Hamlet

Act 3 Scene 2

Original Text	Modern Text
Oh, there be players that I have seen play and heard others praise (and that highly), not to speak it profanely, that, neither having th' accent of Christians nor the gait of Christian, pagan, nor man, have so strutted and bellowed that I have thought some of nature’s journeymen had made men and not made them well, they imitated humanity so abominably.	I’ve seen actors who are highly praised, but who—not to be too rude here—can’t even talk or walk like human beings. They bellow and strut about like weird animals that were made to look like men, but very badly.
FIRST PLAYER I hope we have reformed that indifferently with us, sir.	FIRST PLAYER I hope we’ve corrected that fault pretty well in our company, sir.
HAMLET O, reform it altogether! And let those that play your clowns speak no more than is set down for them, for there be of them that will themselves laugh to set on some quantity of barren spectators to laugh too, though in the meantime some necessary question of the play be then to be considered. That’s villainous, and shows a most pitiful ambition in the fool that uses it. Go, make you ready.	HAMLET Oh, correct it completely. Make sure that the clowns do not ad-lib, since some of them will make certain dumb audience members laugh mindlessly at them, while an important issue in the play needs to be addressed. It’s bad behavior for an actor, anyway, and displays a pitiful ambition to hog the limelight on stage.
Exeunt PLAYERS	The PLAYERS exit.
Enter POLONIUS, ROSENCRANTZ, and GUILDENSTERN	POLONIUS, GUILDENSTERN, and ROSENCRANTZ enter.
How now, my lord! Will the king hear this piece of work?	So, my lord, will the king be attending the performance?
POLONIUS And the queen too, and that presently.	POLONIUS Yes, he will, and the queen as well.
HAMLET Bid the players make haste.	HAMLET Tell the actors to hurry.
Exit POLONIUS	POLONIUS exits.
45Will you two help to hasten them?	Will you two help them get ready?
ROSENCRANTZ Ay, my lord.	ROSENCRANTZ Yes, my lord.
Exeunt ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN	ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN exit.
HAMLET What ho, Horatio!	HAMLET Well, hello there, Horatio!
Enter HORATIO	HORATIO enters.