ACT 4
[Enter KING CLAUDIUS, attended]
KING CLAUDIUS
I have sent to seek him, and to find the body.
I’ve sent my men to find him and the body.
How dangerous is it that this man goes loose!
It’s so damn dangerous this mad man is free!
Yet must not we put the strong law on him:
But we’ll restrain the strong arm of the law,
He's loved of the distracted multitude,
Because misguided multitudes adore him,
Who like not in their judgment, but their eyes;
Not for his actions, but by how he looks;
And where tis so, the offender's scourge is weighed,
And they consider just the punishment
But never the offence. To bear all smooth and even,
But not the crime. And so, to seem impartial,
This sudden sending him away must seem
This suddenness of sending him away
Deliberate pause: diseases desperate grown
Must seem unbiased. Hideous diseases
By desperate appliance are relieved,
Are cured by equally as awful treatment,
Or not at all.
Or they’re not cured at all.
[Enter ROSENCRANTZ]
How now! What hath befall'n?
Hey, what has happened?
ROSENCRANTZ
Where the dead body is bestowed, my lord,
My lord, wherever he has hid the body,
We cannot get from him.
He isn’t telling us.
KING CLAUDIUS
But where is he?
But where is he?
ROSENCRANTZ
Without, my lord; guarded, to know your pleasure.
Outside, my lord; held, pending your instructions.
KING CLAUDIUS
Bring him before us.
Bring him here, in front of me.
ROSENCRANTZ
Ho, Guildenstern! Bring in my lord.
Hey, Guildenstern! Bring Hamlet in.
[Enter HAMLET and GUILDENSTERN]
KING CLAUDIUS
Now, Hamlet, where's Polonius?
Now, Hamlet: where’s Polonius?
HAMLET
At supper.
At supper.
KING CLAUDIUS
At supper! Where?
At supper?! Where?
HAMLET
Not where he eats, but where he is eaten: a certain
Oh, he’s not eating; he is being eaten.
convocation of politic worms are e'en at him. Your
A bunch of civic worms are eating him.
worm is your only emperor for diet: we fat all
For worms possess a mastery of eating:
creatures else to fat us, and we fat ourselves for
we make all creatures fat to feed ourselves,
maggots: your fat king and your lean beggar is but
then worms eat us. Fat kings or skinny beggars
variable service, two dishes, but to one table:
are equal food to worms, served up together.
that's the end.
Ain’t that the truth!
KING CLAUDIUS
Alas, alas!
Oh dear, oh dear!
HAMLET
A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a
A man might fish with worms that ate a king
king, and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm.
and eat the fish that earlier ate the worm.
KING CLAUDIUS
What dost you mean by this?
What are you trying to say?
HAMLET
Nothing but to show you how a king may go a
Oh, nothing; just to show you that a king
progress through the guts of a beggar.
can soon become the dinner of a beggar.
KING CLAUDIUS
Where is Polonius?
Where is Polonius?
HAMLET
In heaven; send hither to see: if your messenger
In heaven: send somebody up to check;
find him not there, seek him i' the other place yourself.
if he’s not there, go look in hell yourself.
But indeed, if you find him not within
But, to be sure, if you don’t find him soon,
this month, you shall nose him as you go up the
you’ll soon be sure to smell him as you go
stairs into the lobby.
upstairs into the lobby.
KING CLAUDIUS
[To some Attendants]
Go seek him there.
Go find him there.
HAMLET
He will stay till ye come.
He’ll stay till you arrive.
[Exeunt Attendants]
KING CLAUDIUS
Hamlet, this deed, for thine especial safety,--
Hamlet: for what you’ve done and for your safety,
Which we do tender, as we dearly grieve
Which we hold dear as much as we are grieving
For that which thou hast done,--must send thee hence
For what you’ve done, I’m sending you away
With fiery quickness: therefore prepare thyself;
Immediately; so go and pack your things;
The bark is ready, and the wind at help,
The ship is ready, winds are favourable,
The associates tend, and every thing is bent
Your friends are waiting, everything is set
For England.
For England.
HAMLET
For England!
For England?
KING CLAUDIUS
Ay, Hamlet.
Yes, Hamlet.
HAMLET
Good.
Good.
KING CLAUDIUS
So is it, if thou knew'st our purposes.
It would be if you knew our reasoning.
HAMLET
I see a cherub that sees them. But, come; for
I see an angel who can see your thoughts.
England! Farewell, dear mother.
Let’s leave for England now! Goodbye, dear mother.
KING CLAUDIUS
Thy loving father, Hamlet.
Your loving father, Hamlet.
HAMLET
My mother: father and mother is man and wife; man
My mother: when you’re married, you are one,
and wife is one flesh; and so, my mother. Come, for England!
and so you are my mother. Come, to England!
[Exit]
KING CLAUDIUS
Follow him at foot; tempt him with speed aboard;
Closely follow him and board him quickly.
Delay it not; I'll have him hence to-night:
Don’t hang about. He must be gone by night.
Away! For every thing is sealed and done
Go on! Then all we need to do is done
That else leans on the affair: pray you, make haste.
To put this mess behind us. Please, go quickly.
[Exeunt ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN]
And, England, if my love thou hold'st at aught--
And, King of England, if you still respect me—
As my great power thereof may give thee sense,
For you should know of all the power I have,
Since yet thy cicatrice looks raw and red
Because the scars of war are still red raw
After the Danish sword, and thy free awe
From Denmark’s army, and you still remain
Pays homage to us--thou mayst not coldly set
Quite terrified of us—you can’t ignore
Our sovereign process; which imports at full,
My royal wish, which makes it really clear
By letters congruing to that effect,
With words stating exactly what I what:
The present death of Hamlet. Do it, England;
The timely death of Hamlet. Do it, King,
For like the hectic in my blood he rages,
For he is coursing through my veins like fever,
And thou must cure me: till I know 'tis done,
And you must cure me. Till I hear it’s done,
Howe'er my haps, my joys were ne'er begun.
Despite my fortunes, joy has not begun.
[Exit]
