Find the text both in original and modern English: http://www.enotes.com/hamlet-text or (better): http://www.hamletregained.com/

Hamlet’s humanism (a play about revenge and indecision, about the hesitant thinker)

The scholars who enthusiastically rediscovered these classical texts were motivated by an educational and political ideal called (in Latin) humanities—the idea that all of the capabilities and virtues peculiar to human beings should be studied and developed to their furthest extent. Renaissance humanism, as this movement is now called, generated a new interest in human experience, and also an enormous optimism about the potential scope of human understanding. Hamlet’s famous speech in Act II, “What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god—the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals!” is directly based upon one of the major texts of the Italian humanists, Pico Della Mirandola’s Oration on the Dignity of Man. For the humanists, the purpose of cultivating reason was to lead to a better understanding of how to act, and their fondest hope was that the coordination of action and understanding would lead to great benefits for society as a whole.As the Renaissance spread to other countries in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, however, a more skeptical strain of humanism developed, stressing the limitations of human understanding. For example, the sixteenth-century French humanist, Michel de Montaigne, was no less interested in studying human experiences than the earlier humanists were, but he maintained that the world of experience was a world of appearances, and that human beings could never hope to see past those appearances into the “realities” that lie behind them. This is the world in which Shakespeare places his characters. Hamlet is faced with the difficult task of correcting an injustice that he can never have sufficient knowledge of—a dilemma that is by no means unique, or even uncommon. And while Hamlet is fond of pointing out questions that cannot be answered because they concern supernatural and metaphysical matters, the play as a whole chiefly demonstrates the difficulty of knowing the truth about other people—their guilt or innocence, their motivations, their feelings, their relative states of sanity or insanity. The world of other people is a world of appearances, and Hamlet is, fundamentally, a play about the difficulty of living in that world.

Humanism (optimism) vs. Counter-Humanism (pessimism)

The Renaissance celebration of man (experience, reason) vs. the medieval debate concerning the misery of man’s existence (Providence, superstitions)

- optimism about the potential scope (range, extent) of human understanding: Pico della Mirandola (Oration on the Dignity of Man) – fifteenth century: “We have made thee […] so that with freedom of choice and with honour, as though the maker and molder of thyself, thou mayest fashion thyself in whatever shape thou shalt prefer.” The Renaissance kept the idea of a universe conceived of as a divine hierarchy in which each created thing has its fixed place but borrows from Classical Antiquity an emphasis on the unlimited capacities of man as the only rational being in the universe.

Act II, scene 2Hamlet:What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals! (II, 2, 302 -310)

Hamlet:What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculties (= Rom. talente, aptitudini)! in form and moving, how expressive and admirable! In action how like an angel! in understanding, how like a god! The beauty of the world! the paragon (= ideal, model of perfection) of animals!

Act I, scene 1 (the guards call upon Horatio to bear witness to the presence of the ghost)Horatio (apparently a disbeliever) whom Hamlet refers to as ‘fellow-student’ – does not believe in apparitions and superstitions (rational, sensible and skeptical of ghosts); he believes in the power of the eye and reason, however … He is Hamlet’s most trusted friend to whim H. reveals all his plans (he has no position in the court). He swears to secrecy about the presence of the ghost and the H’s pretense madness, conspires with H. to prove Cluadius’ s guilt in the mousetrap play. He is the first to know of Hamlet's return from England, and is with him when he learns of Ophelia’s death. (Hamlet’s alter ego? - present in most of the major scenes of the play, but Hamlet is usually the only person to acknowledge that he is present; when other characters address him, they are almost always telling him to leave: in soliloquies, such as Hamlet's famous scene with the skull he calls 'Yorick', during the mousetrap play etc. he survives at the end of the play).

Marcellus:Therefore I have entreated him along With us to watch the minutes of this night, That if again this apparition come (35) He may approve our eyes and speak to it.

