Elsinore. The Castle. Another part of the fortifications.Enter Ghost and Hamlet.HAMLETWhither wilt thou lead me? Speak! I'll go no further.GHOSTMark me.HAMLETI will.GHOSTMy hour is almost come,When I to sulph'rous and tormenting flamesMust render up myself.HAMLETAlas, poor ghost!GHOSTPity me not, but lend thy serious hearingTo what I shall unfold.HAMLETSpeak. I am bound to hear.GHOSTSo art thou to revenge, when thou shalt hear.HAMLETWhat?GHOSTI am thy father's spirit,Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night,And for the day confin'd to fast in fires,Till the foul crimes done in my days of natureAre burnt and purg'd away. But that I am forbid To tell the secrets of my prison house,I could a tale unfold whose lightest wordWould harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood,Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres,Thy knotted and combined locks to part,And each particular hair to stand on endLike quills upon the fretful porcupine.But this eternal blazon must not beTo ears of flesh and blood. List, list, O, list!If thou didst ever thy dear father love-HAMLETO God!GHOSTRevenge his foul and most unnatural murther.HAMLETMurther?GHOSTMurther most foul, as in the best it is;But this most foul, strange, and unnatural.HAMLETHaste me to know't, that I, with wings as swiftAs meditation or the thoughts of love,May sweep to my revenge.GHOSTI find thee apt;And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed That rots itself in ease on Lethe wharf,Wouldst thou not stir in this. Now, Hamlet, hear.'Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard,A serpent stung me. So the whole ear of DenmarkIs by a forged process of my deathRankly abus'd. But know, thou noble youth,The serpent that did sting thy father's lifeNow wears his crown.HAMLETO my prophetic soul!My uncle?GHOSTAy, that incestuous, that adulterate beast,With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts-O wicked wit and gifts, that have the powerSo to seduce!- won to his shameful lustThe will of my most seeming-virtuous queen.O Hamlet, what a falling-off was there,From me, whose love was of that dignityThat it went hand in hand even with the vowI made to her in marriage, and to declineUpon a wretch whose natural gifts were poor To those of mine!But virtue, as it never will be mov'd,Though lewdness court it in a shape of heaven,So lust, though to a radiant angel link'd,Will sate itself in a celestial bedAnd prey on garbage.But soft! methinks I scent the morning air.Brief let me be. Sleeping within my orchard,My custom always of the afternoon,Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole,With juice of cursed hebona in a vial,And in the porches of my ears did pourThe leperous distilment; whose effectHolds such an enmity with blood of manThat swift as quicksilver it courses throughThe natural gates and alleys of the body,And with a sudden vigour it doth possetAnd curd, like eager droppings into milk,The thin and wholesome blood. So did it mine;And a most instant tetter bark'd about, Most lazar-like, with vile and loathsome crustAll my smooth body.Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother's handOf life, of crown, of queen, at once dispatch'd;Cut off even in the blossoms of my sin,Unhous'led, disappointed, unanel'd,No reckoning made, but sent to my accountWith all my imperfections on my head.HAMLETO, horrible! O, horrible! most horrible!GHOSTIf thou hast nature in thee, bear it not.Let not the royal bed of Denmark beA couch for luxury and damned incest.But, howsoever thou pursuest this act,Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contriveAgainst thy mother aught. Leave her to heaven,And to those thorns that in her bosom lodgeTo prick and sting her. Fare thee well at once.The glowworm shows the matin to be nearAnd gins to pale his uneffectual fire.Adieu, adieu, adieu! Remember me.Exit.HAMLETO all you host of heaven! O earth! What else?And shall I couple hell? Hold, hold, my heart!And you, my sinews, grow not instant old,But bear me stiffly up. Remember thee?Ay, thou poor ghost, while memory holds a seatIn this distracted globe. Remember thee?Yea, from the table of my memoryI'll wipe away all trivial fond records,All saws of books, all forms, all pressures pastThat youth and observation copied there,And thy commandment all alone shall liveWithin the book and volume of my brain,Unmix'd with baser matter. Yes, by heaven!O most pernicious woman!O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!My tables! Meet it is I set it downThat one may smile, and smile, and be a villain;At least I am sure it may be so in Denmark.