Hamlet

Translated by Asa Montreaux

⟨ACT 1⟩

⟨Scene 1⟩

Enter Barnardo and Francisco, two sentinels.

BARNARDO  Who’s there?
FRANCISCO 
 Answer me, now. Stand and disarm yourself.
BARNARDO  Long live the King!
FRANCISCO  Barnardo?
BARNARDO  He.
FRANCISCO 
 You have snuck up upon me. 
BARNARDO 
 It is now struck twelve. You should be in bed, Francisco.
FRANCISCO 
 For that, I thank you. It is bitter cold,
 And I am sick at heart.
BARNARDO  Has it been a quiet watch?
FRANCISCO  Not a mouse is stirring.
BARNARDO  Well, good night.
 If you do see Horatio and Marcellus,
 The only ones awake, tell them to hurry it up.

Enter Horatio and Marcellus.

FRANCISCO 
I think I hear them.—Hey! Who is there?
HORATIO  Friends to these grounds.

MARCELLUS  And fellow Danes.
FRANCISCO  Good night to you.
MARCELLUS 
 Farewell, my friend. Who has relieved
you?
FRANCISCO 
 Barnardo has taken my place. Good night to you.
Francisco exits.
MARCELLUS  Hello, Barnardo.
BARNARDO  What is going on? Is Horatio there?
HORATIO  He’s coming.
BARNARDO 
Welcome, Horatio. Welcome, good Marcellus.
HORATIO 
 What, has the thing appeared again tonight?
BARNARDO  I have seen nothing.
MARCELLUS 
 Horatio says it was but our imagination.
 And will not let himself believe it.
30 We have seen the dreaded sight twice now.
 So I have brought him along
 With us, to watch through the night,
 So if this, -- apparition comes again,
 He may prove our eyes right, and speak to it.
HORATIO 
35 Tush, tush. It will not appear.
BARNARDO   Sit down for a while,
 And let us once again try to prove to you,
 That our story you refuse to believe,
 Is true. We have seen it twice.
HORATIO  40 Well, we’ll sit down,
 And let’s hear Barnardo tell us the story.
BARNARDO  Last night,
 When the star next to the North star,
 Had made its course to brighten that part of the skies,
45 Where the North Star burns now, it was Marcellus and myself,
 at one—

p. 11

Enter Ghost.

MARCELLUS 
 Oh my god! Stop talking. Look, it is here again!
BARNARDO 
 It has the same appearance of the King, that’s dead.
MARCELLUS, ⌜to Horatio⌝ 
 You are a scholar. Speak to it, Horatio.
BARNARDO 
50 It looks like the King? Don’t you think, Horatio?
HORATIO 
 Exactly alike. It torments me with fear and awe.
BARNARDO 
 It wants to talk.
MARCELLUS   Ask a question, Horatio.
HORATIO 
 Who, what, are you? You disturb the night,
55 In the robes which the dead King
 of Denmark
 Had sometimes marched. Good god. I order you, explain.
MARCELLUS 
 It is offended.
BARNARDO  60 See, it walks away.
HORATIO 
 Don’t leave! speak! speak! I order you, speak!
Ghost exits.
MARCELLUS  It is gone now.
BARNARDO 
 Are you okay, Horatio? You are trembling, and you look pale.
 Don’t you think this is real?
65 What do you think?
HORATIO 
 Oh my God. I would not have believed this,
 without seeing it with the clear sight 
 Of my own eyes.

p. 13

MARCELLUS   It looks just like King, right?
HORATIO  70 As much as you look like yourself.
 It was the same armor he had on
 When he led us against Norway.
 It… he frowned as he once when had, as he fought the Poles.
75 It’s weird.
MARCELLUS 
 It's happened twice before. Right at this time of night.
 Like a general, he has walked stoutly past us.
HORATIO 
 I don’t know how,
 But in my opinion, as far as I can tell,
80 It means something fuckin’ strange is going on – with our nation.
MARCELLUS 
 Alright, tell me, my wise friend,
 Why we have been having such a strict schedule of night watches,
 And why the shipbuilders are working away,

Even on the weekends.
What is coming, that forces us all to work the night just as the day?

HORATIO   I can explain it.
The rumour, anyways, is that our last king,
 Whose ghost just graced us,
 Has offended the pride of

 Fortinbras of Norway,
 Then Fortinbras challenged him, to combat.

They fought. Our valiant Hamlet,
 Killed Fortinbras. And by a sealed agreement,
 and a lawful one,
100 He gave up, with his life, all his land.

p. 15

 This was weighed against the value of all our land, which would have passed to Fortinbras, had the result been different.

