Hamlet: Act 4, Scene 3

           Enter KING and two or three.

      KING
  1   I have sent to seek him, and to find the body.
  2   How dangerous is it that this man goes loose!
  3   Yet must not we put the strong law on him:
  4   He's loved of the distracted multitude,
4. distracted: unstable.

  5   Who like not in their judgment, but their eyes;
5. Who  . . .  eyes: i.e., who judge only by appearances.

  6   And where 'tis so, the offender's scourge is weigh'd,
6. scourge: i.e., punishment. weigh'd: taken into consideration.  

  7   But never the offence. To bear all smooth and even,
7. bear all: manage everything.

  8   This sudden sending him away must seem
  9   Deliberate pause: diseases desperate grown
8-9. must seem / Deliberate pause: i.e., must seem to be the result of a long deliberation.

 10   By desperate appliance are relieved,
 11   Or not at all.
9-11. diseases  . . .  all: diseases that are so far advanced that there seems little hope are cured by desperate means or not at all.


           Enter ROSENCRANTZ.

                                  How now! what hath befall'n?

      ROSENCRANTZ
 12   Where the dead body is bestow'd, my lord,
 13   We cannot get from him.

      KING
                                         But where is he?

      ROSENCRANTZ
 14   Without, my lord; guarded, to know your pleasure.
14. without: i.e., just outside the door. guarded: i.e., surrounded by guards so he won't run away again.


      KING
 15   Bring him before us.

      ROSENCRANTZ
                                       Ho, bring in the lord.
Hamlet dragged in by guards


           They [HAMLET, GUILDENSTERN,
           and the Guards] enter.

      KING
 16   Now, Hamlet, where's Polonius?

      HAMLET
 17   At supper.

      KING
 18   At supper! where?

      HAMLET
 19   Not where he eats, but where he is eaten: a certain
 20   convocation of politic worms are e'en at him. Your
 21   worm is your only emperor for diet: we fat all
20-21. politic: crafty, plotting. Hamlet is perhaps making a punning reference to the Diet of Wormse'en: even now.  Your worm . . . diet: i.e., the common worm has the best diet of any creature in the world.

 22   creatures else to fat us, and we fat ourselves for
 23   maggots: your fat king and your lean beggar is but
 24   variable service, two dishes, but to one table:
24. variable service: different courses of the same meal.

 25   that's the end.
25. that's the end: 1) that's the goal (i.e., we all eat only so the worms can eat); 2) that's all there is to say about that.


      KING
 26   Alas, alas!

      HAMLET
 27   A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a
 28   king, and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm.

      KING
 29   What dost thou mean by this?

      HAMLET
 30   Nothing but to show you how a king may go a
 31   progress through the guts of a beggar.
31. progress: royal journey of state. A royal progress was an important ceremonial occasion; local officials and noblemen conducted celebrations and arranged for elaborate entertainments. Hamlet insults the King by turning all of this upside down and saying that "a king may go a progress through the guts of a beggar."


      KING
 32   Where is Polonius?

      HAMLET
 33   In heaven; send thither to see: if your messenger
 34   find him not there, seek him i' the other place
 35   yourself. But indeed, if you find him not within
34-35. seek him i' the other place yourself: This is a humorous way of saying "You are going to hell!"

 36   this month, you shall nose him as you go up the
36. nose him: smell him.

 37   stairs into the lobby.

      KING  [To some Attendants.]
 38   Go seek him there.

      HAMLET
 39   'A will stay till you come.
39. 'A will stay till you come: he will remain where he is until you arrive. I think that those who are sent to find the body of Polonius are in a great hurry, and that Hamlet is mocking them.


           [Exeunt Attendants.]

      KING
 40   Hamlet, this deed, for thine especial safety—
41. tender: hold dear.  dearly grieve: grieve sincerely and intensely.
 41   Which we do tender, as we dearly grieve
 42   For that which thou hast done—must send thee hence
 43   With fiery quickness: therefore prepare thyself;
44. bark: sailing vessel.  at help: favorable.
 44   The bark is ready, and the wind at help,
45. Th' associates tend: your traveling companions [Rosencrantz and Guildenstern] await you.  is bent: is eager and ready [for the journey].
 45   Th' associates tend, and everything is bent
 46   For England.

      HAMLET
 46                            For England!

      KING
 46                                              Ay, Hamlet.

      HAMLET
 46                                                                 Good.

      KING
 47   So is it, if thou knew'st our purposes.

      HAMLET
 48   I see a cherub that sees them. But, come; for
48. I see a cherub that sees them: i.e., heaven sees them. Cherubs are angels.

 49   England! Farewell, dear mother.

      KING
 50   Thy loving father, Hamlet.

      HAMLET
 51   My mother: father and mother is man and wife;
 52   man and wife is one flesh; and so, my mother.
 53   Come, for England!

           Exit.

      KING
 54   Follow him at foot; tempt him with speed aboard;
54. at foot: at his heels, close behind.  tempt him with speed aboard: encourage him to board quickly.

 55   Delay it not; I'll have him hence tonight:
 56   Away! for every thing is seal'd and done
 57   That else leans on the affair: pray you, make haste.
57. leans on: relates to.


           [Exeunt ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN.]

 58   And, England, if my love thou hold'st at aught—
 59   As my great power thereof may give thee sense,
58-59. if  . . .  sense: i.e., if my good will is worth anything to you, as my power over you should make you sense that it is.

 60   Since yet thy cicatrice looks raw and red
60. cicatrice: scar (got in a losing battle with Denmark.)

 61   After the Danish sword, and thy free awe
61. free awe: unforced respect.

 62   Pays homage to us—thou mayst not coldly set
 63   Our sovereign process; which imports at full,
62-63. thou  . . .  process: you cannot coldly disregard my royal command.  which . . . full: which clearly demands.

 64   By letters congruing to that effect,
64. congruing to: in accord with.  effect: outcome.

 65   The present death of Hamlet. Do it, England;
65. present: immediate.

 66   For like the hectic in my blood he rages,
66. hectic: continuous fever.

 67   And thou must cure me: till I know 'tis done,
 68   Howe'er my haps, my joys were ne'er begun.
67-68. till I know 'tis done, / Howe'er my haps, my joys were ne'er begun: i.e., until I know it has been done, no matter what else may happen to me, I will never be happy.


           Exit.