Hamlet: Act 2, Scene 1
Enter old POLONIUS with his
man [REYNALDO].
"Give him this money and
these notes, Reynaldo"
POLONIUS
1 Give him this money and these notes, Reynaldo.
REYNALDO
2 I will, my lord.
POLONIUS
3 You shall do marvel's wisely, good Reynaldo,
3. marvel's: marvellously.
4 Before you visit him, to make inquire
5 Of his behavior.
4-5. make inquire / Of his behavior: make inquiries about his behavior.
REYNALDO
My lord, I did intend it.
POLONIUS
6 Marry, well said; very well said. Look you, sir,
7 Inquire me first what Danskers are in Paris;
7. Inquire me first: first, for me, inquire. Danskers: Danes.
8 And how, and who, what means, and where they keep,
9 What company, at what expense; and finding
8-9. And how . . . expense: and how they came to Paris, who they are, their sources of income, where they stay, what company they keep, and how much money they spend.
10 By this encompassment and drift of question
11 That they do know my son, come you more nearer
12 Than your particular demands will touch it:
9-12. and finding . . . touch it: i.e., this roundabout method will be more effective than direct questions.
13 Take you, as 'twere, some distant knowledge of him;
13. Take you, as 'twere, some distant knowledge of him: i.e., pretend that you know him only in a distant way.
14 As thus, "I know his father and his friends,
15 And in part him." Do you mark this, Reynaldo?
15. Do you mark this, Reynaldo?: are you paying attention to what I am saying, Reynaldo?
REYNALDO
16 Ay, very well, my lord.
POLONIUS
17 "And in part him—but," you may say "not well.
18 But, if't be he I mean, he's very wild;
19 Addicted so and so," and there put on him
19. put on him: impute to him.
20 What forgeries you please; marry, none so rank
20. forgeries: invented charges.
21 As may dishonor him; take heed of that;
22 But, sir, such wanton, wild and usual slips
22. wanton: sportive, careless.
23 As are companions noted and most known
24 To youth and liberty.
REYNALDO
As gaming, my lord.
24. gaming: gambling.
POLONIUS
25 Ay, or drinking, fencing, swearing, quarrelling,
26 Drabbing: you may go so far.
26. Drabbing: hanging out with whores.
REYNALDO
27 My lord, that would dishonor him.
POLONIUS
28. 'Faith: in faith; truly. season: temper, soften.
28 'Faith, no; as you may season it in the charge.
29 You must not put another scandal on him,
30 That he is open to incontinency;
30. is . . . incontinency: is willing to have sex with whoever.
31 That's not my meaning: but breathe his faults so quaintly
31. quaintly: delicately, artfully.
32 That they may seem the taints of liberty,
32. taints of liberty: minor faults resulting from being at liberty, away from home.
33 The flash and outbreak of a fiery mind,
34 A savageness in unreclaimed blood,
34. savageness: wildness. unreclaimed: untamed.
35 Of general assault.
35. Of general assault: i.e., to which young men are generally subject.
REYNALDO
But, my good lord—
POLONIUS
36 Wherefore should you do this?
REYNALDO
Ay, my lord,
37 I would know that.
POLONIUS
Marry, sir, here's my drift;
38 And I believe, it is a fetch of wit:
38. fetch of wit: ingenious trick.
39 You laying these slight sullies on my son,
39. sullies: blemishes.
40 As 'twere a thing a little soil'd i' the working,
40. a thing a little soil'd i' the working: i.e., something that got a smudge or two as it was being made.
41 Mark you,
42 Your party in converse, him you would sound,
43 Having ever seen in the prenominate crimes
44 The youth you breathe of guilty, be assured
43-44. Having . . . guilty: if he has ever seen the youth you mention [Laertes] to be guilty of the aforementioned faults.
45 He closes with you in this consequence;
45. closes . . . consequence: falls in with you as follows.
46 "Good sir," or so, or "friend," or "gentleman,"
47 According to the phrase or the addition
48 Of man and country.
47-48. According to the phrase or the addition / Of man and country: according to the usual form of address and title appropriate to the man and the country he comes from.
REYNALDO
Very good, my lord.
POLONIUS
49 And then, sir, does he this—he does—what was
49 I about to say?
50 By the mass, I was about to say something.
Oliver Ford Davies as Polonius
--Hamlet (TV Movie 2009)--
51 Where did I leave?
REYNALDO
At "closes in the consequence."
POLONIUS
52 At "closes in the consequence," ay, marry;
53 He closes thus: "I know the gentleman;
54 I saw him yesterday, or t' other day,
55 Or then, or then; with such, or such; and, as you say,
56 There was a' gaming; there o'ertook in's rouse;
56. o'ertook in's rouse: overcome by drink.