Now, Fortinbras’ son,
 Naïve but daring,
 has in various outskirts of Norway 
110 Built up a band of lawless fighters.
 For some compensation in meals, and not much else,

They are willing to help him recover the lands his

Father had lost.
And this, I take it,
 Is the main reasons for the preparations.
 And the reason for our watch. It is the main reason

 For all the extra activity in the land.
BARNARDO 
120 That must be right. This ghost comes to haunt us now. And he was the most important figure of this coming war. 
HORATIO 
 The ghost is cause for concern.
125 In Rome, right before the mighty Caesar was murdered,

Ghosts roamed about the Roman streets;
 As shooting stars traced the skyline,

Blood was everywhere, and the moon’s eclipse.

Foretold horrible disaster.
 Warnings have come like this in the past, omens of dreaded

Events that will follow.

p. 17

p. 19

165 that the rooster, the trumpet of the morning,
 awakes the god of day. And at his warning,
 Whether in sea or fire, in earth or air,
 the wandering spirit return
170 To their hiding places. And this has been proof of that.
MARCELLUS 
 It faded away, when the rooster crowed.
 Some say that right before
 Christmas,
175 it crows all night long;
 And then, they say, no ghost dares come about,
 The nights are wholesome; and no dark fate can harm us,
 And no fairy takes hold of us, nor witch controls us with charms,
 Yes, Christmas is a blessed time.
HORATIO 
180  I heard that, and believe it a little.
 But look, the red glow of the morning
 is rising above that eastern hill.
 Let’s end this night watch, and let’s make a point,

To tell Hamlet what we’ve seen; as I’d bet my life,

That his ghost that will not speak to us, will speak to him.
 Do you think we should tell him as well?
MARCELLUS 
 Let’s do it. I know we’re we can find him in the morning.
They exit.

p. 21

⟨Scene 2⟩

Flourish. Enter Claudius, King of Denmark, Gertrude the
Queen, ⌜the⌝ Council, as Polonius, and his son Laertes,
Hamlet, with others, ⌜among them Voltemand and
Cornelius.⌝

KING 
 Although  my dear brother Hamlet’s death
 is still fresh in our memory, and we should be grieving in our hearts, 

Life marches on.
5 So while we must remember him, we must remember the happiness of ourselves.
 And thus, I have married my former sister-in-law.
 She inherited some rule of this nation, and she is now my Queen.
10 Now, with equal happiness and sadness, I know I have

Done what you all have advised me to from thee start.

To all of you, our thanks.
 Now, on to the news. Young Fortinbras,
 thinks we are weak now, or perhaps that
 my late dear brother’s death
20 causes us to be in some dismay or chaos,
 Continues to annoy me with the demand we surrender the lands

That his father lost. That is the news concerning Fortinbras.
25 
 Now, here I have a letter I wrote, to the King
 of Norway, the uncle of Fortinbras.

He is weak and bedridden and unaware. I have asked him to stop Fortinbras plans, as all the troops are Norwegian.

p. 23

30  Cornelius, Voltemand,
35 You will bring these letters to the old Norwegian King,

[He gives them the letter]

I instruct you to carry the letter, but give you no authority to negotiate further.
⌜Giving them a paper.⌝
 Farewell, and please be hasty, for your country.
CORNELIUS/VOLTEMAND 
40 In that way and all others we will show our duty.
KING 
 We don’t doubt it. All the best. Farewell.
⟨Voltemand and Cornelius exit.⟩
 And now, Laertes, what news do you have?
 You had mentioned a favor. What is it, Laertes?
 You cannot speak reasonably to the Danish King
45 And lose your voice. What could I possibly deny?
 The head is not more vital to the heart,
 The hand more important to the mouth,
50 Than your father to the Danish throne.
 What would you like, Laertes?
LAERTES   My Lord,
 I would like your permission, to return to France,
 Although  I came willingly to Denmark
55 for your coronation,
 I must confess, that the duty done,
 My thoughts and wishes bend again towards France.
 I beg for your permission to leave, my Lord.
KING 
 Has your father said yes? And Polonius?

p. 25

POLONIUS 
60 My lord, he has asked me time and time again.

