Words like Daggers

Hamlet is talking to his mother while Polonius is listening to their conversation behind a curtain (arras).

Act III Scene 4: The Queen's closet

hamlet: Now, mother, what's the matter?

queen: Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended.

hamlet: Mother, you have my father much offended.

queen: Come, come, you answer with an idle¹ tongue.

hamlet: Go, go, you question with a wicked² tongue, 5

queen: Why, how now, Hamlet!

hamlet: What's the matter now?

queen: Have you forgot me?

hamlet: No, by the rood³, not so.

You are the queen, your husband's brother's wife; 10
And - would it were not so⁴! - you are my mother.

queen: Nay⁵, then, I'll set⁶ those to you that can speak.

hamlet: Come, come, and sit you down; you shall not budge⁷;

You go not till I set you up a glass

Where you may see the inmost part of you. 15

queen: What wilt thou do? Thou wilt not murder me?

Help, help, ho!

polonius: [ Behind ]What, ho! Help, help, help!

hamlet: [ Draws ⁸] How now! A rat? Dead! for a ducat, dead!

[ Makes a pass through the arras. ]

polonius: [ Behind ] O! I am slain⁹. [ Falls and dies ] 20

queen: O me! What hast thou done?

hamlet: Nay, I know not. Is it the king?

queen: O! what a rash¹⁰ and bloody deed is this!

hamlet: A bloody deed! Almost as bad, good mother,

As kill a king, and marry with his brother. 25

queen: As kill a king!

hamlet: Ay, lady, 'twas my word.

[ Lifts up the arras and discovers polonius]

Thou wretched¹¹, rash, intruding fool, farewell!

I took thee for thy better; (...)

Leave wringing¹² of your hands. Peace; sit you down, 30

And let me wring your heart; for so I shall,

If it be made of penetrable stuff¹³ (...)

queen: What have I done that thou dar'st wag¹⁴ thy tongue

In noise so rude against me?

hamlet: Such an act

That blurs the grace and blush of modesty¹⁵; 35

Calls virtue hypocrite; takes off the rose

From the fair forehead of an innocent love,

And sets a blister¹⁶ there; makes marriage vows¹⁷

As false as dicers' oaths¹⁸.(...) 40

queen: Ay me, what act

That roars¹⁹ so loud, and thunders²⁰ in the index²¹?

hamlet: Look here, upon this picture, and on this,

The counterfeit presentment²² of two brothers.

See, what a grace was seated on this brow²³ – 45

Hyperion²⁴^ curls, the front of Jove himself;

An eye like Mars, to threaten²⁵ and command;

A station²⁶ like the herald Mercury

New lighted on the heaven-kissing hill²⁷;

A combination and a form²⁸ indeed 50

Where every god did seem to set his seal²⁹,

To give the world assurance of a man.

This was your husband. Look you now, what follows:

Here is your husband, like a mildew'd ear³⁰

Blasting his wholesome³¹ brother. Have you eyes? 55

Could you on this fair mountain leave to feed,

And batten on this moor³²? Ha! Have you eyes?

You cannot call it love, for at your age

The hey-day in the blood is tame³³, it's humble³⁴,

And waits upon the judgement³⁵; and what judgement 60

Would step from this to this?

queen: O Hamlet, speak no more!

Thou turn'st my eyes into my very soul;

And there I see such black and grained spots³⁶

As will not leave their tinct³⁷. 65

hamlet: Nay, but to live

In the rank sweat³⁸ of an enseamed³⁹ bed,

Stew'd⁴⁰ in corruption, honeying⁴¹ and making love

Over the nasty sty⁴² –

queen: O, speak to me no more; 70

These words, like daggers⁴³, enter in my ears;

No more, sweet Hamlet!

hamlet: A murderer and a villain!

A slave that is not twentieth part the tithe⁴⁴

Of your precedent lord; a vice⁴⁵ of kings; 75

A cutpurse⁴⁶ of the empire and the rule

That from a shelf the precious diadem stole,

And put it in his pocket!

queen: No more!