Horatio:Tush, tush, 'twill not appear. (…)

Horatio:Before my God, I might not this believe Without the sensible and true avouch Of mine own eyes.(70) (…)

Horatio:In what particular thought to work I know not;(80) But, in the gross and scope of my opinion, This bodes some strange eruption to our state. (…)

Horatio (talking about the ghost):A mote it is to trouble the mind's eye. In the most high and palmy state of Rome, A little ere the mightiest Julius fell, The graves stood tenantless, and the sheeted dead Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets;(130) As stars with trains of fire and dews of blood, Disasters in the sun; and the moist star, Upon whose influence Neptune's empire stands Was sick almost to doomsday with eclipse. And even the like precurse of feared events,(135) As harbingers preceding still the fates And prologue to the omen coming on, Have heaven and earth together demonstrated Unto our climature and countrymen.

Marcellus:So I’ve begged him to come alongWith us to watch what happens this night,That, if this apparition comes again,He may believe what we have seen and speak to it.Horatio:Nonsense, nonsense, it will not appear. (…)

Horatio:Before my God, I might not believe this thingWithout the seeing and true testimonyOf my own eyes. (…)

Horatio:I don’t know what its intentions are,But, in the plainness and freedom of my opinion,This foretells (= Rom. prezice) some strange eruption to our state. (…)

Horatio:It is a speck of dust to irritate the mind's eye.In the most high and palm tree-like state of Rome,A little before the mightiest Julius Caesar was killed,The graves had no bodies, and the dead in sheetsSqueaked (=Rom. a vorbi pitigaiat) and gibbered (= Rom. trancani) in the Roman streets,As stars with trains of fire and red morning dews,Disasters in the sun. Even the wet-looking moon,That influences the tides of the oceans,Had an eclipse that seemed to go on forever.And like similar forecasters of fierce events,As harbingers before the fates,And prologue to the omen coming on,Heaven and earth have together demonstratedTo our country and countrymen.

Horatio’s reaction to the ghost functions to overcome the audience’s sense of disbelief, since for a man as skeptical, intelligent, and trustworthy as Horatio to believe in and fear the ghost is far

more impressive and convincing than if its only witnesses had been a pair of superstitious watchmen. In this subtle way, Shakespeare uses Horatio to represent the audience’s perspective throughout this scene.

Act I, scene 2

Claudius:For your intentIn going back to school in Wittenberg,It is most retrograde to our desire:And we beseech you, bend you to remainHere, in the cheer and comfort of our eye,Our chiefest courtier, cousin, and our son.

Claudius:As for your intentionsIn going back to school in Wittenberg,We are contrary to thisAnd we beg you change your plans and stayHere, in the cheer and comfort of our eye,Our principal courtier, cousin, and our son.

Act I, scene 3Polonius:Give thy thoughts no tongue,Nor any unproportioned thought his act.Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;But do not dull thy palm with entertainmentOf each new-hatch'd, unfledged comrade. BewareOf entrance to a quarrel, but being in,Bear't that the opposed may beware of thee.Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment.Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;For the apparel oft proclaims the man,And they in France of the best rank and stationAre of a most select and generous chief in that.Neither a borrower nor a lender be;For loan oft loses both itself and friend,And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.This above all: to thine ownself be true,And it must follow, as the night the day,Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Polonius:Don’t say what you thinkNever take action on anything you haven't thought through properly.Make friends but do not be deficient in refinementWhen you have a good friend, stick fast to him. But don't go out of your way to get friendly with common peopleTake good careTry to stay out of fights, but if you find yourself in one - make sure that you keep the guy you are fighting afraid of you.Listen to everyone, but be choosy over who you agree with.Always listen when people criticise you, but don't be too quick to criticise other people.Buy the best quality clothing you can afford - because people often judge you by what you are wearing. But spend your money on quality, not just on being ostentatious. Remember that the French pay a lot of attention to how you dress (Laertes is going to France).Don't lend people money: you won't get your money back, and you will probably quarrel with the person you lent it to. Don't borrow money either, learn to manage your own.Always be who you are; if you are who you are, then obviously everybody else can trust you to.

(Coming from Polonius - the most two-faced character in the play - this piece of advice is hilarious)

Act I, scene 3

Polonius: Polonius:

Ophelia,Do not believe his vows; for they are brokers,Not of that dye which their investments show,But mere implorators of unholy suits,Breathing like sanctified and pious bawds,The better to beguile.

Ophelia,Do not believe his vows, for they are not like brokersWho are proven by the quality of their investments.Instead his words are pleaders of evil suits (courting of a woman)That only sound like blessed and virtuous bonds,The better to mislead you.

