No Fear Shakespeare – Hamlet (by SparkNotes) -1- Original Text Modern Text Act 1, Scene 1 Enter BARNARDO and FRANCISCO , two sentinels BARNARDO and FRANCISCO , two watchmen, enter. BARNARDO BARNARDO Who’s there? Who’s there? FRANCISCO FRANCISCO Nay, answer me. Stand and unfold yourself. No, who are you? Stop and identify yourself. BARNARDO BARNARDO Long live the king! Long live the king! FRANCISCO FRANCISCO Barnardo? Is that Barnardo? BARNARDO BARNARDO He. Yes, it’s me. FRANCISCO FRANCISCO You come most carefully upon your hour. You’ve come right on time. BARNARDO BARNARDO 5 'Tis now struck twelve. Get thee to bed, Francisco. The clock’s just striking twelve. Go home to bed, Francisco. FRANCISCO FRANCISCO For this relief much thanks. 'Tis bitter cold, Thanks for letting me go. It’s bitterly cold out, and And I am sick at heart. I’m depressed. BARNARDO BARNARDO Have you had quiet guard? Has it been a quiet night? FRANCISCO FRANCISCO Not a mouse stirring. I haven’t even heard a mouse squeak. BARNARDO BARNARDO Well, good night. Well, good night. If you happen to see Horatio If you do meet Horatio and Marcellus, and Marcellus, who are supposed to stand guard 10 The rivals of my watch, bid them make haste. with me tonight, tell them to hurry. FRANCISCO FRANCISCO I think I hear them.—Stand, ho! Who’s there? I think I hear them. —Stop! Who’s there? Enter HORATIO and MARCELLUS MARCELLUS and HORATIO enter. Act 1, Scene 1, Page 2 HORATIO HORATIO Friends to this ground. Friends of this country. MARCELLUS MARCELLUS And liegemen to the Dane. And servants of the Danish king. FRANCISCO FRANCISCO Give you good night. Good night to you both. MARCELLUS MARCELLUS O, farewell, honest soldier. Who hath relieved you? Good-bye. Who’s taken over the watch for you? FRANCISCO FRANCISCO Barnardo has my place. Give you good night. Barnardo’s taken my place. Good night. Exit FRANCISCO FRANCISCO exits. MARCELLUS MARCELLUS 15 Holla, Barnardo. Hello, Barnardo. BARNARDO BARNARDO Say what, is Horatio there? Hello. Is Horatio here too? No Fear Shakespeare – Hamlet (by SparkNotes) -2- Original Text Modern Text HORATIO HORATIO A piece of him. More or less. BARNARDO BARNARDO Welcome, Horatio.—Welcome, good Marcellus. Welcome, Horatio. Welcome, Marcellus. MARCELLUS MARCELLUS What, has this thing appeared again tonight? So, tell us, did you see that thing again tonight? BARNARDO BARNARDO 20 I have seen nothing. I haven’t seen anything. MARCELLUS MARCELLUS Horatio says ’tis but our fantasy Horatio says we’re imagining it, and won’t let And will not let belief take hold of him himself believe anything about this horrible thing Touching this dreaded sight twice seen of us. that we’ve seen twice now. That’s why I’ve Therefore I have entreated him along begged him to come on our shift tonight, so that if 25 With us to watch the minutes of this night, the ghost appears he can see what we see and That if again this apparition come speak to it. He may approve our eyes and speak to it. HORATIO HORATIO Tush, tush, ’twill not appear. Oh, nonsense. It’s not going to appear. Act 1, Scene 1, Page 3 BARNARDO BARNARDO Sit down a while Sit down for a while, and we’ll tell you again the And let us once again assail your ears, story you don’t want to believe, about what we’ve 30 That are so fortified against our story, seen two nights now. What we have two nights seen. HORATIO HORATIO Well, sit we down, Well, let’s sit down and listen to Barnardo tell us. And let us hear Barnardo speak of this. BARNARDO BARNARDO Last night of all, Last night, when that star to the west of the North When yond same star that’s westward from the pole Star had traveled across the night sky to that 35 Had made his course t' illume that part of heaven point where it’s shining now, at one o'clock, Where now it burns, Marcellus and myself, Marcellus and I— The bell then beating one— Enter GHOST The GHOST enters. MARCELLUS MARCELLUS Peace, break thee off. Look where it comes again! Quiet, shut up! It’s come again. BARNARDO BARNARDO In the same figure like the king that’s dead. Looking just like the dead king. MARCELLUS MARCELLUS 40 (to HORATIO ) Thou art a scholar. Speak to it, (to HORATIO ) You’re well-educated, Horatio. Say Horatio. something to it. BARNARDO BARNARDO Looks it not like the king? Mark it, Horatio. Doesn’t he look like the king, Horatio? HORATIO HORATIO Most like. It harrows me with fear and wonder. Very much so. It’s terrifying. BARNARDO BARNARDO It would be spoke to. It