57 There falling out at tennis:" or perchance,
57. falling out at tennis: quarreling over a game of tennis.
58 "I saw him enter such a house of sale,"
59 Videlicet, a brothel, or so forth. See you now;
59. Videlicet: namely. (Latin.)
60 Your bait of falsehood takes this carp of truth:
60. carp: i.e., fish.
61 And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,
61. reach: capacity, understanding.
62 With windlasses and with assays of bias,
62. windlasses: i.e., slow, subtle methods. ...more
63 By indirections find directions out:
63. directions: the way things are going; i.e., the truth.
64 So by my former lecture and advice,
65 Shall you my son. You have me, have you not?
65. have me: understand me.
REYNALDO
66 My lord, I have.
POLONIUS
God buy you; fare ye well.
66. God buy ye: good-bye. "God buy ye" is a contraction of "God be with you."
REYNALDO
67 Good my lord!
POLONIUS
68 Observe his inclination in yourself.
68. in yourself: for yourself. Polonius wants Reynaldo to make his own observations, as well as asking Laertes' acquaintances about him.
REYNALDO
69 I shall, my lord.
POLONIUS
70 And let him ply his music.
70. let him ply his music: see that he continues to apply himself to his study of music.
REYNALDO
Well, my lord.
Well: i.e., all is well; I understand and will follow your instructions.
POLONIUS
71 Farewell!
"O, my lord, my lord, I have been so affrighted!"
Exit Reynaldo.
Enter OPHELIA.
How now, Ophelia! what's the matter?
OPHELIA
72 O, my lord, my lord, I have been so affrighted!
POLONIUS
73 With what, i' the name of God?
OPHELIA
74 My lord, as I was sewing in my closet,
74. closet: private sitting room.
75 Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced;
75. doublet: close-fitting jacket—a very common article of clothing. unbrac'd: unfastened, unlaced.
76 No hat upon his head; his stockings foul'd,
76. fouled: dirty.
77 Ungarter'd, and down-gyved to his ankle;
77. down-gyved: hanging down [like gyves (fetters) on a prisoner's legs].
78 Pale as his shirt; his knees knocking each other;
79 And with a look so piteous in purport
80 As if he had been loosed out of hell
81 To speak of horrors—he comes before me.
POLONIUS
82 Mad for thy love?
OPHELIA
My lord, I do not know;
83 But truly, I do fear it.
POLONIUS
What said he?
OPHELIA
84 He took me by the wrist and held me hard;
85 Then goes he to the length of all his arm;
86 And, with his other hand thus o'er his brow,
87 He falls to such perusal of my face
88 As he would draw it. Long stay'd he so;
89 At last, a little shaking of mine arm
90 And thrice his head thus waving up and down,
91 He raised a sigh so piteous and profound
92 As it did seem to shatter all his bulk
92. all his bulk: his whole body.
93 And end his being: that done, he lets me go:
94 And, with his head over his shoulder turn'd,
95 He seem'd to find his way without his eyes;
96 For out o' doors he went without their helps,
97 And, to the last, bended their light on me.
POLONIUS
98 Come, go with me: I will go seek the king.
99 This is the very ecstasy of love,
99. ecstasy: madness.
100 Whose violent property fordoes itself
100. property: nature, quality. fordoes: destroys.
101 And leads the will to desperate undertakings
102 As oft as any passion under heaven
103 That does afflict our natures. I am sorry.
104 What, have you given him any hard words of late?
OPHELIA
105 No, my good lord, but, as you did command,
106 I did repel his letters and denied
107 His access to me.
POLONIUS
That hath made him mad.
108 I am sorry that with better heed and judgment
109 I had not quoted him: I fear'd he did but trifle,
109. quoted: observed.
110 And meant to wreck thee; but, beshrew my jealousy!
110. beshrew my jealousy: a plague upon my suspicious mind.
111 By heaven, it is as proper to our age
111. proper to our age: i.e., characteristic of men of my age.
112 To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions
113 As it is common for the younger sort
114 To lack discretion. Come, go we to the king:
112-114. To cast . . . discretion: i.e., to over-think things, as it is common for younger people to not think at all.
115 This must be known; which, being kept close, might move
116 More grief to hide than hate to utter love.
115-116. which, being kept close . . . love: which, being kept secret, might cause more displeasure [in others] because it has been hidden, than hatred because it has been revealed from good motives. utter love: say something which shows one's loyalty to the person addressed.
117 Come.
Exeunt.