Act I, scene 3 (previously)

Laertes:perhaps he loves you now,And now no soil nor cautel doth besmirchThe virtue of his will, but you must fear:His greatness weighed, his will is not his own,For he, himself, is subject to his birth;He may not, as unvalued persons do,Carve for himself; for on his choice dependsThe sanctity and health of this whole state,And therefore must his choice be circumscribedUnto the voice and yielding of that bodyWhereof he is the head; then, if he says he loves you,It fits your wisdom so far to believe itAs he, in his peculiar sect and force,May give his saying deed, which is no furtherThan the main voice of Denmark goes withal;

Laertes:Perhaps Hamlet has true love for you now,And now no disgracefulness or deceit taintsThe virtue of his desire. But be fearful,Considering his social status, his future is not entirely his own.For he, himself, is subservient to his high birth.He cannot do as lower class persons do,To make his own choice of a wife. His choice involvesThe saintliness and health of this entire nation.Therefore Hamlet's choice must be limitedBy the voice and consent of the peopleOf whom he is the Prince. If he says he loves you,Use your wisdom to believe that only as farAs he, in his unusual allegiance and power,Can prove it by marrying you. That is no fartherThan the consent of the King of Denmark goes.

Act I, scene 5 (Hamlet meets the ghost of his father; finds out that his father has been murdered)

Hamlet:Yea, from the table of my memoryI'll wipe away all trivial, fond recordsAll saws of books, all forms, all pressures past,That youth and observation copied there,And thy commandment, all alone, shall liveWithin the book and volume of my brain (…)My tables: meet it is I set it downThat one may smile, and smile, and be a villain

Hamlet:Yes, from the catalog of my memoryI'll erase all the trivial, foolish entries,All the quotations from books, all the shapes, and impressions of the past,That youthful curiosity and observation have copied there.And I shall live by your commandment aloneWritten in the books and volumes of my brain (…)Where is my writing tablet - it's proper I write downThat one may smile, and smile, and be a villain.

Act II, scene 2

Polonius: Polonius:

Take this from this, if this be otherwise. If circumstances lead me, I will find Where truth is hid, though it were hid indeed Within the centre. (169)

Take this from this, if this isn’t the case now.If get the opportunity, I will findWhere truth is hidden, though it were hidden indeedWithin the centre of the man.

Hamlet:there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. (258)

Hamlet:there is nothing either good or bad but only thinking makes it so.

Act III, scene 1

Polonius: Ophelia, walk you here; gracious, so please you;We will bestow ourselves; read on this book,That show of such an exercise may colorYour lowliness; we are oft' to blame in this,'Tis too much proved, that with devotion's visageAnd pious action, we do sugar o'erThe Devil, himself.

Polonius: Ophelia, walk here. Graciously, if you please!The King and I will hide ourselves. Read this bookSo that the appearance of such an activity may showYour humility. We are often to blame in this way,And it is too often proven, that with the face of devotionAnd pious action, we can lure (= Rom. a ademeni), or hide,The Devil, himself.

Act III, scene 1

Hamlet:To be, or not to be, that is the question,Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to sufferThe slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,And by opposing, end them; to die, to sleepNo more, and by a sleep, to say we endThe heartache, and the thousand natural shocksThat flesh is heir to; 'tis a consummationDevoutly to be wished: to die, to sleep;To sleep, perchance to dream; Aye, there's the rub;For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,When we haue shuffled off this mortal coil,Must give us pause; there's the respectThat makes calamity of so long life.For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,The insolence of office, and the spurns

Hamlet:To be, or not to be, that is the question.Is it more noble, to my mind, to sufferThe twists and turns of outrageous (= Rom. cumplit) fortune,Or to take up arms against a sea of troubles,And by opposing them, end them, one way or the other? To die, to sleep,(No more than that,) and by a sleep, to say we endThe heartache, and the thousand natural shocksThat human flesh is heir to. It is a consummationDevoutly to be wished: to die, to sleep . . .To sleep - perchance to dream! Aye, there's the rub (= Rom. impediment, obstacol).For in that sleep of death, the dreams that may come,When we have shuffled off this mortal shell,Must give us pause. There's the wayThat makes for the misery of a longer life.For who could bear the whips and scorns of time,The oppressor's wrongs, the arrogant man's contempt,The pain of rejected love, the law's delays,

That patient merit of the unworthy takes,When he, himself, might his quietus makeWith a bare bodkin; who would fardels bear,To grunt and sweat under a weary life,But that the dread of something after death,The undiscovered country, from whose bournNo traveler returns, puzzles the will,And makes us rather bear those ills we have,Then fly to others that we know not of.Thus, conscience does make cowards,And thus the native hue of resolutionIs sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,And enterprises of great pitch and moment,With this regard, their currents turn awry,And lose the name of action.