wants us to speak to it. MARCELLUS MARCELLUS Question it, Horatio. Ask it something, Horatio. No Fear Shakespeare – Hamlet (by SparkNotes) -3- Original Text Modern Text HORATIO HORATIO What art thou that usurp’st this time of night What are you, that you walk out so late at night, 45 Together with that fair and warlike form looking like the dead king of Denmark when he In which the majesty of buried Denmark dressed for battle? By God, I order you to speak. Did sometimes march? By heaven, I charge thee, speak. Act 1, Scene 1, Page 4 MARCELLUS MARCELLUS It is offended. It looks like you’ve offended it. BARNARDO BARNARDO See, it stalks away. Look, it’s going away. HORATIO HORATIO Stay! Speak, speak! I charge thee, speak! Stay! Speak! Speak! I order you, speak! Exit GHOST The GHOST exits. MARCELLUS MARCELLUS 50 'Tis gone and will not answer. It’s gone. It won’t answer now. BARNARDO BARNARDO How now, Horatio? You tremble and look pale. What’s going on, Horatio? You’re pale and Is not this something more than fantasy? trembling. You agree now that we’re not What think you on ’t? imagining this, don’t you? What do you think about it? HORATIO HOR ATIO Before my God, I might not this believe I swear to God, if I hadn’t seen this with my own 55 Without the sensible and true avouch eyes I’d never believe it. Of mine own eyes. MARCELLUS MARCELLUS Is it not like the king? Doesn’t it look like the king? HORATIO HORATIO As thou art to thyself. Yes, as much as you look like yourself. The king Such was the very armour he had on was wearing exactly this armor when he fought 60 When he the ambitious Norway combated. the king of Norway. And the ghost frowned just So frowned he once when, in an angry parle, like the king did once when he attacked the He smote the sledded Polacks on the ice. Poles, traveling on the ice in sleds. It’s weird. 'Tis strange. MARCELLUS MARCELLUS Thus twice before, and jump at this dead hour, It’s happened like this twice before, always at this 65 With martial stalk hath he gone by our watch. exact time. He stalks by us at our post like a warrior. HORATIO HORATIO In what particular thought to work I know not, I don’t know exactly how to explain this, but I But in the gross and scope of mine opinion have a general feeling this means bad news for This bodes some strange eruption to our state. our country. Act 1, Scene 1, Page 5 MARCELLUS MARCELLUS Good now, sit down and tell me, he that knows, All right, let’s sit down and discuss that question. 70 Why this same strict and most observant watch Somebody tell me why this strict schedule of So nightly toils the subject of the land, guards has been imposed, and why so many And why such daily cast of brazen cannon bronze cannons are being manufactured in And foreign mart for implements of war, Denmark, and so many weapons bought from No Fear Shakespeare – Hamlet (by SparkNotes) -4- Original Text Modern Text Why such impress of shipwrights, whose sore task abroad, and why the shipbuilders are so busy 75 Does not divide the Sunday from the week. they don’t even rest on Sunday. Is something What might be toward, that this sweaty haste about to happen that warrants working this night Doth make the night joint laborer with the day? and day? Who can explain this to me? Who is ’t that can inform me? HORATIO HORATIO That can I. I can. Or at least I can describe the rumors. As At least, the whisper goes so: our last king, you know, our late king, whom we just now saw 80 Whose image even but now appeared to us, as a ghost, was the great rival of Fortinbras, king Was, as you know, by Fortinbras of Norway, of Norway. Fortinbras dared him to battle. In that Thereto pricked on by a most emulate pride, fight, our courageous Hamlet (or at least that’s Dared to the combat; in which our valiant Hamlet how we thought of him) killed old King (For so this side of our known world esteemed him) Fortinbras, who—on the basis of a valid legal 85 Did slay this Fortinbras, who by a sealed compact document—surrendered all his territories, along Well ratified by law and heraldry, with his life, to his conqueror. If our king had lost, Did forfeit, with his life, all those his lands he would have had to do the same. But now old Which he stood seized of to the conqueror, Fortinbras’s young son, also called Fortinbras— Against the which a moiety competent he is bold, but unproven—has gathered a bunch 90 Was gagèd by our king, which had returned of thugs from the lawless outskirts of the country.