KING 

 Then you may leave when you like, Laertes. Your time is

yours, to spend as you will.
65 —
 But Hamlet, my nephew and, my son—
HAMLET, ⌜aside⌝ 
 Now a little more than relations but without more kindness.
KING 
 Why are you upset now?
HAMLET 
 I am not, my lord; it’s just a moment.
QUEEN 
70 Dear Hamlet, take off those black clothes,
 And try to treat like friend the King of Denmark.
 Do not forever 
 Seek your noble father out there.
 You know it is common; all that lives must die,
75 Passing from earth to eternity.
HAMLET 
 Yes, madam, it is common.
QUEEN   If you agree,
 Why is it such an issue with you?
HAMLET 
 “Seems,” madam? No, there is only, is. I don’t know a “seems.”
80 It is not only my black outfits, good mother,
 Nor is it the wind of my sighs,
 No, nor is it my river of tears,
 Nor is it the dejected demeanor of my face,
85 Together, all these forms, moods, and shapes of grief,
 create a display. These indeed “seem,”
 As they could be even the wardrobe from a play;

p. 27

 But I have within me feeling,
 That these only show some of.
KING 
90 It is commendable,
 Hamlet,
 To mourn for your father.
 But you must know your father lost a father,
 That father lost, he lost his, and each son has
95 an obligation to mourn for a certain term.
 But to persevere,
 In an obstinate manner is a course
 Of unuseful stubbornness. It is unmanly.
 It shows a will not in line to heaven’s will,
100 A heart that is weak, a mind impatient,
 And an understanding that is simple and unschooled.
 Because what we know must happen, and it is as common
 As absolutely anything,
 Why should we fight it? That is in actuality

 A crime against the dead, and against nature. 

It doesn’t sound reasonable, as a common theme of
Life is the death of fathers,
 From the first corpse until he that died today,
110 They all would say, It must be so.

 I beg of you, put to rest
 This ceaseless woe, and think of me
 As of a father, and let the world take note,
 You are the most immediate to our throne,
 And I hold no less love,
115 Than that which a dearest father has for his son
 So your intent
 to go back to school in Wittenberg,
 Is completely not what we want,
 And we beg of you, please give in and
120 Remain here and give us cheer and comfort,
 Our highest courtier, my nephew, and our son.

p. 29

QUEEN 
 Please don’t let your mother’s prayers be in vain, Hamlet.
 I beg you, stay with us. Don’t go to Wittenberg.
HAMLET 
 I shall, as best I can, obey you, madam.
KING 
125 What a loving and proper reply.
 Stay with us, in Denmark.[To GERTRUDE]—Madam, come.
 The gentle mood and willing agreement of Hamlet
 Makes my heart smile, and to honor that,
 No toast in Denmark today
130 Will be less loud than a cannon shot to the clouds,
 And our mirth will make the heaven
 shake like thunder. Come away.
Flourish of Trumpets. All but Hamlet exit.
HAMLET 
 Oh, that my soiled flesh would melt,
 Thaw, and dissolve into a dew,
135 Or if the All Mighty had not forbid
 The act of taking one’s life. O God, God,
 How weary, stale, flat, and worthless
 All the aspects of this world!
 To hell with it! It is but a garden with weeds,
140 overgrown. It is covered in nasty, intertwined vines.

 That it should come to this:
 Only two months since he died—well, not even two.
 He was such an excellent king, there was
 No equal anywhere; and he was so loving to my mother
145 That he would not permit the winds 
 to perturb her face too much. Heaven, God,
 Must I remember? Why, she would hang on him
 More in time as if her love had only
 Grown. And yet, within a month
150 (No don’t think about it; how incapable of

being alone are women!),
that quickly she moved from one man to the next,
 As if she had not even taken off the shoes she wore at

The funeral yet.

p. 31

 She was still in tears as she…
 (Oh God, a beast without thoughts
155 Would have mourned longer!) married with my
 uncle,
 My father’s brother. Though hs is no more

 like my father than I am like Hercules. 

Within a month,
 before the salty tears had cleared from
160 Her red sobbing eyes,
 She remarried. Oh, what a terrible omen,
 To jump so quickly into an incestuous entanglment!
 It is not good, nor can that fact change.
 But my dear heart must break in silence,

 As I must hold my tongue.

Enter Horatio, Marcellus, and Barnardo.

