King. Stay, give me drink: Hamlet, this pearl

is thine;

Here's to thy health.

Give him the

cup.

Trumpets sound; and Cannon shot off within. Ham. I'll play this bout first, set it by awhile. Come. Another hit; What say you? [They play. Laer. A touch, a touch, I do confess.

King. Our son shall win.

Queen.

He's fat, and scant of breath.

Here, Hamlet, take my napkin, rub thy brows:
The queen carouses to thy fortune, Hamlet.

Ham. Good madam,

King.

Gertrude, do not drink.

Queen. I will, my lord; -I pray you, pardon

me.

King. It is the poison'd cup; it is too late.

[Aside. Ham. I dare not drink yet, madam; by and by. Queen. Come, let me wipe thy face.

Laer. My lord, I'll hit him now.

King.

Laer. And yet it is almost against my conscience.

I do not think it.

[Aside.

1

Ham. Come, for the third, Laertes: You do but

dally;

4

I pray you, pass with your best violence;
I am afeard, you make a wanton * of me.
Laer. Say you so? come on.
Osr. Nothing neither way.

Laer. Have at you now.

King.

[They play.

[LAERTES wounds HAMLET; then, in scuffling, they change Rapiers, and HAMLET wounds LAERTES.

Part them, they are incens'd.

Ham. Nay, come again.

Osr.

[The Queen falls.

Look to the queen there, ho!
How is it, my

Hor. They bleed on both sides :

lord?

Osr. How is 't, Laertes?

Laer. Why, as a woodcock to my own springe,

Osric ;

I am justly kill'd with mine own treachery.

Ham. How does the queen?

King.

She swoons to see them bleed.

Queen. No, no, the drink, the drink, O my dear Hamlet!

The drink, the drink; I am poison'd!

Ham. O villainy!

Treachery! seek it out.

[Dies.

Ho! let the door be lock'd:

Laer. It is here, Hamlet:

slain;

[LAERTES falls. Hamlet, thou art

No medicine in the world can do thee good,
In thee there is not half an hour's life;
The treacherous instrument is in thy hand,
Unbated, and envenom'd: the foul practice
Hath turn'd itself on me; lo, here I lie,
Never to rise again: Thy mother's poison'd;
I can no more; the king, the king's to blame.
Ham. The point

4 Boy.

5 Not blunted, without a button,

Envenom'd too!-Then, venom, to thy work. [Stabs the King.

Osr. & Lords. Treason! treason!

King. O, yet defend me, friends, I am but hurt, Ham. Here, thou incestuous, murd'rous, damned

Dane,

Drink off this potion: Is the union here?

[King dies.

Follow my mother.
Laer.
He is justly serv'd;
It is a poison temper'd by himself. -
Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet:
Mine and my father's death come not upon thee;
Nor thine on me!

[Dies.
Ham. 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,
That are but mutes or audience to this act,
Had I but time, (as this fell sergeant, death,
Is strict in his arrest,) O, I could tell you,-
But let it be:-Horatio, I am dead;

Thou liv'st; report me and my cause aright
To the unsatisfied.

Hor.

Never believe it;

I am more an antique Roman than a Dane,
Here's yet some liquor left.

Ham.

As thou'rt a man,

Give me the cup; let go; by heaven I'll have it.— O dear 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 awhile,

And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain, To tell my story.—

[March afar off, and Shot within. What warlike noise is this?

Osr. Young Fortinbras, with conquest come from Poland,

• Mixed. 7 A sergeant is a sheriff's officer.

To the ambassadors of England gives,
This warlike volley.

Ham.

O, I die, Horatio;

The potent poison quite o'er-crows my spirit;
I cannot live to hear the news from England:
But I do prophecy the election lights

On Fortinbras; he has my dying voice;

So tell him, with the occurrents, more or less,
Which have solicited,—The rest is silence. [Dies.
Hor. Now cracks a noble heart;-Good night,
sweet prince;

And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!
Why does the drum come hither? [March within.

Enter FORTINBRAS, the English Ambassadors, and others.

Fort. Where is this sight?

Hor.

What is it, you would see? If aught of woe, or wonder, cease your search. Fort. This quarry cries on havock! 2-O proud

death!

What feast is toward in thine eternal cell,

That thou so many princes, at a shot,

So bloodily hast struck?

1 Amb.

The sight is dismal;

And our affairs from England come too late :

The ears are senseless, that should give us hearing, To tell him, his commandment is fulfill'd,

That Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead:

Where should we have our thanks?

Hor.

Not from his mouth,

you;

Had it the ability of life to thank
He never gave commandment for their death.
But since, so jump 3 upon this bloody question,

Heap of dead game.

2 A word of censure when more game was destroyed than was reasonable. 3 So exactly at the time.