CLAUDIUS I entreat you both
That, being of so young days brought up with him
And sith so neighboured to his youth and haviour,
That you vouchsafe your rest here in our Court
Some little time, so by your companies
To draw him on to pleasures and to gather
So much as from occasion you may glean,
Whether aught to us unknown afflicts him thus
That opened lies within our remedy. (2.2.10-18)
This is the deal, therefore (and there can be a disconcerting sense that Guildenstern and Rosencrantz have no idea why they’re there, perhaps even that they’ve been brought under heavy persuasion if not duress. Alternatively, it’s an unexpected jolly for a couple of naïve chancers, unexpected midterm trip back to Denmark, cool). Look, you’ve known Hamlet a long time, says Claudius, and so I entreat you both, that being of so young days brought up with him—boyhood friends, all of that—and sith so neighboured to his youth and haviour; you know him well, you’re accustomed to his quirks, his moods; you know what he’s like! so I’m asking that you’ll agree to stay here for a while, vouchsafe your rest here in our Court some little time—so smooth, so polite—so by your companies to draw him on to pleasures: you can keep him company, cheer him up, distract him! Reassuring glance from R to G, or vice versa, this is fine, they might almost relax a bit? babysitting our old mate, holiday on expenses. Oh. There’s more. (So smooth.) And to gather so much as from occasion you may glean—just keep your eyes and ears open, pick up whatever you can, by chance, along the way—whether aught to us unknown afflicts him thus that opened lies within our remedy. I want to know what’s going on, why Hamlet’s acting like this—purely so that I can do something about it, always assuming it’s in my power to do so! (The silky shift into the first-person plural is telling: this isn’t a concerned uncle/stepfather’s request, this is an order from the king.) I just want to help Hamlet, obviously. But you are here to find out what’s the matter, and to report to me.