Hamlet

by William Shakespeare

O that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!

Look thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportion’d thought his act.

‘Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth move; 125 Doubt truth to be a liar; But never doubt I love.

Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing you make of me! You would play upon me; you would seem to know 345 my stops; you would pluck out the heart of my mystery; you would sound me from my lowest note to the top of my compass; and there is much music, excellent voice, in this little organ, yet cannot you make it speak. ‘Sblood, do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe? Call me 350 what instrument you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me.

Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind.—

Mad as the sea and wind, when both contend

O, come away! My soul is full of discord and dismay.

Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returneth into dust; the dust is earth; of earth we make loam; and why of that 190 loam whereto he was converted might they not stop a beer-barrel? Imperious Caesar, dead and turn’d to clay, Might stop a hole to keep the wind away. O, that that earth which kept the world in awe Should patch a wall to expel the winter’s flaw! But soft! but soft!

Let Hercules himself do what he may, The cat will mew, and dog will have his day.