Of all their conference. If not for them, he suggests, they would've made plans with Hamlet, but as it stands, he seemed happy enough to make plans for himself, without his "friends.". Madam, it so fell out that certain players. She'll be back again soon. But come, Here, as before, never, so help you mercy, How strange or odd soeer I bear myself (As I perchance hereafter shall think meet To put an antic disposition on), That you, at such times seeing me, never shall With arms encumbered thus, or this headshake, Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase, As Well, well, we know, or We could an if we would, Or If we list to speak, or There be an if they might, Or such ambiguous giving out to note That you know aught of me. Hamlet answers his question with another question, asking if anyone would bother to work so hard or "bear" the "fardels" of life if they weren't afraid of what would happen to them after they die. Notice that Claudius seems pleased to hear that Hamlet wants to engage in a social activity like seeing a play. I think I smell the morning air. Why, right, you are in the right. Are you down there, my trusty fellow? So, uncle, there you are. What a miner you are!. I must speak quickly. Hamlet expresses (in a soliloquy) that he wants to die but the fear of what comes after death stops him. If I werent forbidden to tell you the secrets of purgatory, I could tell you stories that would cut up your soul, freeze your blood. Dont have an account? On his way to the ship, Hamlet meets a captain of the Norwegian army, marching to invade Poland (fighting over sth worthless for honor). PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. But you can make up for it. Nummer 5 2016; Nummer 4 2016; Nummer 3 2016; Nummer 2 2016; Nummer 1 2016; Tidningen i PDF; Redaktionskommittn; Frfattaranvisningar; Till SKF; Sk; hamlet act 3, scene 3 line 92 memejennifer Hamlet wonders why anyone would suffer the injustices of the world or the reproach ("contumely," scorn, derision) of a proud man when he could simply take his own life ("might his quietus make"). LitCharts Teacher Editions. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! If you ever loved your dear father. My lord, we didnt need a ghost returning from the grave to tell us that. HAMLET Oh no, poor ghost! This not to do, So grace and mercy at your most need help you, Swear. But another interpretation of Gertrudes character seems to be that she has a powerful instinct for self-preservation and advancement that leads her to rely too deeply on men. She tells them to meet with Macbeth in the morning, and theyll tell him everything he wants to know about his future. This one is his mother, Gertrude. Polonius plans to hide in order to eavesdrop on Gertrudes confrontation with her son, in the hope that doing so will enable him to determine the cause of Hamlets bizarre and threatening behavior. Leave her fate to God, and to the sting of her own guilt. O villain, villain, smiling, damnd villain! But the secrets of purgatory must not be told to mortals. To a nunnery. These are but wild and whirling words, my lord. Many writers have written of this "undiscover'd country," including Dante in his Inferno, where the narrator travels through the underworld, guided by the Roman poet Virgil. The glass of fashion and the mould of form. To the audience, this will be very conspicuous and the two spies' reactions will be plainly visible, but Hamlet's back will be to them, so he won't notice. Never to speak of what youve seen. Nay, come, lets go together. Speak. Notice that Polonius uses the word "show" to reinforce that this is a performance. In Shakespeare's time, a "nunnery" could be either a convent for nuns or a brothel for prostitutes. A hall in Elsinore castle. But wait. Theres neer a villain dwelling in all Denmark, There needs no ghost, my lord, come from the grave. The ghost intones that it has come to remind Hamlet of his purpose, that Hamlet has not yet killed Claudius and must achieve his revenge. Shakespeare never established how much time passed between Act I and Act II and here implies that it's been a number of days, perhaps even weeks. One of Shakespeare's more famous lines, and the one that most eloquently encapsulates Hamlet's predicament: "to be, or not to be" asks whether it is better to live or die, and whether or not to commit suicide even though it's a mortal sin. WebHAMLET: Now might I do it pat, now he is praying; And now I'll do't. Of course, Hamlet has been doing just that, so one answer to that question is revenge. The thin and wholesome blood. And each particular hair to stand on end. Hamlet seems determined to get vengeance for the ghost of his father as quickly as he canan impulse that will soon be flattened as Hamlet starts actually reckoning with the demands and moral implications of revenge. Wheres my notebook? He took my father grossly, full of bread, Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pitch and moment, With this regard their currents turn awry. So lust, though to a radiant angel linked. To die, to sleep, The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks, That flesh is heir to. As the ghost reappears to back up Hamlets demands, it becomes clear that the ghost can show up any time it likesand wants to reinforce just how hungry it is for vengeance. According to David Crystal and Ben Crystal, authors ofThe Shakespeare Miscellany, any scene divisions after Act 2, Scene 2 are artificial. Death and the Yorick Scene The frailty of human existence haunts Hamlet throughout the play and its a theme he returns to in Act 5, Scene 1: the iconic graveyard scene. He interrupts her and says that she has offended his father, meaning the dead King Hamlet, by marrying Claudius. And convoy is assistant, do not sleep, But let me hear from you. Oh, fie! WebHamlet is one of Shakespeare's tragedies. Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. The fencing match, and the deaths of Laertes, Queen, King, Hamlet. For your desire to know what is between us, Oermaster t as you may. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Im going to fly away now. -Graham S. Hamlets madness is, and has long been, the subject of much scrutiny as the play has been studied throughout the years. WebAct 3, scene 3. The ghost tells of how Claudius snuck into his garden while he was taking his accustomed afternoon nap and poured poison into his ear, killing him most painfully and sending his soul unpurified into the afterlife. The ghost demands vengeance, telling Hamlet not to plot against his mother, whom he describes as merely weak and lustful, but to Methinks I scent the morning air. So did it mine. fool nowhere but in's own house. Noting that Gertrude is amazed and unable to see him, the ghost asks Hamlet to intercede with her. With his evil wit and traitorous giftsoh wicked wit and gifts, that have the power to seduce!he convinced my seemingly virtuous queen to give in to his lust. Courtiers and noblemen would model their behavior on that of the royal family. My tables!Meet it is I set it down That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain. Will be some danger; which for to prevent, Thus set it down: he shall with speed to England. WebScene III The king asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to take Hamlet along with them to England. Naturally, they don't want him to know that, so they omit their failure in that regard. Claudius hopes that getting out of Denmark and essentially going on vacation will ease Hamlet's mind. In Gertrudes chamber, the queen and Polonius wait for Hamlets arrival. Of course, the audience knows the reverse to be true, and we can see in this lie that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are trying to protect themselves, for fear that Claudius will plot against them, too. That it went hand in hand even with the vow, I made to her in marriage, and to decline, Upon a wretch whose natural gifts were poor. I should write down that one can smile and smile, and still be a villain. For Gertrude, then, the scene progresses as a sequence of great shocks, each of which weakens her resistance to Hamlets condemnation of her behavior. If I werent forbidden to tell you the secrets of purgatory, I could tell you stories that would cut up your soul, freeze your blood, make your eyes bulge from their sockets, and your hair stand on end like the quills of a frightened porcupine. Hamlet will parrot this specific language later on, as his fury with both Claudius and the queen continues to grow. If Hamlet were to die so soon after his father, it would call both of their deaths into question, so Claudius must be careful. Now, Hamlet, listen. "Niggard" means stingy and, in this case, means that Hamlet didn't ask any questions but answered all of theirs. Hamlet intends to obey this commend, but nevertheless blames her for marrying Claudius, which he finds to be a revolting and incestuous act. Ophelia, meanwhile, will know the spies are there and will naturally feel very self-conscious. Ill spend tonight planning a terrible end for this business. Oh, curse the fact that Im the one who has to set things right! WebHamlet states that he himself is a sinner, like all menit would be better if he had never been born, and even suggests that the world is full of arrant knaves, all who should be But if you mouth it, as many. He has no problem with the immorality of robbing a man of his salvation. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Yes, by heaven! Aha, do you say so, boy? I was sent to death with all my sins still on my head. Now to my word. While all of these are possibilities, what Hamlet actually does is urge his mother to repent choosing Claudius over his own father. Refine any search. And for Contact us The ghost uses strong language as it rails against Claudiuss lustful and obscene designs on both the throne and Gertrude, wholeheartedly confirming Claudiuss immorality. Yes, Ill wipe clean my memory of all unimportant facts, all the wise sayings of books, all images and impressions from my youth, so that your commandment alone will live there. He urges her as well not to reveal to Claudius that his madness has been an act. 4 And he to England shall along with you: 5 The terms of our estate may not endure. Would heart of man once think it?But youll be secret? O all you host of heaven! This ploy on Hamlet's part backfires in the sense that it only makes Claudius more suspicious of his intentions and makes the king more determined to get him out of the way by any means necessary. In other words, Rosencrantz says that they were interrupted by the group of players (actors) that arrived in the middle of the scene. Ophelia, in her madness, sings Bawdy songs. Or he may feel that he needs her on his side if he is to achieve justice. Now to my word. Claudius and Polonius will be spying on Hamlet from one end of the stage while he and Ophelia speak at the other. 