Reference > William Shakespeare > The Oxford Shakespeare > Hamlet, Prince of Denmark > Act I. Scene V.
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William Shakespeare (1564–1616).  The Oxford Shakespeare.  1914.

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

Act I. Scene V.


Another Part of the Platform.
 
  
Enter Ghost and HAMLET.
 
  Ham.  Whither wilt thou lead me? speak; I’ll go no further. 
  Ghost.  Mark me.   4
  Ham.        I will. 
  Ghost.        My hour is almost come, 
When I to sulphurous and tormenting flames 
Must render up myself.   8
  Ham.        Alas! poor ghost. 
  Ghost.  Pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing 
To what I shall unfold. 
  Ham        Speak; I am bound to hear.  12
  Ghost.  So art thou to revenge, when thou shalt hear. 
  Ham.  What? 
  Ghost.  I am thy father’s spirit; 
Doom’d for a certain term to walk the night,  16
And for the day confin’d to fast in fires, 
Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature 
Are burnt and purg’d away. But that I am forbid 
To tell the secrets of my prison-house,  20
I could a tale unfold whose lightest word 
Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood, 
Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres, 
Thy knotted and combined locks to part,  24
And each particular hair to stand an end, 
Like quills upon the fretful porpentine: 
But this eternal blazon must not be 
To ears of flesh and blood. List, list, O list!  28
If thou didst ever thy dear father love— 
  Ham.  O God! 
  Ghost.  Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. 
  Ham.  Murder!  32
  Ghost.  Murder most foul, as in the best it is; 
But this most foul, strange, and unnatural. 
  Ham.  Haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift 
As meditation or the thoughts of love,  36
May sweep to my revenge. 
  Ghost.        I find thee apt; 
And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed 
That rots itself in ease on Lethe wharf,  40
Wouldst thou not stir in this. Now, Hamlet, hear: 
’Tis given out that, sleeping in mine orchard, 
A serpent stung me; so the whole ear of Denmark 
Is by a forged process of my death  44
Rankly abus’d; but know, thou noble youth, 
The serpent that did sting thy father’s life 
Now wears his crown. 
  Ham.        O my prophetic soul!  48
My uncle! 
  Ghost.  Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast, 
With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts,— 
O wicked wit and gifts, that have the power  52
So to seduce!—won to his shameful lust 
The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen. 
O Hamlet! what a falling-off was there; 
From me, whose love was of that dignity  56
That it went hand in hand even with the vow 
I made to her in marriage; and to decline 
Upon a wretch whose natural gifts were poor 
To those of mine!  60
But virtue, as it never will be mov’d, 
Though lewdness court it in a shape of heaven, 
So lust, though to a radiant angel link’d, 
Will sate itself in a celestial bed,  64
And prey on garbage. 
But, soft! methinks I scent the morning air; 
Brief let me be. Sleeping within mine orchard, 
My custom always in the afternoon,  68
Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole, 
With juice of cursed hebona in a vial, 
And in the porches of mine ears did pour 
The leperous distilment; whose effect  72
Holds such an enmity with blood of man 
That swift as quicksilver it courses through 
The natural gates and alleys of the body, 
And with a sudden vigour it doth posset  76
And curd, like eager droppings into milk, 
The thin and wholesome blood: so did it mine; 
And a most instant tetter bark’d about, 
Most lazar-like, with vile and loathsome crust,  80
All my smooth body. 
Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother’s hand, 
Of life, of crown, of queen, at once dispatch’d; 
Cut off even in the blossoms of my sin,  84
Unhousel’d, disappointed, unanel’d, 
No reckoning made, but sent to my account 
With all my imperfections on my head: 
O, horrible! O, horrible! most horrible!  88
If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not; 
Let not the royal bed of Denmark be 
A couch for luxury and damned incest. 
But, howsoever thou pursu’st this act,  92
Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive 
Against thy mother aught; leave her to heaven, 
And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge, 
To prick and sting her. Fare thee well at once!  96
The glow-worm shows the matin to be near, 
And ’gins to pale his uneffectual fire; 
Adieu, adieu! Hamlet, remember me.  [Exit. 
  Ham.  O all you host of heaven! O earth! What else? 100
And shall I couple hell? O fie! Hold, hold, my heart! 
And you, my sinews, grow not instant old, 
But bear me stiffly up! Remember thee! 
Ay, thou poor ghost, while memory holds a seat 104
In this distracted globe. Remember thee! 
Yea, from the table of my memory 
I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records, 
All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past, 108
That youth and observation copied there; 
And thy commandment all alone shall live 
Within the book and volume of my brain, 
Unmix’d with baser matter: yes, by heaven! 112
O most pernicious woman! 
O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain! 
My tables,—meet it is I set it down, 
That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain; 116
At least I’m sure it may be so in Denmark:  [Writing. 
So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word; 
It is, ‘Adieu, adieu! remember me. 
I have sworn’t. 120
  Hor.  [Within.] My lord! my lord! 
  Mar.        [Within.] Lord Hamlet! 
  Hor.        [Within.] Heaven secure him! 
  Mar.  [Within.] So be it! 124
  Hor.  [Within.] Hillo, ho, ho, my lord! 
  Ham.  Hillo, ho, ho, boy! come, bird, come. 
  