HORATIO  165 Pleasant greeting, my Lord.
HAMLET  I am glad to see looking well.
 Horatio—or am I mistaken!
HORATIO 
 It is me, my lord, your servant eternally.
HAMLET 
 Sir, you are my friend. I want you to drop that name.
170 Why aren’t you in Wittenberg, Horatio?—
 And… Marcellus?
MARCELLUS  My good lord.
HAMLET 
 I am very glad to see you. ⌜To Barnardo.⌝ Good
 evening, sir.—
175 But what, tell me, bring you here from Wittenberg?
HORATIO 
 A disposition for leaving, my good my lord.
HAMLET 
 Your enemies would not say that about you,
 And I won’t let you say that to me.
 I trust your loyalty,
180 I know you are no deserter.
 But what is your business in Elsinore?
 We’ll teach you to drink and drink before you leave here.

p. 33

HORATIO 
 My lord, I came to be at your father’s funeral.
HAMLET 
 Please, do not mock me, my fellow.
185 I think it was to see my mother’s wedding.
HORATIO 
 Well, my lord, it was right after.
HAMLET 
 Thriftiness, Horatio. The funerals baked meats
 were leftover  and filled the marriage tables.
 I wish I had met my worst enemy in heaven
190 Before I had seen that day, Horatio!
 …My father—I think, I see my father!
HORATIO 
 Where, my lord?
HAMLET   In my mind’s eye, Horatio.
HORATIO 
 I saw him once. He was still a noble king.
HAMLET 
195 He was a great man. In every way,
 No one was his equal, and I’ll never see someone

Be his equal.
HORATIO 
 My lord, I think I saw him last night.
HAMLET  Saw who?
HORATIO 
 My lord, the King… your father.
HAMLET  200 The King… my father?
HORATIO 
 Temper your excitment for a moment
 And listen, while I tell you,
 What all of us saw,
 This astonishing thing.
HAMLET  205 For God’s sake, tell me about it!
HORATIO 
 Two nights in a row these gentlemen,
 Marcellus and Barnardo, on their watch,

p. 35

 In the dead quiet and the middle of the night,
 Had been approached by: a figure like your father,
210 dressed in full armor, head to toe.
 He appeared before them, and marched solemnly, 
 slowly, and seriously, past them. He walked
 By them, scared and speechless,
 Within his staff’s distance, and they dissolved
215 Almost into jelly with the fear,
 Stunned and speechless. They related this
 all to me, making me swear to secrecy.
 So I stood with them on the third night keeping watch,
 As they predicted, he appeared, marching by,
220 Looking like they said – everything matched up.
 I knew your father; He was the twin of your father, like

My left hand is my right’s twin.
HAMLET   But where did this occur?
MARCELLUS 
 My lord, on the platform where we stand guard.
HAMLET 
225 Did you speak to it at all?
HORATIO   My lord, I did,
 But it didn’t respond. Though once I thought
 It lifted its head in order to speak,
230 But just then, the morning cock sounded loudly,
 And at the sound he ran away hastily,
 And he vanished from our sight.
HAMLET   Well, that is very strange.
HORATIO 
 I swear it’s true, my honored lord, completely true.
235 And we thought it was part of protocol
 To let you know about it.
HAMLET  Indeed, it is, but this troubles me.
 Do you have guard shift tonight?
ALL   We do, my lord.
HAMLET 
240 It was armed, you said?

p. 37

ALL   Armed, my lord.
HAMLET   From head to toe?
ALL  My lord, from head to foot.
HAMLET  Then you had not his face?
HORATIO 
245 Oh, yes, my lord, he wore his visor up.
HAMLET  Did he look upset?
HORATIO 
 He looked more sorrowfull than angry.
HAMLET  Was he pale or red in the face?
HORATIO 
 Oh no, very pale.
HAMLET  250 And he looked right at you with his gaze?
HORATIO 
 The entire time.
HAMLET   I wish I’d been there.
HORATIO  It would have amazed you.
HAMLET  I agree. Did it stay a long time?
HORATIO 
255 I would say about one hundred seconds,

If I counted.
BARNARDO/MARCELLUS  No, it was definitely longer.
HORATIO 
 Not when I was there.
HAMLET   His beard was gray, was it?
HORATIO 
260 It was just like when he was alive,
 Brown with streaks of silver.
HAMLET   I will stand guard with you tonight.
 Maybe it will walk by again.
HORATIO   I expect it will.
HAMLET 
265 If it appears to be my noble father himself,
 I’ll speak to it, even if hell itself opens wide
 And commands me to be quiet. I ask of you all,
 If you have so far kept this a secret,

p. 39

 Let it remain a secret, and hold your silence;
270 And whatever happens tonight,
 Think about it, of course, but do not say anything.
 I will not say a thing obviously. So farewell.
 When you’re on the platform, between eleven and twelve,
 I’ll join you.
ALL  275 Obliged, your Honor.
HAMLET 
 No, you are... my friend. Farewell.
 All but Hamlet exit.
 My father’s ghost—in armour! All is not well.
 I suspect some foul play. I wish the nightwatch