Hamlet: Act 2 Scene 1

1		A room in POLONIUS' house.	*Kelkuvi mì kelku POLONYUSÌyä.
		Enter POLONIUS and REYNALDO	Fpxäkìm POLONYUSÌ sì REYNALTO
	LORD POLONIUS	Give him this money and these notes, Reynaldo.
	REYNALDO	I will, my lord.
5	LORD POLONIUS	You shall do marvellous wisely, good Reynaldo,
		Before you visit him, to make inquire
		Of his behavior.
	REYNALDO	My lord, I did intend it.
	LORD POLONIUS	Marry, well said; very well said. Look you, sir,
10		Inquire me first what Danskers are in Paris;
		And how, and who, what means, and where they keep,
		What company, at what expense; and finding
		By this encompassment and drift of question
		That they do know my son, come you more nearer
15		Than your particular demands will touch it:
		Take you, as 'twere, some distant knowledge of him;
		As thus, 'I know his father and his friends,
		And in part him: ' do you mark this, Reynaldo?
	REYNALDO	Ay, very well, my lord.
20	LORD POLONIUS	'And in part him; but' you may say 'not well:
		But, if't be he I mean, he's very wild;
		Addicted so and so:' and there put on him
		What forgeries you please; marry, none so rank
		As may dishonour him; take heed of that;
25		But, sir, such wanton, wild and usual slips
		As are companions noted and most known
		To youth and liberty.
	REYNALDO	As gaming, my lord.
	LORD POLONIUS	Ay, or drinking, fencing, swearing, quarrelling,
30		Drabbing: you may go so far.
	REYNALDO	My lord, that would dishonour him.
	LORD POLONIUS	'Faith, no; as you may season it in the charge
		You must not put another scandal on him,
		That he is open to incontinency;
35		That's not my meaning: but breathe his faults so quaintly
		That they may seem the taints of liberty,
		The flash and outbreak of a fiery mind,
		A savageness in unreclaimed blood,
		Of general assault.
40	REYNALDO	But, my good lord,--
	LORD POLONIUS	Wherefore should you do this?
	REYNALDO	Ay, my lord,
		I would know that.
	LORD POLONIUS	Marry, sir, here's my drift;
45		And I believe, it is a fetch of wit:
		You laying these slight sullies on my son,
		As 'twere a thing a little soil'd i' the working, Mark you,
		Your party in converse, him you would sound,
		Having ever seen in the prenominate crimes
50		The youth you breathe of guilty, be assured
		He closes with you in this consequence;
		'Good sir,' or so, or 'friend,' or 'gentleman,'
		According to the phrase or the addition
		Of man and country.
55	REYNALDO	Very good, my lord.
	LORD POLONIUS	And then, sir, does he this--he does--what was I
		about to say? By the mass, I was about to say
		something: where did I leave?
	REYNALDO	At 'closes in the consequence,' at 'friend or so,' and 'gentleman.'
60	LORD POLONIUS	At 'closes in the consequence,' ay, marry;
		He closes thus: 'I know the gentleman;
		I saw him yesterday, or t' other day,
		Or then, or then; with such, or such; and, as you say,
		There was a' gaming; there o'ertook in's rouse;
65		There falling out at tennis:' or perchance,
		'I saw him enter such a house of sale,'
		Videlicet, a brothel, or so forth.
		See you now;
		Your bait of falsehood takes this carp of truth:
70		And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,
		With windlasses and with assays of bias,
		By indirections find directions out:
		So by my former lecture and advice,
		Shall you my son. You have me, have you not?
75	REYNALDO	My lord, I have.
	LORD POLONIUS	God be wi' you; fare you well.
	REYNALDO	Good my lord!
	LORD POLONIUS	Observe his inclination in yourself.
	REYNALDO	I shall, my lord.
80	LORD POLONIUS	And let him ply his music.
	REYNALDO	Well, my lord.
	LORD POLONIUS	Farewell!
		Exit REYNALDO	REYNALTO hum
85		Enter OPHELIA	Fpxäkìm OFELYA
	LORD POLONIUS	How now, Ophelia! what's the matter?
	OPHELIA	O, my lord, my lord, I have been so affrighted!
	LORD POLONIUS	With what, i' the name of God?
90	OPHELIA	My lord, as I was sewing in my closet,
		Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced;
		No hat upon his head; his stockings foul'd,
		Ungarter'd, and down-gyved to his ancle;
		Pale as his shirt; his knees knocking each other;
95		And with a look so piteous in purport
		As if he had been loosed out of hell
		To speak of horrors,--he comes before me.
	LORD POLONIUS	Mad for thy love?
	OPHELIA	My lord, I do not know;
100		But truly, I do fear it.
	LORD POLONIUS	What said he?
	OPHELIA	He took me by the wrist and held me hard;
		Then goes he to the length of all his arm;
		And, with his other hand thus o'er his brow,
105		He falls to such perusal of my face
		As he would draw it. Long stay'd he so;
		At last, a little shaking of mine arm
		And thrice his head thus waving up and down,
		He raised a sigh so piteous and profound
110		As it did seem to shatter all his bulk
		And end his being: that done, he lets me go:
		And, with his head over his shoulder turn'd,
		He seem'd to find his way without his eyes;
		For out o' doors he went without their helps,
115		And, to the last, bended their light on me.
	LORD POLONIUS	Come, go with me: I will go seek the king.
		This is the very ecstasy of love,
		Whose violent property fordoes itself
		And leads the will to desperate undertakings
120		As oft as any passion under heaven
		That does afflict our natures. I am sorry.
		What, have you given him any hard words of late?
	OPHELIA	No, my good lord, but, as you did command,
		I did repel his fetters and denied
125		His access to me.
	LORD POLONIUS	That hath made him mad.
		I am sorry that with better heed and judgment
		I had not quoted him: I fear'd he did but trifle,
		And meant to wreck thee; but, beshrew my jealousy!
130		By heaven, it is as proper to our age
		To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions
		As it is common for the younger sort
		To lack discretion. Come, go we to the king:
		This must be known; which, being kept close, might move
135		More grief to hide than hate to utter love.
		Exeunt