Hamlet

by: William Shakespeare

Act 1 Scene 2

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Original Text	Modern Text
CLAUDIUS Have you your father’s leave? What says Polonius?	CLAUDIUS Do you have your father’s permission? What does Polonius say?
POLONIUS He hath, my lord, wrung from me my slow leave By laborsome petition, and at last 60Upon his will I sealed my hard consent. I do beseech you, give him leave to go.	POLONIUS My son has worn me down by asking me so many times. In the end I grudgingly consented. I beg you, let him go.
CLAUDIUS Take thy fair hour, Laertes. Time be thine, And thy best graces spend it at thy will.— But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son—	CLAUDIUS In that case, leave when you like, Laertes, and spend your time however you wish. I hereby grant your request, and hope you have a good time. And now, Hamlet, my nephew and my son—
HAMLET 65 (aside) A little more than kin and less than kind.	HAMLET (speaking so no one else can hear) Too many family ties there for me.
CLAUDIUS How is it that the clouds still hang on you?	CLAUDIUS Why are you still so gloomy, with a cloud hanging over you?
HAMLET Not so, my lord. I am too much i' the sun.	HAMLET It’s not true, sir. Your son is out in the sun.
GERTRUDE Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted color off, And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark. 70Do not forever with thy vailèd lids Seek for thy noble father in the dust. Thou know’st ’tis common. All that lives must die, Passing through nature to eternity.	GERTRUDE My dear Hamlet, stop wearing these black clothes, and be friendly to the king. You can’t spend your whole life with your eyes to the ground remembering your noble father. It happens all the time, what lives must die eventually, passing to eternity.
HAMLET Ay, madam, it is common.	HAMLET Yes, mother, it happens all the time.
GERTRUDE If it be, 75Why seems it so particular with thee?	GERTRUDE So why does it seem so particular to you?

Read the Summary of Act I, scene ii

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