Hamlet ⟨Act I Scene IV⟩: Q1 v Q2 v F1

• First Quarto (1603)
  The Tragicall Historie of
  HAMLET
  Prince of Denmarke.

  0603 ========Enter Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus.

  0604-5 **Ham.  The ayre bites shrewd; it is an eager and

  0605-6 An nipping winde, what houre i'st?

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  0607 **Hor.  I think it lacks of twelue, ===Sound Trumpets.

  0608 **Mar.  No, t'is strucke.

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  0609-11  **Hor.  Indeed I heard it not, what doth this mean my lord?[C3^r

  0612 **Ham.  O the king doth wake to night, & takes his rowse,

  0613 Keepe wassel, and the swaggering vp-spring reeles,

  0614 And as he dreames, his draughts of renish downe,

  0615 The kettle, drumme, and trumpet, thus bray out,

  0616 The triumphes of his pledge.

  0617 **Hor.  Is it a custome here?

  0618-9 **Ham.  I mary i'st and though I am

  0619-20  Natiue here, and to the maner borne,

  0620-1 It is a custome, more honourd in the breach,

  0621 Then in the obseruance.

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  0622 ============Enter the Ghost.

  0623 **Hor.  Looke my Lord, it comes.

  0624 **Ham.  Angels and Ministers of grace defend vs,

  0625 Be thou a spirite of health, or goblin damn'd,

  0626 Bring with thee ayres from heanen, or blasts from hell:

  0627 Be thy intents wicked or charitable,

  0628 Thou commest in such questionable shape,

  0629 That I will speake to thee,

  0629-30  Ile call thee Hamlet, King, Father, Royall Dane,

  0630-1 O answere mee, let mee not burst in ignorance,

  0631-2 But say why thy canonizd bones hearsed in death

  0633 Haue burst their ceremonies: why thy Sepulcher,

  0634 In which wee saw thee quietly interr'd,

  0635 Hath burst his ponderous and marble Iawes,

  0636 To cast thee vp againe: what may this meane,

  0637 That thou, dead corse, againe in compleate steele,

  0638 Reuissets thus the glimses of the Moone,

  0639 Making night hideous, and we fooles of nature,

  0640 So horridely to shake our disposition,

  0641 With thoughts beyond the reaches of our soules?

  0642 Say, speake, wherefore, what may this meane?

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  0644-5 **Hor.  It beckons you, as though it had something

  0645-6 To impart to you alone.

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  0647 **Mar.  Looke with what courteous action

  0648 It waues you to a more remoued ground,

  0649 But do not go with it.[C3^v

  0650 **Hor.  No, by no meanes my Lord.

  0651 **Ham.  It will not speake, then will I follow it.

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  0658 **Hor.  What if it tempt you toward the flood my Lord.

  0660 That beckles ore his bace, into the sea,

  0661 And there assume some other horrible shape,

  0662 Which might depriue your soueraigntie of reason,

  0663 And driue you into madnesse: thinke of it.

  0664-71  **Ham.  Still am I called, go on, ile follow thee.

  0665 **Hor.  My Lord, you shall not go.

  0653 **Ham.  Why what should be the feare?

  0654 I do not set my life at a pinnes fee,

  0655 And for my soule, what can it do to that?

  0656 Being a thing immortall, like it selfe,

  0664 Go on, ile follow thee.

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  0667 **Mar.  My Lord be rulde, you shall not goe.

  0668-9 **Ham.  My fate cries out, and makes each pety Artiue

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  0670 As hardy as the Nemeon Lyons nerue,

  0671 Still am I cald, vnhand me gentlemen;

  0672 By heauen ile make a ghost of him that lets me,

  0673 Away I say, go on, ile follow thee.

  0675 **Hor.  He waxeth desperate with imagination.

  0678 **Mar.  Something is rotten in the state of Denmarke.

  0677 **Hor.  Haue after; to what issue will this sort?

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  0676-80  **Mar.  Lets follow, tis not fit thus to obey him ===exit.

• Second Quarto (1605)
  The Tragedie of
  H A M L E T
  Prince of Denmarke.

  0603 =======Enter Hamlet, Horatio and Marcellus.

  0604 @#Ham.  The ayre bites shroudly, it is very colde.

  0605 @#Hora.  It is nipping, and an eager ayre.

  0606 @#Ham.  What houre now?

  0607 @#Hora.  I thinke it lackes of twelfe.

  0608 @#Mar.  No, it is strooke.

  0609 @#Hora.  Indeede; I heard it not, it then drawes neere the season,

  0610 Wherein the spirit held his wont to walke =A florish of trumpets

  0611 What does this meane my Lord? =====and 2. peeces goes of.

  0612 @#Ham.  The King doth wake to night and takes his rowse.

