by C.J. B.
Scene 5
(somewhere inside the castle)
Enter Queen, Horatio and a Gentleman
Queen I will not speak with her.
Gentleman She is making persistent requests and is indeed distraught. She deserves our pity.
Queen What is it she wants?
Gentleman She speaks much of her father, says she hears there are strange things going on, and exhibits a depressed and distracted state of mind, becoming highly irritated at even the most trivial of matters. She speaks of things in a rather vague and ambiguous style that makes only partial sense, things that would seem to hold little, if any, real meaning. People, nevertheless, are inclined to try and make sense of what she’s saying, though their efforts serve only to further confuse and entangle her words as they seek to impose their own ideas and interpretations. They suspect there is something to be uncovered, possibly some cause for disquiet, though nothing is certain.
Horatio It would be advisable to speak with her, she could prompt dangerous rumours; there are those who will cause trouble if they think there may be something going on.
Queen Let her come in.
Exit Gentleman
(aside) To my heavily stained soul, each toy seems a prologue to some great adversity. Guilt promotes such suspicion I am in constant fear of my offences being exposed.
Enter Ophelia.
Ophelia Where is the Queen of Denmark?
Queen How are you, Ophelia?
Ophelia (sings)
How should I your true love know
From another one?
By his cockle hat and staff
And his sandal shoes (the typical attire of a pilgrim).
Queen Alas, Ophelia, what is the occasion for this song?
Ophelia What are you saying? No, pray you listen. (sings)
He is dead and gone, lady,
He is dead and gone,
At his head a grass-green turf,
At his heels a stone.
O, ho!
Queen But Ophelia…..
Ophelia Pray you listen. (sings)
White his shroud as the mountain snow,
Enter King
Queen Alas, look here, my lord.
Ophelia (sings)
Larded with sweet flowers
Which bewept to the grave did not go
With true love showers.
King How do you do, pretty lady?
Ophelia Well, may Heaven reward you. They say the owl was a baker’s daughter (reference to a folk story). Lord, we know what we are, but know not what we may be (biblical allusion: 1 John (the first epistle of John): 3: 2: Beloved, we are sons of God even now, and what we shall be hereafter, has not been made known as yet). God be with you.
King She’s distressed over her father’s death.
Ophelia Pray let’s have no word of this, but when they ask you what it means, say you this. (sings)
Tomorrow is Saint Valentine’s day,
All in the morning betime,
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.
Then up he rose and donned his clothes,
And opened the chamber door,
Let in the maid that out a maid
Never departed more.
King Pretty Ophelia…..
Ophelia Indeed, without an oath, I’ll make an end on it. (sings)
By Jesus and by Saint Charity,
Alack and fie for shame,
Young men will do it if they come to it-
By God, they are to blame.
Quoth she, ‘before you tumbled me,
You promised me to wed.’
He answers: ‘so would I have done, by yonder sun,
And thou had not come to my bed.’
King How long has she been like this?
Ophelia I hope all will be well. We must be patient. Yet I cannot help but weep to think they would lay him in the cold ground. My brother shall know of it. And so I thank you for your good counsel. Come, my coach (calls to her coachman). Good night, ladies, good night. Sweet ladies, good night, good night.
Exit Ophelia
King Follow her; watch her closely, I pray you (to Horatio).
Exit Horatio
O, this is the poison of deep grief, the destructive effect it has upon a person. It all springs from her father’s death. Look what it has done to her. O Gertrude, Gertrude; when sorrows come, they come not alone, but in battalions, as if to overwhelm us. First her father slain, then your son gone; though by virtue of his troublesome and offensive, even dangerous, behaviour, the author of his own just removal; the people left not knowing what to believe. Inevitably, all of this has given rise to rumours and ideas of a suspicious nature that could be damaging to me. Regarding Polonius’ death, it was unwise for us to inter him so secretly, covering up the affair as we did. Poor Ophelia driven to distraction and deprived of a sense of reason, without which we are mere beasts. On top of all this, and just as importantly, her brother is returning in secret from France. No doubt stunned and bewildered, what has happened to his father has become a consuming preoccupation with him, his demeanour detached and distant. He doesn’t want people promoting scandalous and discreditable reports concerning his father’s death, in respect to which, since few of the facts have been made known, there’s nothing to prevent him arraigning me and telling person after person that I am responsible. O my dear Gertrude, this is a terrible state of affairs. There may be disastrous repercussions for us all.
A noise is heard outside the room
Attend! Where are my guards? Have them guard the door.
Enter a Messenger
What’s going on?
Messenger Save yourself, my lord. The surging ocean, flooding land at high tide, does not move with greater force and intensity than the impetuous approach of the hot-blooded young Laertes presently heading this way. He’s in a riotous and uncontrollable state, having overpowered your guards. A band of armed rebels accompanies him, a mob whose loyalty and obedience he commands. Almost as if the dawn of a new age were upon us, our old ways forgotten, our customs and traditions, upon which our law and civilisation depends, discarded, they cry: ‘we claim our right to choose! Laertes shall be king’. There are scenes of caps being tossed high into the air to rapturous applause and cheering. They want him elected king.
