Act 4

Scene 1

King and Queen are onstage. King: Where is your son? Queen: Hamlet is mad as the sea and the wind. He has killed Polonius. King: Oh, heavy deed! We must rid ourselves of him! (Guildenstern and Rosencrantz enter) Wilt thou go and seek out Hamlet to request the location of the corpse of Polonius?

Scene 2

Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are onstage. Rosencrantz: What have you done, my lord, with the dead body? Hamlet: Safely stowed. Rosencrantz: My lord, you must tell us where the body is and go with us to the king. Hamlet: The body is with the king, but the king is not with the body. The king is a thing Rosencrantz: I do not understand. Hamlet: Tis nothing. Bring me to him.

Scene 3

The King, Queen and Rosencrantz are onstage. King: How now, what hath befallen? Rosencrantz: We cannot get from him the hiding place of the corpse.

King: But where is he? Rosencrantz: Without, my lord; guarded, to know your pleasure. King: Bring him in. Hamlet enters. King: Now, Hamlet, wheres Polonius? Hamlet: At supper. King: Alas! Prepare thyself, for everything is bent for England. Hamlet: For England? King: Ay. Hamlet: Good. Farewell, dear mother. (Exits) King: Follow him at foot; tempt him with speed abroad and delay it not. Pray you, make haste. All exit but King. King: Hamlets life shall end with his voyage to England. Only after that occurs, will my joys begin.

Scene 4

Narrator: Fortinbras and his army are at the Danish border. Fortinbras sends one of his captains to King Claudius to request passage to Poland through Denmark. Hamlet, the captain, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern are onstage. Hamlet: Good sir, whose powers are these? Captain: They are of Norway, sir. We are on our way against some part of Poland. It is a small, poor country. I would not farm it. God be wi you, sir. (Captain, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern exit) Hamlet: My dull revenge has been spurred. Oh, from this time forth, my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!

Scene 5

Narrator: Queen Gertrude has received reports that Ophelia has gone mad over the death of her father Polonius. The Queen and Ophelia enter. Ophelia: Wheres the beauteous Majesty of Denmark? Queen: How now? Ophelia: Nay, pray you, mark: (sings) He is dead and gone, lady, He is dead and gone; At his head a grass-green turf, At his heels a stone. Enter King. Queen: Alas, look here, my lord. Ophelia acts loony and exits. King: Gertrude, oh, Gertrude! Poor, Ophelia! I hope the poison of deep grief betters within her. Enter Laertes. Laertes: How now, you villain! What hast become of my father? King: Dead. Hamlet has killed him and Ophelia has gone mad. Ophelia enters. She is still mad. Ophelia: (sings) They bore him barefaced on the bier, Hey non nonny, nonny, hey, nonny, And in his grave rained many a tear. Laertes: Thy wits didst persuade revenge. Ophelia is still crazy.

King: Where th offense is, let the great acts fall. I pray you, go with me.

Scene 6

Narrator: Horatio receives a letter by Hamlet from sailors. The letter states that Hamlet is aboard a pirate ship and is on his way back to Denmark without Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Scene 7

The King and Laertes are onstage. King: To ease your conscience, I have a plan for revenge. (Messenger enters and gives letter to King) Ho, what is this? Hamlet is returning from England? Laertes: Let him come. Whats your plan? King: You are a master with your sword. Challenge Hamlet to a duel and stab him with a poisoned rapier. Laertes: I agree. King: If you should fail, I will present him with a poisoned cup. Enter Queen. Queen: Your sisters drowned, Laertes! Laertes: Oh, where? Queen: She fell in the weeping brook til her garments, heavy with their drink, pulled the poor wretch from her melodious lay to muddy death. All: Alas, she has drowned! Laertes: Adieu, my lord. I have a speech o fire that fain would blaze, but that this folly drowns it. King: Lets follow, Gertrude. How much I have to do to calm his rage. THE END