Enter HORATIO and MARCELLUS.
 
  Mar.  How is’t, my noble lord? 128
  Hor.        What news, my lord? 
  Ham.  O! wonderful. 
  Hor.        Good my lord, tell it. 
  Ham.  No; you will reveal it. 132
  Hor.  Not I, my lord, by heaven! 
  Mar        Nor I, my lord. 
  Ham.  How say you, then; would heart of man once think it? 
But you’ll be secret? 136
  Hor. & Mar.        Ay, by heaven, my lord. 
  Ham.  There’s ne’er a villain dwelling in all Denmark, 
But he’s an arrant knave. 
  Hor.  There needs no ghost, my lord, come from the grave, 140
To tell us this. 
  Ham.        Why, right; you are i’ the right; 
And so, without more circumstance at all, 
I hold it fit that we shake hands and part; 144
You, as your business and desire shall point you,— 
For every man hath business and desire, 
Such as it is,—and, for mine own poor part, 
Look you, I’ll go pray. 148
  Hor.  These are but wild and whirling words, my lord. 
  Ham.  I am sorry they offend you, heartily; 
Yes, faith, heartily. 
  Hor.        There’s no offence, my lord. 152
  Ham.  Yes, by Saint Patrick, but there is, Horatio, 
And much offence, too. Touching this vision here, 
It is an honest ghost, that let me tell you; 
For your desire to know what is between us, 156
O’ermaster’t as you may. And now, good friends, 
As you are friends, scholars, and soldiers, 
Give me one poor request. 
  Hor.  What is’t, my lord? we will. 160
  Ham.  Never make known what you have seen to-night. 
  Hor. & Mar.  My lord, we will not. 
  Ham.        Nay, but swear’t. 
  Hor.        In faith, 164
My lord, not I. 
  Mar.        Nor I, my lord, in faith. 
  Ham.  Upon my sword. 
  Mar.        We have sworn, my lord, already. 168
  Ham.  Indeed, upon my sword, indeed. 
  Ghost.  [Beneath.] Swear. 
  Ham.  Ah, ha, boy! sayst thou so? art thou there, true-penny? 
Come on,—you hear this fellow in the cellar-age,— 172
Consent to swear. 
  Hor.        Propose the oath, my lord. 
  Ham.  Never to speak of this that you have seen, 
Swear by my sword. 176
  Ghost.  [Beneath.] Swear. 
  Ham.  Hic et ubique? then we’ll shift our ground. 
Come hither, gentlemen, 
And lay your hands again upon my sword: 180
Never to speak of this that you have heard, 
Swear by my sword. 
  Ghost.  [Beneath.] Swear. 
  Ham.  Well said, old mole! canst work i’ the earth so fast? 184
A worthy pioner! once more remove, good friends. 
  Hor.  O day and night, but this is wondrous strange! 
  Ham.  And therefore as a stranger give it welcome. 
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, 188
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. 
But come; 
Here, as before, never, so help you mercy, 
How strange or odd soe’er I bear myself, 192
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet 
To put an antic disposition on, 
That you, at such times seeing me, never shall, 
With arms encumber’d thus, or this head-shake, 196
Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase, 
As, ‘Well, well, we know,’ or, ‘We could, an if we would;’ 
Or, ‘If we list to speak,’ or, ‘There be, an if they might;’ 
Or such ambiguous giving out, to note 200
That you know aught of me: this not to do, 
So grace and mercy at your most need help you, 
Swear. 
  Ghost.  [Beneath.] Swear.  [They swear. 204
  Ham.  Rest, rest, perturbed spirit! So, gentlemen, 
With all my love I do commend me to you: 
And what so poor a man as Hamlet is 
May do, to express his love and friending to you, 208
God willing, shall not lack. Let us go in together; 
And still your fingers on your lips, I pray. 
The time is out of joint; O cursed spite, 
That ever I was born to set it right! 212
Nay, come, let’s go together.  [Exeunt. 

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