| You must not put another scandal on him… Of general assault | Polonius to Reynaldo. Don’t make him seem horrible, just comment on his faults slightly, make him seem like too much of a free spirit |
| He took me by the wrist and held me hard… He falls to such perusal of my face | Ophelia to Polonius. He grabbed my wrist and held me an arm’s length away and observed me with one hand over his forehead |
| But we both obey… To be commanded | Guildenstern to the King and Queen. We will obey you, our services are entirely under your command. |
| I doubt it is no other but the main, His father’s death and our o’erhasty marriage | Queen to King. I think it is the obvious reason, that his father died and we married quick |
| Makes vow before his uncle never more, To give th’assay of arms against your majesty | Valtemand to Polonius, King and Queen. He swore to never threaten your kingdom again |
| More matter with less art | Queen Gertrude to Polonius. Stick to the point |
| Excellent well, you are a fishmonger | Hamlet to Polonius. Of course, you sell fish. |
| Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t | Polonius to himself. There is method to his madness |
| You cannot take from me sir anything… except my life | Hamlet to Polonius. You can’t take anything from me that I couldn’t care less about, except my life |
| Why then ’tis none to you… to me it is a prison | Hamlet to Rosencrantz. It isn’t anything to you, nothing is good or bad, it’s just how people see it and to me, Denmark is prision |
| What is this quintessence of dust? | Hamlet to Rosencrantz. Are we anything more than dust? |
| That great baby you see there is not yet out of his swaddling clouts | Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Polonius. This big baby is still in diapers |
| And never did the Cyclops hammers fall… Now falls on Priam | First Player. Cyclops making armor was never as merciless at Pyrrhus is to Priam |
| What’s Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba | Hamlet to himself. What does Hecuba mean to him or what does he mean to Hecuba |
| The play’s the thing, wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King | Hamlet to himself. The play is what will prove the king to be good or bad |
Hamlet Act II
September 4, 2019