[Writes.]So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word:It is 'Adieu, adieu! Remember me.' I have sworn't.HORATIO(within) My lord, my lord!Enter Horatio and Marcellus.MARCELLUSLord Hamlet!HORATIOHeaven secure him!HAMLETSo be it!MARCELLUSIllo, ho, ho, my lord!HAMLETHillo, ho, ho, boy! Come, bird, come.MARCELLUSHow is't, my noble lord?HORATIOWhat news, my lord?MARCELLUSO, wonderful!HORATIOGood my lord, tell it.HAMLETNo, you will reveal it.HORATIONot I, my lord, by heaven!MARCELLUSNor I, my lord.HAMLETHow say you then? Would heart of man once think it?But you'll be secret?BOTHAy, by heaven, my lord.HAMLETThere's neer a villain dwelling in all DenmarkBut he's an arrant knave.HORATIOThere needs no ghost, my lord, come from the graveTo tell us this.HAMLETWhy, right! You are in the right!And so, without more circumstance at all,I hold it fit that we shake hands and part;You, as your business and desires shall point you,For every man hath business and desire,Such as it is; and for my own poor part,Look you, I'll go pray.HORATIOThese are but wild and whirling words, my lord.HAMLETI am sorry they offend you, heartily;Yes, faith, heartily.HORATIOThere's no offence, my lord.HAMLETYes, by Saint Patrick, but there is, Horatio,And much offence too. Touching this vision here,It is an honest ghost, that let me tell you.For your desire to know what is between us,O'ermaster't as you may. And now, good friends, As you are friends, scholars, and soldiers,Give me one poor request.HORATIOWhat is't, my lord? We will.HAMLETNever make known what you have seen to-night.BOTHMy lord, we will not.HAMLETNay, but swear't.HORATIOIn faith,My lord, not I.MARCELLUSNor I, my lord- in faith.HAMLETUpon my sword.MARCELLUSWe have sworn, my lord, already.HAMLETIndeed, upon my sword, indeed.Ghost cries under the stage.GHOSTSwear.HAMLETAha boy, say'st thou so? Art thou there, truepenny?Come on! You hear this fellow in the cellarage.Consent to swear.HORATIOPropose the oath, my lord.HAMLETNever to speak of this that you have seen.Swear by my sword.GHOST[beneath] Swear.HAMLETHic et ubique? Then we'll shift our ground.Come hither, gentlemen,And lay your hands again upon my sword.Never to speak of this that you have heard:Swear by my sword.GHOST[beneath] Swear by his sword.HAMLETWell said, old mole! Canst work i' th' earth so fast?A worthy pioner! Once more remove, good friends."HORATIOO day and night, but this is wondrous strange!HAMLETAnd therefore as a stranger give it welcome.There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.But come!Here, as before, never, so help you mercy,How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself(As I perchance hereafter shall think meetTo put an antic disposition on), That you, at such times seeing me, never shall,With arms encumb'red thus, or this head-shake,Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase,As 'Well, well, we know,' or 'We could, an if we would,'Or 'If we list to speak,' or 'There be, an if they might,'Or such ambiguous giving out, to noteThat you know aught of me- this is not to do,So grace and mercy at your most need help you,Swear.GHOST[beneath] Swear.[They swear.]HAMLETRest, rest, perturbed spirit! So, gentlemen,With all my love I do commend me to you;And what so poor a man as Hamlet isMay do t' express his love and friending to you,God willing, shall not lack. Let us go in together;And still your fingers on your lips, I pray.The time is out of joint. O cursed spiteThat ever I was born to set it right!Nay, come, let's go together.Exeunt.Previous Chapter
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