Читать книгу The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology - William Shakespeare - Страница 17

HAMLET: ACT III, SCENE I

A room in the castle.

Enter NARRATOR from stage rear, coming downstage center.

NARRATOR

Hamlet and Ophelia, the daughter of King

Claudius’s chief officer Polonius, have recently

confessed their affection for each other. But when

Ophelia’s father, bound by the king to spy on

Hamlet, orders Ophelia to return Hamlet’s love

letters, the prince’s vicious and unhinged reaction

upsets her greatly.

Exit NARRATOR stage right.

Enter HAMLET from stage right.

Enter OPHELIA from stage left, holding letters.

OPHELIA

My lord, I have remembrances of yours,

That I have longed long to re-deliver;

I pray you, now receive them.

HAMLET

No, not I;

I never gave you aught.

OPHELIA

My honor’d lord, you know right well you did;

And, with them, words of so sweet breath composed

As made the things more rich: Their perfume lost,

Take these again; for to the noble mind

Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind.

There, my lord. (gives letters to HAMLET)

HAMLET steps in close to OPHELIA and turns toward her.

HAMLET

I did love you once.

OPHELIA (takes a step toward HAMLET)

Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.

HAMLET (turns away suddenly)

You should not have believed me; I loved you not.

HAMLET returns the letters to OPHELIA.

OPHELIA (hurt)

I was the more deceived.

HAMLET (points at OPHELIA; yells)

Get thee to a nunnery: Why wouldst thou be a

breeder of sinners? Or, if thou wilt needs marry,

marry a fool; for wise men know well enough what

monsters you make of them. (points again) To a

nunnery, go, and quickly too. Farewell.

HAMLET begins to exit stage right.

OPHELIA

O heavenly powers, restore him!

HAMLET turns around and comes back toward OPHELIA.

HAMLET

God has given you one face, and you make yourselves another. Go to, I’ll no more on’t; it hath made me mad. I say, we will have no more marriages. To a nunnery, go.

Exit HAMLET stage right.

OPHELIA

O, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown!

The courtier’s, soldier’s, scholar’s, eye, tongue, sword,

Th’ expectancy and rose of the fair state,

The glass of fashion and the mold of form,

Th’ observed of all observers, quite, quite down!

And I, of ladies most deject and wretched,

That sucked the honey of his musicked vows,

Now see that noble and most sovereign reason,

Like sweet bells jangled, out of time and harsh;

That unmatched form and stature of blown youth

Blasted with ecstasy. O, woe is me

T’ have seen what I have seen, see what I see!

Exit OPHELIA stage left.