The insolence of office holders, and the kicksThat those who don't deserve them patiently suffer,When he, himself, might make his deathWith a bared dagger? Who would bear burdensTo grunt and sweat through a weary (= Rom. obositor) lifeExcept for the fear of something after death,The undiscovered country, from whose entryNo traveler returns. It baffles (= Rom. a zapaci) the willAnd makes us rather bear those ills we haveThan rush to others that we know not.Thus conscience makes cowards . . .And the healthy natural color of resolutionIs made sickly with the pallor of second thoughts,And enterprises of great energy and importance,Taking all this into account, their progress goes awry (= Rom. anapoda)And they lose the name of action.

Act III, scene 1

Hamlet:Get thee a nunnery, why would'st thou be a breeder of sinners?I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me ofsuch things, that it were better my mother had not borne me: I amvery proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more offenses at my beck,than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape,or time to act them in; what should such fellows as I do, crawlingbetween earth and heaven, we are arrant knaves, believe none of us;

Hamlet:Go to a nunnery! Why would you be a breeder of sinners?Myself, I'm as honorable as most men, but still I could accuse me ofsuch things that it would be better I had never been born. I amvery proud, revengeful, ambitious, and with more sins I could committhan I can think about, or shape in my imagination,or find time to act upon. What should men like me do, crawlingbetween earth and Heaven? Men are outright knaves (= Rom. ticalosi, escroci), believe no man.

Act III, scene 1

Ophelia:Oh what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!The courtier's, soldier's, scholar's, eye, tongue, sword,The expectation, and rose of the fair state,The glass of fashion, and the mold of form,The observed of all observers, quite quite down

Ophelia:Oh, what a noble mind is overthrown (Rom. doborat) there!The courtier's, soldier's, scholar's, eye, tongue, and sword!The expectation and rose of this fair country!The mirror of fashion, and the pattern of proper form!The most observed among all observers: quite,

quite, down!

Act III, scene 2 (The Mousetrap) – Horatio is the observer; Polonius confesses to having been an actor himself; he played Julius Caesar’s part and was killed by Brutus …

Act III, scene 3Claudius:O my offense is rank, it smells to heaven!It hath the primal*, eldest curse upon it:A brother's murder. Pray, can I not,Though inclination be as sharp as will,My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent,And like a man to double business bound,I stand in pause where I shall first begin,And both neglect; what if this cursed handWere thicker than itself with brother's blood?Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavensTo wash it white as snow? Whereto serves mercy,But to confront the visage of offense?And what's in prayer but this two-fold force:To be forestalled ere we come to fall,Or, pardon being down? Then I'll look up.My fault is past, but oh, what form of prayerCan serve my turn, forgive me my foul murder?That cannot be, since I am still possessedOf those effects for which I did the murder:My Crown, mine own ambition, and my Queen.May one be pardoned and retain the offense?

Claudius:Oh, my crime is rank (offensive), it smells to Heaven!It has the primal*, oldest curse upon it:A brother's murder. I cannot pray.Although my instinct to pray is as strong as my desire to, / My stronger guilt defeats my strong intention,And like a man obligated to do two things at once,I stand still, wondering where I should begin,And neglect both tasks. What if this cursed hand of mine / Were darker than itself, covered with a brother's blood? /Is there not rain enough in all the sweet heavensTo wash it white as snow? How can I find the mercy of GodExcept to look my offense truly in the face?And what is the use of this prayer, but this two-fold power: / To be stopped before we fall,Or to gain pardon when we are down? Then, I'll look up. / My crime is past (=already committed), but, oh, what form of prayer / Can serve my purpose, forgive me my foul (= Rom. josnic, marsav) murder? / It cannot be, since I still have / Those things for which I did the murder: / The crown, my desire to be King, and the Queen. May one be pardoned, and keep the spoils (= profits) of the crime?