[ Enter the ghost in his nightgown. ]

hamlet: A king of shreds and patches⁴⁷ - 80

Save me, and hover⁴⁸ o'er me with your wings,

You heavenly guards! What would your gracious figure⁴⁹?

queen: Alas, he's mad!

hamlet: Do you not come your tardy⁵⁰ son to chide⁵¹,

that, laps'd in time and passion⁵², lets go by⁵³ 85

The important acting of your dread⁵⁴ command?

Oh say!

ghost: Do not forget: this visitation

Is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose⁵⁵.

But, look, amazement⁵⁶ on thy mother sits. 90

Oh, step between her and her fighting soul -

Conceit⁵⁷ in weakest bodies strongest works -

Speak to her, Hamlet.

hamlet: How is it with you, lady?

queen: Alas, how is't with you, 95

That you do bend your eye on vacancy⁵⁸,

And with the incorporal air do hold discourse⁵⁹?

Whereon do you look?

hamlet: On him, on him! (...)

queen: To whom do you speak this? 100

hamlet: Do you see nothing there?

queen: Nothing at all; yet all that is I see.

hamlet: Nor did you nothing hear?

queen: No, nothing but ourselves.

hamlet: Why, look you there! Look, how it steals away⁶⁰! 105

My father, in his habit⁶¹ as he liv'd!

GLOSSARY

1. idle: lazy

2. wicked: bad, cruel

3. rood: crucifix

4. would it were not so; I wish it was not true

5. Nay: no

6. set: send (Polonius and Claudius)

7. budge: move

8. draws (his sword): takes his sword out

9. slain: killed

10. rash: foolish, stupid

11. wretched: worthless

12. Leave wringing: stop twisting (from discomfort or anxiety)

13.1 shall, If...stuff: this I will do if I can penetrate it

14. wag: shake, move

15. blurs... modesty: makes your grace and pale colour of modesty disappear

16. blister: thin watery swelling under the skin

17. vows: solemn promises

18. dicers' oaths: promises made by gamblers

19. roars: makes a loud noise (like a lion's)

20. thunders: makes a loud noise (like that of thunder)

21.index: list (of crimes)

22. counterfeit presentment: portrait (not real presentation)

23.brow: upper part of a face, above the nose

24. Hyperion: in Greek mythology, a giant-sized god with superhuman powers

25. threaten: say menacing words

26. station: posture

27. New lighted on the heaven-kissing hill: newly, freshly arrived on the high hill

28. A combination and a form: a combination of qualities and physical presence

29. seal: official mark in a document

30.mildew'dear: diseased ear of corn

31. wholesome: healthy

32. Could you... moor: you abandoned Old Hamlet (fair mountain) and chose Claudius (moor: desolate land; batten: become fat)

33. hey-day... tame: your sexual drive should have diminished

34. humble: unimportant

35. waits upon the judgement: puts rational thought first

36. grained spots: ingrained marks

37. leave their tinct: lose their colour, fade

38. rank sweat: smelly perspiration

39. enseamed: lurid

40. Stew'd: immersed

41. honeying: sweet talking

42. nasty sty: disgusting pig's den

43. daggers: knives

44. tithe: tax of ten percent given to support the local church

45.vice: clown (in Morality plays 'vice' impersonated human vices and wore the multicoloured clothes that would later become typical of clowns)

46. cutpurse: thief

47. shreds and patches: badly dressed

48. hover: stay in the air

49. would your gracious figure: what is your wish?

50. tardy: hesitating

51. chide: reprimand

52. laps'd in time and passion: guilty of letting time pass and the passion of revenge cool

53. go by: pass

54. dread: terrifying

55.but to whet... purpose: only to spur you into action

56. amazement: great surprise

57. Conceit: imagination

58. bend... vacancy: look into an empty space

59. hold discourse: talk

60. steals away: disappears

61. habit: clothes

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14