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Hamlet

Act III, Scene 3

A room in the castle.
 
[Enter CLAUDIUS, ROSENCRANTZ, and GUILDENSTERN]
 
CLAUDIUS
          ,         ,           ,          ,          ,
      I like | him not,| nor stands | it safe | with us,
          ,         ,         ,       ,      2      ,
      To let | his mad|ness range.| Therefore pre|pare you,
      ,            ,                ,    ,         ,
      I your | commis|sion will / forthwith | dispatch,
           ,       ,         ,        ,          ,
      And he | to Eng|land shall | along | with you:
            ,         ,       ,          ,        ,
      The terms | of our | estate,| may not | endure
       ,           ,     2    ,          ,       ,
      Hazard | so dang|erous as | doth hour|ly grow
       ,    2       ,   2
      Out of his | lunacies.
 
GUILDENSTERN
                              ,              ,          ,
                             We will | ourselves | provide:
            ,     ,       ,         ,        ,
      Most ho|ly and | relig|ious fear | it is
           ,           ,     ,     ,        ,
      To keep | those ma|ny ma|ny bod|ies safe
             ,          ,      ,          ,     ,
      That live | and feed | upon | your maj|esty.
 
ROSENCRANTZ
           ,
      The sing|le
                   ,       ,  2     ,         ,
                  And | pecul|iar life | is bound
            ,            ,           ,      ,         ,
      With all | the strength | and arm|or of | the mind,
           ,        ,          ,                ,    ,
      To keep | itself | from noy|ance; but / much more,
              x       ,            ,        ,           ,
      That spirit,| upon | whose weal | depends | and rests
            ,          x          ,         ,    ,
      The lives | of many,| The cease | of maj|esty
        T   T  .  T          ,        ,           ,
      Dies not alone;| but like | a gulf | doth^draw
               ,          ,         ,     2   ,       ,
      What's near | it, with | it. It | is a mas|sy wheel
        ,             ,       ,         ,        ,
      Fixed on | the sum|mit of | the high|est mount,
       .   T     T     T            ,        ,        ,
      To whose huge spokes,| ten* thous|and les|ser things
           ,    ,              ,       ,               ,
      Are mor|tised and | adjoined:| which when | it falls,
             ,        ,         ,      ,      ,
      Each^small | annex|ment, pet|ty cons|equence
          ,           ,    2     ,      ,    2   ,
      Attends | the boist|erous ru|in. nev|er alone
                  ,    ,     ,             ,        ,
      Did the / king sigh,| but with | a gene|ral groan.
 
CLAUDIUS
       ,            ,     ,    2         ,       ,
      Arm you,| I pray | you to this | speedy | voyage;
           ,         ,        ,      ,           ,
      For we | will fet|ters put | upon | this fear,
             ,      T   T    T    ,    3
      Which now | goes too free-|footed.
 
ROSENCRANTZ GUILDENSTERN
                                           3         ,
                                         We will | haste us.
 
[Exeunt ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN. Enter POLONIUS]
 
POLONIUS
           ,      ,   ,       2       ,          ,
      My lord,| he's go/ing to his | mother's | closet:
          ,         ,       ,        ,        ,
      Behind | the ar|ras I'll | convey | myself
           ,         ,       2      ,      2        ,          ,
      To hear | the pro|cess. I'll war|rant she'll tax | him home,  ??
           ,         ,          ,      ,         ,
      And as | you said,| and wise|ly was | it said,
             ,        2       ,     ,   2       ,       ,
      'Tis meet | that some more | audience | than a | mother,
             ,        ,           ,                  ,   ,
      Since^na|ture makes | them part|ial, should / orehear
             ,         ,          ,          ,         ,
      The speech | of vant|age. Fare | you well | my liege,
             ,      ,         ,         ,       ,
      I'll call | upon | you ere | you go | to bed,
           ,           ,        ,
      And tell | you what | I know.
 
[Exit POLONIUS]
 
