Enter a LORD.
LORD My lord, his majesty commended him to you by young Osric, who brings back to him that you attend him in the hall. He sends to know if your pleasure hold to play with Laertes, or that you will take longer time.
HAMLET I am constant to my purposes. They follow the King’s pleasure. If his fitness speaks, mine is ready. Now or whensoever, provided I be so able as now.
LORD The King and Queen and all are coming down.
HAMLET In happy time.
LORD The Queen desires you to use some gentle entertainment to Laertes before you fall to play.
HAMLET She well instructs me.
[Exit Lord.] (5.2.175-186)
A random lord! It’s an easy cut, actually, or a tweak so that Osric himself comes back to deliver most of this—although it’s a nice picture, Osric utterly refusing to go back to be mocked again and not entirely sure where things ended up, so baffling some of Hamlet’s responses were. What’s emphasised, though, is that Claudius is taking no chances; he wants this apparent fencing match to go forward as soon as possible, so this is a recap by a far more straightforward, no nonsense court functionary: my lord, his majesty commended him to you by young Osric, who brings back to him that you attend him in the hall—he sent you his greetings, and I gather that you said you’d make yourself available here in the hall? Yes? Good, we’re agreed on that at least. He sends to know if your pleasure hold to play with Laertes, or that you will take longer time: so, you’re still intending to go ahead with this fencing match, the wager with Laertes? do you want more time? no? yes? I am constant to my purposes—and there can be a bitter, rueful glance at Horatio; Hamlet’s banged on and on about his purposes, what he really needs to get on and do, what he fully intends to do, as soon as possible, and he’s never quite managed it, has he? This, however, this he can put into action. And my purposes, he adds, they follow the King’s pleasure; I’ll do what I’m told! Absolutely! I will obey… and if his fitness speaks—if this all suits the King—then mine is ready. I’m up for it, right here, right now. Now or whensoever, provided I be so able as now. Anytime, pretty much, if I can? Hamlet’s response might well have been irrelevant, because the King and Queen and all are coming downalready. In happy time, notes Hamlet, wryly—he knew this would happen—well, isn’t that fortunate? Great! Horatio’s getting worried, even more suspicious; something’s going on, but he can’t quite put his finger on it? Oh, one more thing, from this anonymous lord: the Queen desires you to use some gentle entertainment to Laertes before you fall to play. Message from your mother: be nice, OK? You behaved appallingly just now, an apology’s in order, really, but some courtesies, at least, before you get underway? She well instructs me: thanks, mum, keeping me in line—but also, yes, I know, bit embarrassed now, and I was planning to do that anyway.
Some of this talk is allowing for a procession to form up, perhaps, for Osric to have the foils ready to carry on, chairs ready to be brought on for Claudius and Gertrude, even. But it’s also increasing the tension through delay; this is clearly going to be the play’s catastrophe but it’s not yet obvious how things are going to play out, why it’s all being set up so carefully. Both Horatio and Hamlet can be suspicious, but that suspicion is as yet unfocused.
