Laer. To keep my name ungor'd': But till that time, And will not wrong it. Ham. I embrace it freely; And will this brother's wager frankly play.- 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. Osr. Ay, my good lord. table: 2. upon that If Hamlet give the first or second hit, I Unwounded. 2 Large jugs. 3 A precious pearl. Richer than that which four successive kings 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: 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; 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! 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, 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. [Dies. Thou liv'st; report me and my cause aright Hor. Never believe it; I am more an antique Roman than a Dane, 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, Ham. O, I die, Horatio; The potent poison quite o'er-crows my spirit; On Fortinbras; he has my dying voice; So tell him, with the occurrents, more or less, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest! 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 Heap of dead game. 2 A word of censure when more game was destroyed than was reasonable. 3 So exactly at the time. |