Till by some elder masters of known honour
I have a voice and precedent of peace,
To keep my name ungored. 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 ig

norance

Your skill shall, like a star i̇' 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 is better'd, we have therefore odds.
Laer. This is too heavy, let me see another.
Ham. This likes me well.

a length?

Osr. Ay, my good lord.

These foils have all

[They prepare to play.

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,

268. Stick . . . off, stand in brilliant relief (Ger. 'abstechen'). Hamlet plays, of course, on the word 'foil.'

272. laid the odds. Since the odds have actually been laid on Laertes, this must mean either

'made a bet' (the king's wager

260

270

280

being far heavier than his opponent's); or else that the points given to Hamlet are not equivalent to his actual inferiority. To which the king replies that the points given counterbalance Laertes' improvement in France.

Let all the battlements their ordnance fire;
The king shall drink to Hamlet's better breath;
And in the cup an union shall he throw,
Richer than that which four successive kings
In Denmark's crown have worn.

cups;

Give me the

And let the kettle to the trumpet speak,

The trumpet to the cannoneer without,

The cannons to the heavens, the heavens to earth, 'Now the king drinks to Hamlet.' Come, begin : And you, the judges, bear a wary eye.

Come, my lord. [They play.

Ham. Come on, sir.

Laer.

Ham.

One.

290

King. Stay; give me drink.

pearl is thine;

Here's to thy health.

[Trumpets sound, and cannon shot off within.

Give him the cup.

Ham. I'll play this bout first; set it by awhile. Come. [They play.] Another hit; what say you? Laer. A touch, a touch, I do confess.

King. Our son shall win.

Queen.

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.

300

Gertrude, do not drink.

Queen. I will, my lord; I pray you, pardon me.

283. union, pearl.

298. He's fat, and scant of breath; a trait perhaps added

with a view to the physique of Burbage, the first great actor of Hamlet.

King. [Aside] It is the poison'd cup: it is too

late.

Ham. I dare not drink yet, madam; by and by.
Queen. Come, let me wipe thy face.

Laer. My lord, I'll hit him now.

King.

I do not think 't.

Laer. [Aside] And yet it is almost against my

conscience.

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

I pray you, pass with your best violence;

I

am afeard you make a wanton of me.

310

[They play.

Laer. Say you so? come on.

Osr. Nothing, neither way.

Laer. Have at you now!

[Laertes wounds Hamlet; then, in scuffling,
they change rapiers, and Hamlet wounds
Laertes.

Osr. How is 't, Laertes?

Laer. Why, as a woodcock to mine own springe,

Osric;

I am justly kill'd with mine own treachery.

Ham. How does the queen ?

King.

She swounds to see them bleed.

Queen. No, no, the drink, the drink,-O my

dear Hamlet,

The drink, the drink! I am poison'd.

[Dies.

Ham. O villany! Ho! let the door be lock'd: Treachery! Seek it out.

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

320

slain ;

No medicine in the world can do thee good;
In thee there is not half an hour of life;
The treacherous instrument is in thy hand,
Unbated and envenom'd: the foul practice
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.

All. Treason! treason!

[Stabs the King.

King. O, yet defend me, friends; I am but hurt.
Ham. Here, thou incestuous, murderous, damned

Dane,

Drink off this potion. Is thy union here?

330

Follow my mother.

Laer.

[King dies.

He is justly served;

It is a poison temper'd by himself.
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,
Had I but time-as this fell sergeant, death,
Is strict in his arrest-O, I could tell you-
But let it be. Horatio, I am dead;
Thou livest; report me and my cause aright
To the unsatisfied.

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

Ham.

As thou 'rt a man,

Give me the cup: let go; by heaven, I'll have 't.
O good Horatio, what a wounded name,

340

350

Things standing thus unknown, shall live behind

me!

If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart,

Absent thee from felicity awhile,

And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain,

To tell my story.

[March afar off, and shot within.

What warlike noise is this?

Osr. Young Fortinbras, with conquest come

from Poland,

To the ambassadors of England gives

This warlike volley.

Ham.

O, I die, Horatio;

The potent poison quite o'er-crows my spirit:
I cannot live to hear the news from England ;
But I do prophesy the election lights

On Fortinbras: he has my dying voice;
So tell him, with the occurrents, more and less,
Which have solicited. The rest is silence. [Dies.
Hor. Now cracks a noble heart. Good night,

sweet prince;

And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!

Why does the drum come hither?

[March within.

Enter FORTINBRAS, the English Ambassadors,

and others.

What is it ye would see?

Fort. Where is this sight?

Hor. If aught of woe or wonder, cease your search. Fort. This quarry cries on havoc. O proud death,

368. occurrents, more and less, events, great and small.

369. solicited, prompted my action.

375. quarry, heap of dead.

360

370

375. cries on havoc, urges to ruthless slaughter. This is more in the character of Fortinbras than the possible alternative, cries out against the butchery.'