Scene II.

A hall in the castle.

Enter Hamlet and Players.

Ham. Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue : but if you mouth it, as many of your players do, I had as lief the town-crier spoke my lines. Nor do not saw the air too much with your hand, thus; but use all gently: for in the very torrent, tempest, and, as I may say, whirlwind of your passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance that may give it smoothness. O, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious periwigpated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings, who, for the most part, are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb-shows and noise: I would have such a fellow whipped for o'erdoing Termagant; it out-herods Herod: pray you, avoid it. First Play. I warrant your honour.

Ham. Be not too tame neither, but let

your own dis cretion be your tutor: suit the action to the word,

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the word to the action; with this special observ- 20

ance, that you o'erstep not the modesty of nature:
for anything so overdone is from the purpose of
playing, whose end, both at the first and now,
was and is, to hold, as 'twere, the mirror up to
nature; to show virtue her own feature, scorn
her own image, and the very age and body of
the time his form and pressure. Now this over-
done or come tardy off, though it make the
unskilful laugh, cannot but make the judicious
grieve; the censure of the which one must in 30
your allowance o'erweigh a whole theatre of
others. O, there be players that I have seen
play, and heard others praise, and that highly,
not to speak it profanely, that neither having the
accent of Christians nor the gait of Christian,
- pagan, nor man, have so strutted and bellowed,
that I have thought some of nature's journeymen
had made men, and not made them well, they
imitated humanity so abominably.

First Play. I hope we have reformed that indiffer- 40 ently with us, sir.

Ham. O, reform it altogether. And let those that

play your clowns speak no more that is set down
for them for there be of them that will them-
selves laugh, to set on some quantity of barren

spectators to laugh too, though in the mean
time some necessary question of the play be
then to be considered: that's villanous, and
shows a most pitiful ambition in the fool that
uses it. Go, make you ready. [Exeunt Players. 50
Enter Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern.

How now, my lord! will the king hear this
piece of work?

Pol. And the queen too, and that presently.
Ham. Bid the players make haste.

Ros.

Will you two help to hasten them?

[Exit Polonius.]

Guil.

We will, my lord.

[Exeunt Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Ham. What ho! Horatio!

Enter Horatio.

Hor. Here, sweet lord, at your service.
Ham. Horatio, thou art e'en as just a man
As e'er my conversation coped withal.

Hor. O, my dear lord,—

Ham.

Nay, do not think I flatter;
For what advancement may I hope from thee,
That no revenue hast but thy good spirits,

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To feed and clothe thee? Why should the poor be

flatter'd?

No, let the candied tongue lick absurd pomp,

And crook the pregnant hinges of the knee
Where thrift may follow fawning. Dost thou hear?
Since my dear soul was mistress of her choice,
And could of men distinguish, her election
Hath seal'd thee for herself: for thou hast been 70
As one, in suffering all, that suffers nothing;
A man that fortune's buffets and rewards

Hast ta'en with equal thanks: and blest are those
Whose blood and judgement are so well commingled
That they are not a pipe for fortune's finger

To sound what stop she please. Give me that man
That is not passion's slave, and I will wear him
In my heart's core, ay, in my heart of heart,
Something too much of this.

As I do thee.

There is a play to-night before the king;

One scene of it comes near the circumstance
Which I have told thee of my father's death:
I prithee, when thou seest that act a-foot,
Even with the very comment of thy soul
Observe my uncle: if his occulted guilt
Do not itself unkennel in one speech,
It is a damned ghost that we have seen,

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Hor.

And my imaginations are as foul

As Vulcan's stithy. Give him heedful note;
For I mine eyes will rivet to his face,
And after we will both our judgements join
In censure of his seeming.

Well, my lord:

If he steal aught the whilst this play is playing,
And 'scape detecting, I will pay the theft.
Ham. They are coming to the play: I must be idle :
Get you a place.

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Danish march. Aflourish. Enter King, Queen, Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and other Lords attendant, with the Guard carrying torches.

King. How fares our cousin Hamlet?

Ham. Excellent, i' faith; of the chameleon's dish: I eat the air, promise-crammed: you cannot feed capons so.

King. I have nothing with this answer, Hamlet; these words are not mine.

Ham. No, nor mine now. [To Polonius] My

lord, you played once i' the university, you say? Pol. That did I, my lord, and was accounted a good actor.

Ham. What did you enact?

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