Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Act 2 - Scene 1

Elsinore. A room in the house of Polonius.

Polonius : Give him this money and these notes, Reynaldo.

Reynaldo : I will, my lord.

Polonius : You shall do marvell's wisely, good Reynaldo, [p]Before You visit him,
to make inquire [p]Of his behaviour.

Reynaldo : My lord, I did intend it.

Polonius : Marry, well said, very well said. Look you, sir, [p]Enquire me first
what Danskers are in Paris; [p]And how, and who, what means, and where
they keep, [p]What company, at what expense; and finding [p]By this
encompassment and drift of question [p]That they do know my son, come
you more nearer [p]Than your particular demands will touch it. [p]Take
you, as 'twere, some distant knowledge of him; [p]As thus, 'I know his
father and his friends, [p]And in part him.' Do you mark this,
Reynaldo?

Reynaldo : Ay, very well, my lord.

Polonius : 'And in part him, but,' you may say, 'not well. [p]But if't be he I
mean, he's very wild [p]Addicted so and so'; and there put on
him [p]What forgeries you please; marry, none so rank [p]As may
dishonour him- take heed of that; [p]But, sir, such wanton, wild, and
usual slips [p]As are companions noted and most known [p]To youth and
liberty.

Reynaldo : As gaming, my lord.

Polonius : Ay, or drinking, fencing, swearing, quarrelling, [p]Drabbing. You may
go so far.

Reynaldo : My lord, that would dishonour him.

Polonius : Faith, no, as you may season it in the charge. [p]You must not put
another scandal on him, [p]That he is open to incontinency. [p]That's
not my meaning. But breathe his faults so quaintly [p]That they may
seem the taints of liberty, [p]The flash and outbreak of a fiery
mind, [p]A savageness in unreclaimed blood, [p]Of general assault.

Reynaldo : But, my good lord-

Polonius : Wherefore should you do this?

Reynaldo : Ay, my lord, [p]I would know that.

Polonius : Marry, sir, here's my drift, [p]And I believe it is a fetch of
warrant. [p]You laying these slight sullies on my son [p]As 'twere a
thing a little soil'd i' th' working, [p]Mark you, [p]Your party in
converse, him you would sound, [p]Having ever seen in the prenominate
crimes [p]The youth you breathe of guilty, be assur'd [p]He closes
with you in this consequence: [p]'Good sir,' or so, or 'friend,' or
'gentleman'- [p]According to the phrase or the addition [p]Of man and
country-

Reynaldo : Very good, my lord.

Polonius : And then, sir, does 'a this- 'a does- What was I about to say? [p]By
the mass, I was about to say something! Where did I leave?

Reynaldo : At 'closes in the consequence,' at 'friend or so,' and
[p]gentleman.'

Polonius : At 'closes in the consequence'- Ay, marry! [p]He closes thus: 'I know
the gentleman. [p]I saw him yesterday, or t'other day, [p]Or then, or
then, with such or such; and, as you say, [p]There was 'a gaming;
there o'ertook in's rouse; [p]There falling out at tennis'; or
perchance, [p]'I saw him enter such a house of sale,' [p]Videlicet, a
brothel, or so forth. [p]See you now- [p]Your bait of falsehood takes
this carp of truth; [p]And thus do we of wisdom and of reach, [p]With
windlasses and with assays of bias, [p]By indirections find directions
out. [p]So, by my former lecture and advice, [p]Shall you my son. You
have me, have you not?

Reynaldo : My lord, I have.

Polonius : God b' wi' ye, fare ye well!

Reynaldo : Good my lord! [Going.]

Polonius : Observe his inclination in yourself.

Reynaldo : I shall, my lord.

Polonius : And let him ply his music.

Reynaldo : Well, my lord.

Polonius : Farewell! [p][Exit Reynaldo.] [p][Enter Ophelia.] [p]How now, Ophelia?
What's the matter?

Ophelia : O my lord, my lord, I have been so affrighted!

Polonius : With what, i' th' name of God?

Ophelia : My lord, as I was sewing in my closet, [p]Lord Hamlet, with his
doublet all unbrac'd, [p]No hat upon his head, his stockings
foul'd, [p]Ungart'red, and down-gyved to his ankle; [p]Pale as his
shirt, his knees knocking each other, [p]And with a look so piteous in
purport [p]As if he had been loosed out of hell [p]To speak of
horrors- he comes before me.

Polonius : Mad for thy love?

Ophelia : My lord, I do not know, [p]But truly I do fear it.

Polonius : What said he?

Ophelia : He took me by the wrist and held me hard; [p]Then goes he to the
length of all his arm, [p]And, with his other hand thus o'er his
brow, [p]He falls to such perusal of my face [p]As he would draw it.
Long stay'd he so. [p]At last, a little shaking of mine arm, [p]And
thrice his head thus waving up and down, [p]He rais'd a sigh so
piteous and profound [p]As it did seem to shatter all his bulk [p]And
end his being. That done, he lets me go, [p]And with his head over his
shoulder turn'd [p]He seem'd to find his way without his eyes, [p]For
out o' doors he went without their help [p]And to the last bended
their light on me.

Polonius : Come, go with me. I will go seek the King. [p]This is the very ecstasy
of love, [p]Whose violent property fordoes itself [p]And leads the
will to desperate undertakings [p]As oft as any passion under
heaven [p]That does afflict our natures. I am sorry. [p]What, have you
given him any hard words of late?

Ophelia : No, my good lord; but, as you did command, [p]I did repel his letters
and denied [p]His access to me.

Polonius : That hath made him mad. [p]I am sorry that with better heed and
judgment [p]I had not quoted him. I fear'd he did but trifle [p]And
meant to wrack thee; but beshrew my jealousy! [p]By heaven, it is as
proper to our age [p]To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions [p]As it
is common for the younger sort [p]To lack discretion. Come, go we to
the King. [p]This must be known; which, being kept close, might
move [p]More grief to hide than hate to utter love. [p]Come.

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