  0613 Keepes wassell and the swaggring vp-spring reeles:

  0614 And as he draines his drafts of Rennish downe,

  0615 The kettle drumme, and trumpet, thus bray out

  0616 The triumph of his pledge.

  0617 @#Hora.  Is it a custome?

  0618 @#Ham.  I marry ist,

  0619 But to my minde, though I am natiue heere

  0620 And to the manner borne, it is a custome

  0621 More honourd in the breach, then the obseruance.

  0621+1 This heauy headed reueale east and west

  0621+2 Makes vs tradust, and taxed of other nations,

  0621+3 They clip vs drunkards, and with Swinish phrase

  0621+4 Soyle our addition, and indeede it takes

  0621+5 From our atchieuements, though perform'd at height

  0621+6 The pith and marrow of our attribute,

  0621+7 So oft it chaunces in particuler men,

  0621+8 That for some vicious mole of nature in them

  0621+9 As in their birth wherein they are not guilty,

  0621+10  (Since nature cannot choose his origin)

  0621+11  By their ore-grow'th of some complextion

  0621+12  Oft breaking downe the pales and forts of reason,

  0621+13  Or by some habit, that too much ore-leauens

  0621+14  The forme of plausiue manners, that these men

  0621+15  Carrying I say the stamp of one defect

  0621+16  Being Natures liuery, or Fortunes starre,[D1^v

  0621+17  His vertues els be they as pure as grace,

  0621+18  As infinite as man may vndergoe,

  0621+19  Shall in the generall censure take corruption

  0621+20  From that particuler fault: the dram of eale

  0621+21  Doth all the noble substance of a doubt

  0621+22  To his owne scandle.

  0622 =================Enter Ghost.

  0623 @#Hora.  Looke my Lord it comes.

  0624 @#Ham.  Angels and Ministers of grace defend vs:

  0625 Be thou a spirit of health, or goblin damn'd,

  0626 Bring with thee ayres from heauen, or blasts from hell,

  0627 Be thy intents wicked, or charitable,

  0628 Thou com'st in such a questionable shape,

  0629 That I will speake to thee, Ile call thee Hamlet,

  0630 King, father, royall Dane, ô answere mee,

  0631 Let me not burst in ignorance, but tell

  0632 Why thy canoniz'd bones hearsed in death

  0633 Haue burst their cerements? why the Sepulcher,

  0634 Wherein we saw thee quietly interr'd

  0635 Hath op't his ponderous and marble iawes,

  0636 To cast thee vp againe? what may this meane

  0637 That thou dead corse, againe in compleat steele

  0638 Reuisites thus the glimses of the Moone,

  0639 Making night hideous, and we fooles of nature

  0640 So horridly to shake our disposition

  0641 With thoughts beyond the reaches of our soules,

  0642 Say why is this, wherefore, what should we doe? =Beckins.

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  0644 @#Hora.  It beckins you to goe away with it

  0645 As if it some impartment did desire

  0646 To you alone.

  0647 @#Mar.  Looke with what curteous action

  0648 It waues you to a more remooued ground,

  0649 But doe not goe with it.

  0650 @#Hora.  No, by no meanes.

  0651 @#Ham.  It will not speake, then I will followe it.

  0652 @#Hora.  Doe not my Lord.

  0653 @#Ham.  Why what should be the feare,

  0654 I doe not set my life at a pinnes fee,

  0655 And for my soule, what can it doe to that[D2^r

  0656 Being a thing immortall as it selfe;

  0657 It waues me forth againe, Ile followe it.

  0658 @#Hora.  What if it tempt you toward the flood my Lord,

  0659 Or to the dreadfull somnet of the cleefe

  0660 That bettles ore his base into the sea,

  0661 And there assume some other horrable forme

  0662 Which might depriue your soueraigntie of reason,

  0663 And draw you into madnes, thinke of it,

  0663+1 The very place puts toyes of desperation

  0663+2 Without more motiue, into euery braine

  0663+3 That lookes so many fadoms to the sea

  0663+4 And heares it rore beneath.

  0664 @#Ham.  It waues me still, Goe on, Ile followe thee.

  0665 @#Mar.  You shall not goe my Lord.

  0666 @#Ham.  Hold of your hands.

  0667 @#Hora.  Be rul'd, you shall not goe.

  0668 @#Ham.  My fate cries out

  0669 And makes each petty arture in this body

  0670 As hardy as the Nemeon Lyons nerue;

  0671 Still am I cald, vnhand me Gentlemen

  0672 By heauen Ile make a ghost of him that lets me,

  0673 I say away, goe on, Ile followe thee. ==Exit Ghost and Hamlet.

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  0675 @#Hora.  He waxes desperate with imagion.

  0676 @#Mar.  Lets followe, tis not fit thus to obey him.

  0677 @#Hora.  Haue after, to what issue will this come?