= the first murder in Christian tradition is Cain’s killing of his brother, Abel; Remember: Machiavelli himself tackled the issue of power gained through crime and concluded

that this is not a way that should be approached by one that is committed to political life because “savage cruelty and inhumanity” serve as a constraint on the behaviour of a prince.

Act III, scene 3Hamlet:Now might I do it, but now he is a-praying;And now I'll do't, and so he goes to heaven;And so, am I revenge? That would be scant.A villain kills my father, and for that,I, his sole son, do this same villain sendTo heaven.Why, this is base and silly, not revenge!He took my father grossly full of bread, (…)

Up sword, and know thou a more horrid hent,When he is drunk, asleep, or in his rage,Or in the incestuous pleasure of his bed,At game a-swearing, or about some actThat has no relish of salvation in it;Then trip him that his heels may kick at heaven,And that his soul may be as damned and blackAs Hell, whereto it goes;

Claudius:My words fly up; my thoughts remain below.Words without thoughts never to heaven go.

Hamlet:Now might I do it, but now he is a-praying;And now I do it, and so he goes to Heaven.And so, am I true Revenge? That would be scant (= Rom. insuficient) vengeance - / A villain kills my father, and in return,I, the only son, do send this same villain / To Heaven?!Why, it would be hire and payment, not revenge!He killed my father grossly full of his sins (not repentant = Rom. pocait, plin de remuscari)Be put away, my sword, and wait for a more horrid chance, / When he is drunk, asleep, or in a rage,Or in the incestuous pleasure of his bed,Or gambling, or swearing, or doing some actThat has no hint of salvation in it.Then, trip him so his heels kick uselessly at Heaven,And so his soul will be as damned and blackAs Hell, where it goes!

Claudius:My words fly up, but my thoughts remain below.Words without thoughts, never to Heaven go.

The king’s final words reveal that his attempt to pray has failed, casting an retrospective light on Hamlet’s reasons to spare him; later on Hamlet kills Polonius thinking he is the king.

Act IV, scene 3Claudius:I have sent to seek him, and to find the body;How dangerous is it that this man goes loose;Yet must not we put the strong law on him,He's loved of the distracted multitude,Who like, not in their judgment, but their eyes,And where 'tis so, the offender's scourge is weighedBut never the offense. (…)

Claudius:I have sent them to find Hamlet, and to find the body. / How dangerous it is, that he's wandering around loose.Yet I cannot put the strong arm of the law upon him,Because he's very popular with the crazy majority of the people,Who like him, not because they have sense, but because he looks good.And when that happens, the offender's punishment is questioned, / But his offense is ignored. (…)

Act IV, scene 4

Hamlet:How all occasions do inform against me,And spur my dull revenge. What is a manIf his chief good and market of his time

Hamlet:How everything that happens shapes up against me,And drives me away from my blunted revenge!

Be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more.Sure, he that made us with such large discourseLooking before and after, gave us notThat capability and god-like reasonTo fust in us unused;

What is a manIf his chief good and business during his time on earthIs only to sleep and feed, like a beast, and no more than that?Surely, he who made us with such great power of reason,To predict what's ahead, and remember what's behind us, did not give usThat capability, and god-like mental capacityTo mold away in us, unused.

Act IV, scene 4

Laertes:How came he dead? I'll not be juggled with!To Hell allegiance, vows to the blackest devil!Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit!I dare damnation. To this point I stand,That both the worlds I give to negligence,Let come what comes, only I'll be revengedMost thoroughly for my father.

Laertes:How did he die? I'll not be toyed with!To Hell with allegiance, I cast my vows to the blackest devil,And my conscience and salvation into the deepest pit.I dare damnation. On this point I make my stand,That both this world, and the world beyond my life, I negligently discard.Let whatever happens, happen - only that I will be revengedCompletely, for my father.

