Faculty of English

POLONIUS                  That hath made him mad. I am sorry that with better heed and judgement I had not quoted him. I feared he did but trifle And meant to wrack thee – but beshrew my jealousy – By heaven it is as proper to our age To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions As it is common for the younger sort To lack discretion. Come, go we to the King: This must be known which, […]

POLONIUS      Come, go with me: I will go seek the King. This is the very ecstasy of love, Whose violent property fordoes itself And leads the will to desperate undertakings As oft as any passions under heaven That does afflict our natures. I am sorry – What, have you given him any hard words of late? OPHELIA        No, my good lord, but as […]

OPHELIA                    Long stayed he so; At last, a little shaking of mine arm And thrice his head thus waving up and down, He raised a sigh so piteous and profound As it did seem to shatter all his bulk And end his being. That done, he lets me go And with his head over his shoulder turned He seemed to find […]

POLONIUS      Mad for thy love? OPHELIA                    My lord, I do not know, But truly I do fear it. POLONIUS                  What said he? OPHELIA        He took me by the wrist and held me hard, Then goes he to the length of all his arm And with his other hand thus o’er his brow He falls to such perusal of my face […]

Enter OPHELIA. POLONIUS                  How now, Ophelia, what’s the matter? OPHELIA        O my lord, my lord, I have been so affrighted. POLONIUS      With what, i’th’ name of God? OPHELIA        My lord, as I was sewing in my closet Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced, No hat upon his head, his stockings fouled, Ungartered and down-gyved to his ankle, Pale as his shirt, his knees knocking each other, […]

POLONIUS                  See you now Your bait of falsehood take this carp of truth, And thus do we of wisdom and of reach, With windlasses and with assays of bias, By indirections find directions out: So by my former lecture and advice Shall you my son. You have me, have you not? REYNALDO    My lord, I have. POLONIUS                              God buy ye, fare ye well. REYNALDO    Good my […]

POLONIUS      And then, sir, does ’a this, ’a does – What was I about to say? By the mass, I was about to say something! Where did I leave? REYNALDO    At ‘closes in the consequence’. POLONIUS      At ‘closes in the consequence’, ay, marry. He closes thus: ‘I know the gentleman, I saw him yesterday, or th’other day, Or then, or then, with such or such, and as you […]

POLONIUS                  Marry, sir, here’s my drift – And I believe it is a fetch of wit – You laying these slight sallies on my son As ’twere a thing a little soiled with working, Mark you, your party in converse (him you would sound) Having ever seen in the prenominate crimes The youth you breathe of guilty, be assured He closes with you in this consequence: ‘Good sir’ (or so), […]

REYNALDO    My lord, that would dishonour him. POLONIUS      Faith, as you may season it in the charge. You must not put another scandal on him That he is open to incontinency – That’s not my meaning – but breathe his faults so quaintly That they may seem the taints of liberty, The flash and outbreak of a fiery mind, […]

POLONIUS      ‘And in part him, but’, you may say, ‘not well. But if’t be he I mean he’s very wild, Addicted so and so’, and there put on him What forgeries you please. Marry, none so rank As may dishonour him – take heed of that – But, sir, such wanton, wild and usual slips As are companions noted and most known […]