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Hamlet

Act IV, Scene 4

A plain in Denmark.
 
[Enter FORTINBRAS, a Captain, and Soldiers, marching
 
FORTINBRAS
           ,                ,   ,          ,        ,
      Go* cap|tain, from / me greet | the Dan|ish king,
        ,              ,        ,          ,      ,
      Tell him | that by | his lic|ense, Fort|inbras
         ,             ,        ,      ,          ,
      Craves the | convey|ance of | a prom|ised march
      ,   2        ,             ,          ,      ,
      Over his | kingdom.| You know | the rend|ezvous:
           ,         ,    ,            ,           ,
      If that | his maj|esty | would aught | with us,
           ,         ,          ,     ,        ,
      We shall | express | our du|ty in | his eye,
           ,          ,
      And let | him know | so.
 
CAPTAIN
                               ,          x          ,
                               I | will do it,| my lord.
 
FORTINBRAS
           ,      ,
      Go safe|ly on.  \\
 
[Exeunt FORTINBRAS and Soldiers.  Enter HAMLET, ROSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, and others]
 
[[[[HAMLET
            ,             x           ,
      Good sir,| whose powers | are these?
 
CAPTAIN
        ,            ,        ,
      They are | of Nor|way, sir.  (tri with prev)
 
HAMLET
           ,         ,        ,         o
      How pur|posed sir,| I pray | you?
 
CAPTAIN
          ,            ,        ,      o
      Against | some part | of Po|land.   (tetra with prev)
 
HAMLET
       ,        ,           ,
      Who com|mands them | sir?  \\
 
CAPTAIN
           ,             ,   ,        ,       ,
      The neph|ews to / old Nor|way, Fort|inbras.
 
HAMLET
        ,           ,           ,        ,       ,
      Goes it | against | the main | of Pol|and sir,
        2      ,      ,
      Or for some | frontier?   \\
 
CAPTAIN
       ,           ,      ,          ,     ,
      Truly | to speak,| and with | no ad|dition,
          ,        ,       ,        ,           ,
      We go | to gain | a lit|tle patch | of ground
             ,        ,       ,       ,          ,
      That hath | in it | no prof|it but | the name.
       .  T    T   T         ,    ,      2        ,
      To pay five duc|ats, five,| I would not | farm it;
       ,              ,         ,       ,         ,
      Nor will | it yield | to Nor|way or | the Pole
          ,       ,       ,             ,        ,
      A rank|er rate,| should it | be sold | in fee.
 
HAMLET
             ,         ,       ,        ,          x
      Why* then | the Pol|ack^never | will | defend it.
 
CAPTAIN
       ,        ,      ,      ,      ,
      Yes,| it is | alrea|dy gar|risoned.
 
HAMLET
            ,         ,           ,       ,        ,      2->
      Two thous|and souls | and twen|ty thous|and duc||ats
            ,        ,         ,         ,          ,
      Will not | debate | the ques|tion of | this^straw:
        ,          2    ,    ,         T     T    .    T
      This is | the impost|hume of | much wealth and peace,
            ,         ,           ,           ,          ,
      That in|ward breaks,| and shows | no* cause | without
                 ,    ,       ,        ,           ,
      Why the / man dies.| I hum|bly thank | you, sir.
 
CAPTAIN
         2     ,          ,
      God be with | you, sir.
 
[Exit]
 
ROSENCRANTZ
                                     ,          ,        ,
                             Wilt please | you go,| my lord?
 
[Exeunt all except HAMLET]
 
HAMLET
        ,         ,            T     T .   Tx         ,
      I'll be | with you | straight go a little | before.
           ,       ,   ,     2     ,       ,
      How all | occa|sions do in|form a|gainst me,
            ,         ,        ,       ,          ,
      And spur | my dull | revenge.| What is | a man,
                 ,     ,         ,       ,         ,
      If his / chief good | and mark|et of | his time
          ,         ,           ,        ,          ,
      Be but | to sleep | and feed?| A beast,| no more.
        ,              ,                ,    ,           ,
      Sure he | that made | us with / such large | discourse,
        ,           ,         ,        ,        ,
      Looking | before | and aft|er, gave | us not
            ,    ,    ,    .   T    T    Tx
      That cap|abil|ity | and god-like reason
           ,        ,       ,          ,     2    ,
      To fust | in us | unused.| Now wheth|er it be
       ,  2        ,  2     ,         ,        ,      2->
      Bestial | obliv|ion, or | some crav|en scrup||le
           ,        ,         ,      ,      2  ,
      Of think|ing too | precise|ly on | the event,
           ,              ,          ,     .   T    T   T      2->
      A thought | which quart|ered hath | but one part wis||dom
           ,      T     T    T       ,     2      ,
      And ere | three parts cow|ard. I | do not^know  ??
           ,        ,        ,           ,           ,
      Why yet | I live | to say | this thing's | to do,
            ,          ,           ,            ,            ,
      Since I | have cause | and will | and strength | and means
           x        ,        ,          ,        ,         ->
      To do it.| Examp|les gross | as earth | exhort || me:
       ,         ,     ,  2       T    T   .    T
      Wit|ness this | army of | such mass and charge
       ,          ,     ,         ,         ,
      Led by | a del|icate | and tend|er prince,
             ,        ,        ,       ,         ,
      Whose spir|it with | divine | ambi|tion puffed
        ,      ,                 ,    ,       ,
      Makes mouths / at the | invi|sible | event,
         ,        ,        ,             ,  ,
      Expos|ing what | is mort|al and / unsure
          ,          ,          ,          ,        ,
      To all | that for|tune, death,| and dang|er dare,
      ,                ,    ,       ,         2     ,
      Even | for an / egg-shell.| Rightly | to be great
          ,         ,         ,      ,    ,
      Is not | to stir | without | great arg/ument,
            ,             ,    ,       ,       ,
      But great|ly to / find quar|rel in | a straw
            ,        ,         ,           ,         ,
      When hon|or's at | the stake.| How stand | I then,
             ,        ,        ,         ,        ,
      That have | a fath|er killed,| a moth|er stained,
          ,         ,       ,       ,         ,
      Excite|ments of | my reas|on and | my blood,
       .   T   T    T             ,        ,        ,
      And let all sleep?| While* to | my shame,| I see
           ,   2      ,          ,       ,        ,
      The im|minent death | of twen|ty thous|and men,
        ,            ,    ,         ,          ,
      That for | a fant|asy | and trick | of fame,
       ,   2           T     T    T      ,             ,
      Go to their | graves like beds,| fight for | a plot
            ,        ,        ,       ,          ,
      Whereon | the num|bers can|not try | the cause,
                  ,    ,       ,           ,     ,
      Which is / not tomb | enough | and cont|inent
           ,          ,     ,          T    T    T
      To hide | the slain?| O from | this time forth,
             ,           ,       ,       ,         ,
      My thoughts | be blood|y, or | be noth|ing worth.
 
[Exit]]]]]

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