Act V, scene 1

Hamlet:That skull had a tongue in it, and could sing once; how the knave jowls it to the ground, as if 'twere Cain's jawbone, that did the first murder; this might be the pate of a politician, which this ass now o'er-reaches; one that would circumvent God, might it not?Horatio: It might, my Lord.Hamlet: Or of a Courtier, which could say good morrow, sweet lord, how dost thou, sweet lord? This might be my Lord Such-a-one, thatpraised my Lord Such-a-one's horse when he went to beg it, might it not?Horatio: Aye, my Lord.Hamlet: Why even so, & now my Lady Worm's; chopless, & knocked about the mazzard with a sexton's spade; here's fine revolution andwe had the trick to see it; did these bones cost no more the breeding, but to play at loggats with them? Mine ache to think on it.

Hamlet:That skull once had a tongue in it, and could sing. Look how the knave tosses it on the ground, as if it were the jawbone of Cain, who did the first murder. It might be the head of a politician, whom this jackass now outranks. Or, one who wanted to fool God, might it not be?Horatio: It might be, my Lord.Hamlet: Or, that of a courtier, who could say, "Good morning, sweet Lord, how are you, sweet Lord?" It might be Lord So-and-so, who oncepraised the horse of Lord Whoever when he wanted to borrow it, might it not?Horatio: Yes, my Lord.Hamlet: Yes, even so, and now it's Lady Worm's - jawless, and hit on the head with a sexton's (Rom. = gropar) spade. Here's a fine turn of events, andwe had the luck to see it. Were these bones worth no more in their creation,but, only for playing games with them? My

bones ache, to think about it.

Act V, scene 1Horatio:So Guildenstern and Rosencrantz go to it.Hamlet:They are not near my conscience; their defeatDoes by their own insinuation grow;'Tis dangerous when the baser nature comesBetween the pass and fell incensed pointsOf mighty opposites. (…)Hamlet:Does it not, think thee, stand me now upon?He that hath killed my king, and whored my mother,Popped in between the election and my hopes,Thrown out his angle for my proper life -And with such cozenage - is it not perfect conscienceTo quit him with this arm? And is it not to be damned,To let this canker of our nature comeIn further evil?

Horatio:So Guildenstern and Rosencrantz have had it.Hamlet:They are not on my conscience. Their defeat came from / Their own desires to get involved.It's dangerous when foolish people comeBetween the moving, deadly, angry pointsOf powerful opponents.Hamlet:Don't you think it rests upon my shoulders to do something now?He who has killed my father the king, and whored my mother,Put himself unlawfully between me and the crown,Fished for a way to take life properly my own,And with such criminal deception - can't I, with a clear conscience,Kill him with this arm? And shouldn't I be damnedIf I let that diseased example of human nature causeMore evil?

Act V, scene 1

Hamlet (shakes hands with Laertes):Give me your pardon, sir, I have done you wrong;But pardon it, as you are a gentleman. This presence knows,And you must needs have heard, how I am punishedWith a sore distraction; what I have doneThat might your nature, honor, and exceptionRoughly awake, I here proclaim was madness.Was it Hamlet, wronged Laertes? Never Hamlet.If Hamlet from himself be taken away,And when he's not himself, does wrong Laertes,Then Hamlet does it not, Hamlet denies it;Who does it, then? His madness. If it be so,Hamlet is of the faction that is wronged;His madness is poor Hamlet's enemy;

Hamlet (shakes hands with Laertes):Give me your pardon, sir, I have done you wrong.But pardon me as a gentleman. The people here know,And you must have heard, how I have been punishedBy being afflicted with madness. Whatever I have doneThat might offend your nature, your honor, and cause youTo take exception, I hereby declare was madness.Has Hamlet wronged Laertes? No, not Hamlet.If Hamlet is taken away from himselfAnd is not himself, and does wrong to Laertes,Then Hamlet, himself, does not do it. Hamlet denies it.Who does it, then? His madness. If it be so,Hamlet is among those who are wronged.

His madness is poor Hamlet's enemy.

Act V, scene 1

Hamlet: Oh, I die, Horatio;The potent poison quite o'er-crows my spirit;I cannot live to hear the news from England;But I do prophecy the election lightsOn Fortinbrasse; he has my dying voice;So tell him, with the occurrents, more and less,Which have solicited . . . the rest is silence.

Hamlet: Oh, I die, Horatio.The strong poison o'er-crows my spirit.I cannot live to hear the news from England.But I do foresee the choice for the new King willBe Fortinbrasse, and he has my dying support.Tell him that, and also about the events, greater and smaller,That have lured . . . [me to this tragic fate.] The rest is silence.