Act 3
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Take these again, for to the noble mind
Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind.
There, my lord.
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their value when the givers turn out not to be so nice. There, my
lord.
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HAMLET
105Ha, ha, are you honest?
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HAMLET Ha ha, are you good?
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OPHELIA My lord?
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OPHELIA Excuse me?
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HAMLET Are you fair?
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HAMLET Are you beautiful?
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OPHELIA What means your lordship?
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OPHELIA My lord, what are you talking about?
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HAMLET That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit
no discourse to your beauty.
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HAMLET I’m just saying that if you’re good and
beautiful, your goodness should have nothing to do with your
beauty.
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OPHELIA Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than with
honesty?
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OPHELIA But could beauty be related to anything better than
goodness?
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HAMLET Ay, truly, for the power of beauty will sooner transform
honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of honesty
can translate beauty into his likeness. This was sometime a
paradox, but now the time gives it proof. I did love you
once.
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HAMLET Sure, since beauty’s power can more easily change a
good girl into a whore than the power of goodness can change a
beautiful girl into a virgin. This used to be a great puzzle, but
now I’ve solved it. I used to love you.
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OPHELIA Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.
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OPHELIA You certainly made me believe you did, my lord.
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HAMLET You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so
inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I loved you
not.
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HAMLET You shouldn’t have believed me, since we’re
all rotten at the core, no matter how hard we try to be virtuous. I
didn’t love you.
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OPHELIA I was the more deceived.
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OPHELIA Then I guess I was misled.
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HAMLET Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of
sinners? I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could
accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had
not borne me.
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HAMLET Get yourself to a
convent“Nunnery” could mean either convent or brothel. convent at once. Why would you want to give birth to more sinners? I’m fairly good myself, but even so I could accuse myself of such horrible crimes that it would’ve been better if my mother had never given birth to me. and |
More Help
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Character List
CHARACTERS -
Hamlet: Character Analysis
CHARACTERS -
Plot Analysis
MAIN IDEAS -
Is Hamlet really mad?
MAIN IDEAS -
Quotes by Theme
QUOTES -
Themes
MAIN IDEAS -
Review Quiz
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