Enter King, Queen, LAERTES, Lords, OsRIC, and At

tendants with Foils, &c.

King. Come, Hamlet, come, and take this hand from me. [The King puts the Hand of LAERTES

into that of HAMLET.

Ham. Give me your pardon, sir: I have done you

wrong;

But pardon it, as you are a gentleman.

This presence knows, and you must needs have heard, How I am punish'd with a sore distraction.†

What I have done,

That might your nature, honour, and exception,
Roughly awake, I here proclaim was madness.
Was't Hamlet wrong'd Laertes? Never, Hamlet:
If Hamlet from himself be ta'en away,
And, when he's not himself, does wrong Laertes,
Then Hamlet does it not, Hamlet denies it.
Who does it then? His madness: If't be so,
Hamlet is of the faction that is wrong'd;
His madness is poor Hamlet's enemy.
Sir, in this audience,

Let my disclaiming from a purpos'd evil
Free me so far in your most generous thoughts,
That I have shot my arrow o'er the house,

And hurt my brother.

I am satisfied in nature, 6

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.

Come, one for me.

Ham. I'll be your foil, Laertes; in mine ignorance

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 upon that table:

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;

1

And in the cup an union shall he throw,
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. - Come, begin; -

And you, the judges, bear a wary eye.

Ham. Come on, sir.

King. Stay, give me drink: Hamlet, this pearl is thine;1

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?

Laer. A touch, a touch, I do confess.

King. Our son shall win.

Queen.

[They play.

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.

9 And in the cup an union-] A species of pearl.

1- this pearl is thine ;] Under pretence of throwing a pearl into the cup, the king may be supposed to drop some poisonous drug into the wine. Hamlet seems to suspect this, when he afterwards discovers the effects of the poison, and tauntingly asks him, -" Is the union here?"

2 The queen carouses-] i, e. (in humbler language) drinks good luck to you.

Queen. Come, let me wipe thy face.
Laer. My lord, I'll hit him now.
King.

I do not think it.

Laer. And yet it is almost against my conscience.

[Aside.

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

I pray you, pass with your best violence;
I am afeard, you make a wanton of me.

9

Laer. Say you so ? come on.

[They play.

Osr. Nothing neither way.

Laer. Have at you now.

they change Rapiers, and HAMLET wounds LAERTES.

King.

[The Queen falls.

[LAERTES wounds HAMLET; then, in scuffling,

Part them, they are incens'd.

Ham. Nay, come again.
Osr.

Look to the queen there, ho!

Hor. They bleed on both sides: - How is it, my

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

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

[Dies.

Ham. O villainy! - Ho! let the door be lock'd :

Treachery! seek it out.

[LAERTES falls.

Laer. It is here, Hamlet: Hamlet, thou art slain;

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

3

- you make a wanton of me.] You trifle with me as if you were playing with a child.

† "mine own" - MALONE.

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

Envenom'd too! - Then, venom, to thy work.

:

Osr. & Lords. Treason! treason!

[Stabs the King.

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? 4

Follow my mother.

Laer.

He is justly serv'd;

It is a poison temper'd by himself.

[King dies.

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. 5. Had I but time, (as this fell sergeant 6, 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.

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

:

4- Is the union here?] It should seem from this line, and Laertes' next speech, that Hamlet here forces the expiring king to drink some of the poisoned cup, and that he dies while it is at his lips.

5 That are but mutes or audience to this act,] That are either auditors of this catastrophe, or at most only mute performers, that fill the stage without any part in the action.

6- (as this fell sergeant,] A sergeant is a bailiff, or sheriff's