Queen How devotedly they follow such a hopeless cause. Their disloyal and subversive action is totally misguided. You false Danish dogs.
A noise is heard outside the room
King They’ve broken through the doors.
Enter Laertes with Followers
Laertes Where is the King? Sirs, all of you remain outside the room.
Followers No, let us come in.
Laertes I pray you let me confront the King alone.
Followers We will.
Laertes I thank you. Watch the door.
Exit Followers
O thou vile King, give me my father.
Queen Calm yourself, Laertes (holding him).
Laertes With any less fire in my veins I would be unworthy of my father. My mother is left without her husband, free to be unfaithful to him, besmirched in spite of the fact that it is not within her nature to dishonour my father.
King For what reason, Laertes, is your defiance towards me, your insurrection, so impassioned and aggressive? Let him go, Gertrude. Do not fear for me. A king enjoys the privilege of Divine protection, so much so that treason is inherently predestined to fail. Little of what is intended by such a cause will be realised. Tell me, Laertes, why are you so incensed? Let him go, Gertrude. Speak, man.
Laertes Where is my father?
King Dead.
Queen But not by him.
King Let him explain what he wants of us.
Laertes How did he die? I will not be deceived. To Hell with al
legiance! Pledges of loyalty to my King can go to the blackest devil! Conscience and grace to the deepest pit! I dare damnation. I’ve come this far, I am no longer concerned by what may happen to me in either this world or the next; let come what comes, only I’ll revenge my father’s death most thoroughly.
King Who would stop you?
Laertes My will shall prevail above all else. As for the resources at my disposal, I’ll manage them so well that much will be achieved in spite of their limits.
King Laertes, if you desire to know the truth about your dear father, tell me, will your hunger for revenge permit you to take on anyone, no matter who they are, even if that should mean challenging someone you regard as a close friend?
Laertes I’ll go after whoever is to blame for my father’s death.
King Do you want to know their identity then?
Laertes To my father’s friends I’ll open my arms and embrace them with fervent warm-heartedness.
King Why, you speak like an admirable son and a true gentleman. That I am guiltless of your father’s death and feel the most profound grief over it shall be as clear to your judgement as daylight to your eyes.
Ophelia is heard singing
Let her come in.
Laertes What is that noise?
Enter Ophelia
O, the heat can dry up my brains, tears burn out my eyes. By Heaven, I will avenge your suffering until our retribution outweighs our burden. Dear maid, kind sister, sweet Ophelia, O Heavens, is it possible that a young maid’s sanity is as vulnerable as an old man’s life? Love is nature at its finest, and where there is genuine love, the beloved takes some precious part of it away with them when they are gone, taking away part of the other person.
Ophelia (sings)
They bore him barefaced on the bier,
And in his grave rained many a tear.
Farewell, my dove.
Laertes Even if you had your wits and were to impel me to revenge, it could not make my desire for it burn any more intensely.
Ophelia (addressing bystanders) You must sing ‘a - down a - down’, and you ‘call him a - down - a’. O, how the varied rhythm becomes it! It is about the disloyal steward that stole his master’s daughter.
Laertes These nonsensical words would seem to hold some deeper meaning.
Ophelia There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember. And there are pansies; that’s for thoughts. (she distributes the various herbs and flowers to those around her)
Laertes A lesson in madness. Such thoughts and remembrances are fitting to my father.
Ophelia Then there’s fennel for you, and columbines. There’s rue for you. And here’s some for me. We may call it herb of grace on Sundays. You must wear your rue with a difference. There’s a daisy. I would give you some violets but they all withered when my father died. They say he died a good death. (sings)
For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy.
Laertes Even enduring this sadness and affliction, Hell itself she turns to favour and to prettiness.
Ophelia (sings)
And will he not come again?
And will he not come again?
No, no, he is dead,
Go to thy death-bed,
He will never come again.
His beard was as white as snow,
All flaxen was his poll.
He is gone, he is gone,
And we cast away moan.
God have mercy on his soul.
And of all Christian souls. Goodbye.
Exit Ophelia
Laertes Do you see this, O God?
King Laertes, I must share in your grief or you deny me my right. Whatever you decide to do next, choose your wisest and most trusted associates and they shall judge between you and me. If they find that, whether by my own hand or through someone who has acted on my behalf, I am guilty of your father’s murder, I will relinquish my kingdom, my crown, my life, and everything I regard as my own, to you in compensation. But if not, be content to simply lend us your patience, and together we shall endeavour to satisfy your desire for the retribution you are due.
Laertes Let this be so. The way my father died, his clandestine burial - no memorial, no sword or hatchment over his tomb, no formal ceremony, no noble rite - cries to be heard as though from Heaven to Earth. I must have answers.
King So you shall. Upon whoever is responsible for the offence, let the full weight of our vengeance fall. I pray you join with me.