  0678 @#Mar.  Something is rotten in the state of Denmarke.

  0679 @#Hora.  Heauen will direct it.

  0680 @#Mar.  Nay lets follow him. ==========Exeunt.

• First Folio (1623)
   
  THE TRAGEDIE OF
  H A M L E T, Prince of Denmarke.

  0603 =======Enter Hamlet, Horatio, Marcellus.

  0604 @#Ham.  The Ayre bites shrewdly: is it very cold?

  0605 @#Hor.  It is a nipping and an eager ayre.

  0606 @#Ham.  What hower now?

  0607 @#Hor.  I thinke it lacks of twelue.

  0608 @#Mar.  No, it is strooke. then it drawes neere the(season,

  0609 @#Hor.  Indeed I heard it not: then it drawes neere the ↑

  0610 Wherein the Spirit held his wont to walke.

  0611 What does this meane my Lord? ==and takes his(rouse,[oo1^r

  0612 @#Ham.  The King doth wake to night, and takes his ↑

  0613 Keepes wassels and the swaggering vpspring reeles,

  0614 And as he dreines his draughts of Renish downe,

  0615 The kettle Drum and Trumpet thus bray out

  0616 The triumph of his Pledge.

  0617 @#Horat.  Is it a custome?

  0618 @#Ham.  I marry ist;

  0619 And to my mind, though I am natiue heere,

  0620 And to the manner borne: It is a Custome

  0621 More honour'd in the breach, then the obseruance.

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  0622 ============Enter Ghost.

  0623 @#Hor.  Looke my Lord, it comes.

  0624 @#Ham.  Angels and Ministers of Grace defend vs:

  0625 Be thou a Spirit of health, or Goblin damn'd,

  0626 Bring with thee ayres from Heauen, or blasts from Hell,

  0627 Be thy euents wicked or charitable,

  0628 Thou com'st in such a questionable shape

  0629 That I will speake to thee. Ile call thee Hamlet,

  0630 King, Father, Royall Dane: Oh, oh, answer me,

  0631 Let me not burst in Ignorance; but tell

  0632 Why thy Canoniz'd bones Hearsed in death,

  0633 Haue burst their cerments, why the Sepulcher

  0634 Wherein we saw thee quietly enurn'd,

  0635 Hath op'd his ponderous and Marble iawes,

  0636 To cast thee vp againe? What may this meane?

  0637 That thou dead Coarse againe in compleat steele,

  0638 Reuisits thus the glimpses of the Moone,

  0639 Making Night hidious? And we fooles of Nature,

  0640 So horridly to shake our disposition,

  0641 With thoughts beyond thee; reaches of our Soules,

  0642 Say, why is this? wherefore? what should we doe?

  0643 ======Ghost beckens Hamlet.

  0644 @#Hor.  It beckons you to goe away with it,

  0645 As if it some impartment did desire

  0646 To you alone.

  0647 @#Mar.  Looke with what courteous action

  0648 It wafts you to a more remoued ground:

  0649 But doe not goe with it.

  0650 @#Hor.  No, by no meanes.

  0651 @#Ham.  It will not speake: then will I follow it.

  0652 @#Hor.  Doe not my Lord.

  0653 @#Ham.  Why, what should be the feare?

  0654 I doe not set my life at a pins fee;

  0655 And for my Soule, what can it doe to that?

  0656 Being a thing immortall as it selfe:

  0657 It waues me forth againe; Ile follow it.

  0658 @#Hor.  What if it tempt you toward the Floud my Lord?

  0659 Or to the dreadfull Sonnet of the Cliffe,

  0660 That beetles o're his base into the Sea,

  0661 And there assumes some other horrible forme,

  0662 Which might depriue your Soueraignty of Reason,

  0663 And draw you into madnesse thinke of it?

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  0664 @#Ham.  It wafts me still: goe on, Ile follow thee.

  0665 @#Mar.  You shall not goe my Lord.

  0666 @#Ham.  Hold off your hand.

  0667 @#Hor.  Be rul'd, you shall not goe.

  0668 @#Ham.  My fate cries out,

  0669 And makes each petty Artire in this body,

  0670 As hardy as the Nemian Lions nerue:

  0671 Still am I cal'd? Vnhand me Gentlemen:

  0672 By Heau'n, Ile make a Ghost of him that lets me:

  0673 I say away, goe on, Ile follow thee.

  0674 =====Exeunt Ghost & Hamlet.

  0675 @#Hor.  He waxes desperate with imagination.

  0676 @#Mar.  Let's follow; 'tis not fit thus to obey him.

  0677 @#Hor.  Haue after, to what issue will this come?

  0678 @#Mar.  Something is rotten in the State of Denmarke.

  0679 @#Hor.  Heauen will direct it.

  0680 @#Mar.  Nay, let's follow him. ==Exeunt.