Guildenstern.
Ros.
God save you, Sir.
Guil.
Mine honour'd Lord!
Ros.
My most dear Lord!
Ham.
My excellent good friends! How dost thou, Guildenstern?
Oh, Rosincrantz, good lads! how do ye both?
Ros.
As the indifferent children of the earth.
Guil.
Happy, in that we are not over-happy:
-- 191 --
On fortune's cap, we are not the very button.
Ham.
Nor the soles of her shoe?
Ros.
Neither, my Lord.
Ham.
Then you live about her waist, or in the
middle of her favours?
Guil.
'Faith, in her privates we.
Ham.
In the secret parts of fortune? oh, most
true; she is a strumpet. What news?
Ros.
None, my Lord, but that the world's grown
honest.
Ham.
Then is dooms day near; but your news is
not true. Let me question more in particular: what
have you, my good friends, deserved at the hands of
fortune, that she sends you to prison hither?
Guil.
Prison, my Lord!
Ham.
Denmark's a prison.
Ros.
Then is the world one.
Ham.
A goodly one, in which there are many confines,
wards, and dungeons; Denmark being one o'th'
worst.
Ros.
We think not so, my Lord.
Ham.
Why, then, 'tis none to you; for there is
nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.
To me, it is a prison.
Ros.
Why, then your ambition makes it one: 'tis
too narrow for your mind.
Ham.
Oh God, I could be bounded in a nut shell,
and count myself a King of infinite space; were it
not, that I have bad dreams.
Guil.
Which dreams, indeed, are Ambition; for the
very substance of the ambitious is merely 8 notethe shadow
of a dream.
Ham.
A dream itself is but a shadow.
-- 192 --
Ros.
Truly, and I hold ambition of so airy and
light a quality, that it is but a shadow's shadow.
Ham.
9 noteThen are our beggars, bodies; and our
monarchs and out-stretch'd heroes, the beggars' shadows.
Shall we to th' Court? for, by my fay, I cannot
reason.
Both.
We'll wait upon you.
Ham.
No such matter. I will not sort you with
the rest of my servants; for, to speak to you like an
honest man, I am most dreadfully attended. But in
the beaten way of Friendship, what make you at Elsinoor?
Ros.
To visit you, my Lord; no other occasion.
Ham.
Beggar that I am, I am even poor in thanks;
but I thank you; and sure, dear friends, my thanks
are too dear of a half-penny. Were you not sent for?
Is it your own inclining? Is it a free visitation?
Come, deal justly with me; Come, come; Nay,
speak.
Guil.
What should we say, my Lord?
Ham.
Any thing, but to the purpose. You were
sent for; and there is a kind of confession in your
looks, which your modesties have not craft enough to
colour. I know, the good King and Queen have sent
for you.
Ros.
To what end, my Lord?
Ham.
That you must teach me; but let me conjure
you by the rights of our fellowship, by the consonancy
of our youth, by the obligation of our ever-preserved
love, and by what more dear, a better proposer
could charge you withal; be even and direct
with me, whether you were sent for or no?
Ros.
What say you?
[To Guilden.
-- 193 --
Ham.
Nay, then I have an eye of you: if you love
me, hold not off.
Guil.
My Lord, we were sent for.
Ham.
I will tell you why. So shall my anticipation
prevent your discovery, and your secrecy to the King
and Queen moult no feather. * noteI have of late, but
wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth, forgone all
custom of exercise; and, indeed, it goes so heavily
with my disposition, that this goodly frame, the earth,
seems to me a steril promontory; this most excellent
canopy the air, look you, this brave o'er-hanging firmament,
this majestical roof fretted with golden fire,
why, it appears no other thing to me, than a foul and
pestilent congregation of vapours. What a piece of
work is a man! how noble in reason! how infinite in
faculties! in form and moving how express and admirable!
in action how like an angel! in apprehension
how like a God! the beauty of the world, the
paragon of animals! and yet to me, what is this
quintessence of dust? Man delights not me.—Nor
woman neither; though by your smiling you seem to
say so.
Ros.
My Lord, there was no such stuff in my
thoughts.
Ham.
Why did you laugh, when I said, man delights
not me?
Ros.
To think, my Lord, if you delight not in
man, what lenten entertainment the Players shall receive
from you; we accosted them on the way, and
hither are they coming to offer you service.
Ham.
He that plays the King shall be welcome.
His Majesty shall have tribute of me; the adventurous
Knight shall use his foyl and target; the lover shall
-- 194 --
not sigh gratis; the humorous man, 2 note
shall end his
part in peace; and 3 notethe lady shall say her mind freely,
or the blank verse shall halt for't. What Players are
they?
Ros.
Even those you were wont to take delight in,
the Tragedians of the city.
Ham.
How chances it, they travel? their residence
both in reputation and profit was better, both ways.
Ros.
4 noteI think, their inhibition comes by means of
the late innovation.
Ham.
Do they hold the same estimation they did,
when I was in the city? are they so follow'd?
Ros.
No, indeed, they are not.
* note“Ham.
How comes it? do they grow rusty?
“Ros.
Nay, their endeavour keeps in the wonted
pace; but there is, Sir, an Aiery of Children,
5 note
little Eyases, that 6 notecry out on the top of question;
-- 195 --
and are most tyrannically clapt for't; these are now
the fashion, and so berattle the common stages, (so
they call them) that many wearing rapiers are afraid
of goose-quills, and dare scarce come thither.
“Ham.
What, are they children? who maintains
'em? how are they 7 noteescoted? 8 notewill they pursue the
Quality, no longer than they can sing? will they
not say afterwards? If they should grow themselves
to common players, as it is most like, if their
means are no better: their writers do them wrong
to make them exclaim against their own succession.
“Ros.
'Faith, there has been much to do on both
sides; and the nation holds it no sin, to tarre them
on to controversy. There was, for a while, no
mony bid for argument, unless the poet and the
player went to cuffs in the question.
“Ham.
Is't possible?
“Guil.
Oh, there has been much throwing about
of brains.
“Ham.
Do the Boys carry it away?
“Ros.
Ay, that they do, my Lord, 9 noteHercules and
his load too.
“Ham.
1 noteIt is not strange; for mine uncle is King of
Denmark; and those, that would make mowes at him
while my father lived, give twenty, forty, fifty, an
hundred ducats a-piece, for his picture in little. There
is something in this more than natural, if philosophy
could find it out.
[Flourish for the Players.
-- 196 --
Guil.
There are the Players.
Ham.
Gentlemen, you are welcome to Elsinoor.
Your hands. Come then. The appurtenance of welcome
is fashion and ceremony; 2 notelet me comply
with you in this garbe, lest my extent to the players,
which, I tell you, must shew fairly outward, should
more appear like entertainment than yours. You are
welcome; but my Uncle-father and Aunt-mother are
deceiv'd.
Guil.
In what, my dear Lord?
Ham.
I am but mad north, north-west: when the
wind is southerly, 3 noteI know a hawk from a hand-saw.
Samuel Johnson [1765], The plays of William Shakespeare, in eight volumes, with the corrections and illustrations of Various Commentators; To which are added notes by Sam. Johnson (Printed for J. and R. Tonson [and] C. Corbet [etc.], London) [word count] [S11001].