CLAUDIUS
                                      ,                ,
                                   Thanks dear* | my lord.
       ,          ,          ,          ,           x
      Oh my | offense | is rank,| it smells | to heaven,
           ,         ,       ,        ,         x
      It hath | the prim|al eld|est curse | upon it,
          ,          ,        ,     T  T  T
      A broth|er's murd|er. Pray | can I not,
              ,     ,       ,        ,          ,
      Though in|clina|tion be | as sharp | as will:
            ,        ,         ,           ,         ,
      My strong|er guilt,| defeats | my strong | intent,
            ,       ,         ,      ,          ,
      And like | a man | to doub|le bus|iness bound,
          ,          ,       ,               ,        ,
      I stand | in pause | where I | shall first | begin,
            ,        ,           ,          ,       ,
      And both | neglect;| What^if | this curs|ed hand
             ,        ,        ,           ,          ,
      Were thick|er than | itself | with broth|er's blood,
           ,           ,       ,       2      ,      ,
      Is there | not rain | enough | in the sweet | heavens
             x       T    .   T     T    T   T     T     ->
      To wash it | white as snow? Where|to serves^mer||cy,
       ,      2     ,          ,       ,       ,
      But | to confront | the vis|age of | offense?
            ,          ,                   ,    ,    ,
      And what's | in pray|er but this // two-fold force,
          ,         ,       ,         ,         ,
      To be | forestal|led ere | we come | to fall,
          ,         ,       ,           ,          ,
      Or pard|oned be|ing down?| Then^I'll | look^up,
           ,          ,         ,          ,          x
      My fault | is past.| But oh,| what form | of prayer
            ,          ,         ,      2     ,     ,
      Can serve | my turn?| Forgive | me my foul | murder:
            ,       ,         ,        ,           ,
      That can|not be,| since^I | am still | possessed
           ,         ,      ,       2     ,         ,
      Of those | effects | for which^I | did the | murder.
           ,           ,       ,        ,         ,
      My crown,| mine^own | ambi|tion, and | my queen:
           ,        ,          ,        ,       2    ,
      May one | be pard|oned, and | retain | the offense?
       ,            ,      ,               ,    ,
      In the | corrupt|ed cur|rents of / this world,
        x          ,         ,          ,         ,
      Offense's | gilded | hand may | shove by*| justice,
           ,          ,          ,       ,         ,
      And oft |'tis seen,| the wick|ed prize | itself
        T   T   .   T          ,         ,      ,
      Buys out the law;| but 'tis | not so | above,
        ,             ,           ,          ,        ,
      There is | no shuf|fling, there | the ac|tion lies
        2      ,     ,            ,         ,          ,
      In his true | nature,| and we | ourselves | compelled
        x             ,           ,    ,              ,
      Even to | the teeth | and fore|head of | our faults,
           ,        ,    ,       ,                ,
      To give | in ev|idence.| What then?| What rests?
       ,            ,         ,          ,        ,
      Try what | repent|ance can.| What can | it not?
       T    T    Tx           ,         ,        ,
      Yet what can it,| when one | can not | repent?
           ,        ,         ,        ,          ,
      O wretch|ed state!| Oh bos|om, black | as death!
         ,       ,           ,               ,   ,
      O lim|ed soul,| that strug|gling to / be free,
            ,        ,       T    Tx      T       ,
      Art more | engaged:| Help angels, Make | assay:
       T     Tx       T          ,             ,           ,
      Bow stubborn knees,| and heart | with strings | of steel,
           ,        ,                 ,   ,    ,
      Be soft | as sin|ews of the // newborn babe,
      ___   ___   __    __    oo
      All | may | be | well.|

[Retires and kneels. Enter HAMLET]
 
HAMLET
            ,        ,       ,     ,    2       ,
      Now might | I do | it pat,| now he is | praying,
           ,           x          ,        ,          x
      And now | I'll do it,| and so | he goes | to heaven,
           ,      ,         ,      ,                ,
      And so | am I | revenged:| That would | be scanned,
         ,         ,          ,       ,          ,
      A vil|lain kills | my fath|er, and | for that
      T  .    T   T                ,   ,         ,
      I his sole son,| do this / same vil|lain send
            x      ,     2       ,         ,  2       2    ,
      To heaven.| Oh this is | hire and | salary,| not revenge.
           ,        ,        ,         ,         ,
      He took | my fath|er gross|ly, full | of bread,
        ,     2         T     T     T          ,         ,
      With all his | crimes broad blown,| as flush | as May,
       ,     2       ,         ,            T      T    Tx
      And how his | audit | stands, who | knows, save heaven:
           ,        ,        ,            ,           ,
      But in | our cir|cumstance | and course | of thought
            ,       ,          ,      2    ,         ,
      'Tis hea|vy with | him: and | am I then | revenged,
           ,         ,         ,       ,         ,
      To take | him in | the purg|ing of | his soul,
        ,    2      ,         ,            2     ,         ,
      When he is | fit and | seasoned | for his pas|sage? No.
       T   T     .    T      T  .   T   T        ,
      Up sword, and^know | thou a more hor|rid hent
            ,        ,        ,         ,         ,
      When he | is drunk | asleep:| or in | his rage,
          ,      2   ,    2     ,        ,        ,
      Or in | the incest|uous pleas|ure of | his bed,
          ,         ,         ,      ,          ,
      At gam|ing, swear|ing, or | about | some act
            ,        ,       ,       ,        x
      That has | no rel|ish of | salva|tion in it,
             ,           ,          ,           ,          x
      Then trip | him, that | his heels | may kick | at heaven,
            ,          ,         ,         ,           ,
      And that | his soul | may be | as damned | and black
           ,          ,        ,        ,        ,
      As hell,| whereto | it goes.| My moth|er stays,
            ,       ,         ,           ,       ,
      This phy|sic but | prolongs | thy sick|ly days.
 
[Exit]
 
CLAUDIUS
           ,          ,          ,          ,       ,
      My words | fly up,| my thoughts | remain | below,
        ,                ,       ,          ,       ,
      Words with|out thoughts,| never | to heav|en go.
 
[Exit]

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