3 I your commission will forthwith dispatch, 3. Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind. Brief let me be. From me, whose love was of that dignity That it went hand in hand even with the vow I made to her in marriage, and to decline Upon a wretch whose natural gifts were poor To those of mine. that you know anything about what happened to me here tonight. In Christian theology, humans are born with original sin: the residual guilt of Eve eating the apple from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. If thou didst ever thy dear father love. Remember me. I your dispatch: I will have your commission drawn up immediately. O earth! Or it may be that Hamlet wants to know whether she was complicit in the crime. Go thy ways to a nunnery. Once more remove, good friends. Hamlet lifts the arras and discovers Poloniuss body: he has not killed the king and achieved his revenge but has murdered the relatively innocent Polonius. mother had not borne me. Without any evidence, Claudius already suspects that Hamlet's madness is performative or "put on," a tactic that he's using to confuse everyone around him. Hamlet wants Ophelia to remember him in her prayers (presumably so that God will hear them and forgive him). Here stands the man, good. 'tis a consummation. Important things must be done before noon. He later tells Ophelia to get thee to a nunnery.. Where's, Let the doors be shut upon him, that he may play the. Hamlet forces Gertrude to see how bad her relationship with Claudius is compared to H. Sr. Hamlet makes her promise to not have sex anymore and leaves with Polonius body. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. more. O Hamlet, what a falling off was there! Yes, that incestuous, adulterous beast. Never to speak of this that you have heard. Remember you? The way the content is organized, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in. Enter Laertes, and Ophelia, his sister. Thats right, old mole. Scene IV That roots itself in ease on Lethe wharf. The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely. Go to, I'll, no more on't! Those that are married alreadyall but. His self-esteem has fallen to the point that he can't see how brilliant his plan is. That is a lie that deceives all of Denmark. Ophelia's funeral.Act 5, Scene 2: Hamlet tells Horatio how he returned to Denmark . Gertrude refuses to see the girl, but Horatio points out that Ophelia's mental state may attract undue attention to herself and the crown. So the whole ear of Denmark, The serpent that did sting thy fathers life, I like your words. WebHamlet: Act 5, Scene 1 Elsinore. Im very sorry they offended you. What is Hamlet trying to do in his confrontation with his mother? The queen says his action was a rash and bloody deed, and Hamlet replies that it was almost as rash and bloody as murdering a king and marrying his brother (III.iv.2628). you, trippingly on the tongue. Distilled with my magic, that moondrop will raise spirits that will delude Macbeth. Come on, let's hurry up. Lets go back inside together. Fare thee well at once. I like your words. The expectancy and rose of the fair state. Yes, by heaven! range: i.e., I don't trust him, and it's not safe for me to let him do or say whatever comes into his mad mind. In this context, a devotional exercise, as from a religious book which Ophelia has here been instructed to read. Brief let me be. Did Gertrude have an affair with Claudius before he killed Hamlets father? He uses vulgar, graphic imagery of death and decay, saying the corpse of Polonius is now a feast for worms. Canst work i th earth so fast?A worthy pioneer! Rest, rest, perturbd spirit! Claudius summons Hamlet to demand where he has hidden Ps body. Dragging Poloniuss body behind him, Hamlet leaves his mothers room. He is begging his heart and his body to remain intact and standing, in order to Ah, ha, boy! Come on, you hear this fellow in the cellarage. Sayst thou so? [He calls out from under the stage] Swear! Fare thee well at once. He said, Remember me. Ive sworn I would. Oh, curse the fact that Im the one who has to set things right! With a bare bodkin? My lord, do as you please; Let his queen mother all alone entreat him. Hic et ubique? Hamlet accosts her with an almost violent intensity and declares his intention to make her fully aware of the profundity of her sin. [TO HORATIO and MARCELLUS] Lets move once more, my friends. In other words, Ophelia has used makeup to make herself a "new" face unlike the one God gave her at birth. Free trial is available to new customers only. * The Shakespeare Miscellany*. However, Claudius can't be entirely sure why and can't act until he's certain. [A room in the house of Polonius.] Oh, curses! They completely demystify Shakespeare. Ill silence me even here. Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard, A serpent stung me. In his passive, thoughtful mode, Hamlet is too beset by moral considerations and uncertainties to avenge his fathers death by killing Claudius, even when the opportunity is before him. So welcome it like a stranger. That patient merit of the unworthy takes. Act 2, Scene 1: A room in POLONIUS' house. HAMLET, within Mother, mother, mother! Gertrude wants to know whether or not Rosencrantz and Guildenstern treated Hamlet like their friend. Oh, all you angels of heaven! Now, Hamlet, hear. WebHamlet, on his way to talk to Gertrude, stumbles upon the scene. Methinks I scent the morning air. Instead, she distances herself from the plot, falling back on manners and decorum by asking whether or not Hamlet received (or treated) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern well. How does Hamlets view of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern change? In this line, we can clearly see a mother worrying for her child. Notice that Gertrude doesn't want to hear about Hamlet's madness or Claudius' plan to spy on him. Should I include hell too? If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not. WebSaying that he is the spirit of Hamlets father, he demands that Hamlet avenge King Hamlets murder at the hands of Claudius. May do, to express his love and friending to you. Should I include hell too? That is, nothing more. Hamlet's melancholy appears to be weighing on him, as Ophelia noted when she said Hamlet was "quite, quite down," as in depressed. All murder is awful, but this one was even more awful, startling, and unnatural. Yes, by Saint Patrick, but there is, Horatio. Act 3, Scene 2: Hamlet is capable of imitating King Claudius' cruelty. Ophelia, walk you here. A lot of offense. [To HORATIO and MARCELLUS] Come over here, gentlemen, and rest your hands once more on my sword. I hold it fit that we shake hands and part. Neither of them seem to understand that this is a veiled threat, and that if Polonius doesn't stay at home, his foolishness will get him in trouble. Why does Marcellus say, Something is rotten in the state of Denmark (1.4.94)? GHOST The hour has almost come when I must return to the torment of the flames of purgatory. Haste me to know t, that I, with wings as swift, And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed. When he sees Poloniuss corpse, Hamlet interprets his misdeed within the terms of retribution, punishment, and vengeance: Heaven hath pleased it so / To punish me with this, and this with me (III.iv.157158). Disbelieving, the queen exclaims, As kill a king! and Hamlet replies that she heard him correctly (III.iv.29). If death isn't really what he wants, then his revenge plan could end horribly for him. Oh, horrible, horrible, most horrible! Yea, from the table of my memory Ill wipe away all trivial fond records, All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past That youth and observation copied there, And thy commandment all alone shall live Within the book and volume of my brain, Unmixed with baser matter. A "bawd" is someone who trades in the sex industry, such as a pimp or a madam of a whorehouse. Ill wipe away all trivial fond records, All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past. So, with that, Id say that the best thing would be for us to shake hands and go our separate ways. WebHamlet Scene 1 Summary and Analysis Act V: Scene 1 Glossary Clowns rustics. Not only does this interpretation explain her behavior throughout much of the play, it also links her thematically to Ophelia, the plays other important female character, who is also submissive and utterly dependent on men. Let us go in together, And still your fingers on your lips, I pray. In the First Folio, six plays**open with "Actus Primus -- Scoena Prima," [but then] contain no further divisionsIn these plays, the only way we know a new scene begins is when the stage has been left empty. Thus, this line reads that sleep (or death) might just be a dream (or an ambition), and that it might not be as peaceful or as easy as he hopes. Remember me. Metaphorically speaking, this new face is a kind of performance, and Hamlet looks down on it as a kind of purposeless deceit that has no real cause other than to catch and deceive a man. thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape. To a nunnery, I have heard of your paintings too, well enough. It is possible that he wants her to confirm her knowledge of Claudiuss crime, to provide further proof of his guilt. Polonius tells Claudius of his plans to spy on Hamlets Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. WebThis is the scene in which Hamlet kills Polonius and confronts his mother about her actions. GHOST My hour is almost come 5 When I to sulfurous and tormenting flames Must render up myself. Get away from here, and meet me at the pit of Acheron in the morning. Subscribe now. But the secrets of purgatory must not be told to mortals. . Hamlet, realizing that someone is behind the arras and suspecting that it might be Claudius, cries, How now! The official story is that a poisonous snake bit me while I was sleeping in the orchard. Remember me. I have sworn t. Theres not a villain in Denmark who isnt a complete liar . I think I smell the morning air. WebSummary and Analysis Act IV: Scene 5 Summary A court gentleman reports that Ophelia has become pitiably insane. (80) O, this is hire and salary, not revenge! A hall in the Castle.] Soft you now! Woodstock: The Overlook Press, 2005. Polonius and the rest all arrange to have Hamlet and Ophelia meet, and then they will spy on them. Refine any search. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. make your eyes bulge from their sockets, and your hair stand on end like the quills of a frightened porcupine. Gertrude agrees, and Polonius hides behind an arras, or tapestry. Now I must fulfill my vow. And for the day confined to fast in fires, Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature, I could a tale unfold whose lightest word. Please wait while we process your payment. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. During the day, Im confined in the fires of purgatory, until those flames have burned away the sins I committed in my life. This suggests that Polonius knows that spying on Hamlet is wrong, but that he does it anyway because he wants to and because this sugaring over is second nature to him. As I was sleeping in the orchardas I used to do every afternoonyour uncle snuck up and poured a vial of henbane poison into my ear. And so, as I slept, my brother stole my life, my crown, and my queen. Why, right, you are right. If she find him not, To England send him; or confine him where. . Swear by my sword. Freud maintained that all men unconsciously desire their mothers in this way, and he called this the Oedipus Complex, after the character in Sophocles play who unwittingly murders his father and has several children by his own mother. Ay, there's the rub! Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. You can view our. But that I am forbid To tell the secrets of my prison house, I could a tale unfold whose lightest word Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood, Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres, Thy knotted and combind locks to part And each particular hair to stand on end, Like quills upon the fearful porpentine. Hes tempted to kill Claudius right now--after all, he has proof that the king is a murdererbut he realizes (Hamlet; Horatio; Osric; Lord; King; Queen; Laertes; Fortinbras; English Ambassadors; Attendants) He said, Remember me. Ive sworn I would. HAMLET Alas, poor ghost! WebAnalysis. Hamlet speculate on whose skill it is and how the persons wealth, rank, or accomplishments on earth dont matter at all after death. And you, my sinews, grow not instant old, Ay, thou poor ghost, whiles memory holds a seat. I find thee apt, And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed That roots itself in ease on Lethe wharf, Wouldst thou not stir in this. that there is, Horatio. But this most foul, strange and unnatural. Then well shift our ground. Recall that in Act I, Scene V, the Ghost of Hamlet's father asked him to spare Gertrude, because she's innocent. Polonius tells Claudius of his plans to spy on Hamlets I, Get thee to a nunnery! Web5 between Much heat and him. Ophelia knows that Hamlet was once a kind, considerate, intelligent scholar with a honeyed tongue and a strong sense of morality. Hamlet wouldn't have any reason or right to give Ophelia a dowry, but promises a terrible one in the form of an icy chastity that will ruin her marriage. But this eternal blazon must not be To ears of flesh and blood. And now, good friendsand you are friends, scholars, and soldiersdo me one small favor. Hamlet reminds his mother that he must sail to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, whom he says he will regard with suspicion, as though they were poisonous snakes, since he assumes that their loyalties are with Claudius, not with him. Art thou there, truepenny?Come on, you hear this fellow in the cellarage.Consent to swear. on 50-99 accounts. Summary: Act III, scene iii. Elsewhere in the castle, King Claudius speaks to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Badly shaken by the play and now considering Hamlets madness to be dangerous, Claudius asks the pair to escort Hamlet on a voyage to England and to depart immediately. They agree and leave to make preparations. Polonius enters and reminds the king of his plan to hide in Gertrudes (First Clown; Second Clown; Hamlet; Horatio; King; Queen; Laertes; Doctor of Divinity; Lords; Attendants) Hamlet: Act 5, Scene 2 Elsinore. Remember that Ophelia has been ordered to read a religious book and that she's pretending to be praying, or perhaps praying that this encounter with Hamlet goes well. With his evil wit and traitorous giftsoh wicked wit and gifts, that have the power to seduce!he convinced my seemingly virtuous queen to give in to his lust. QUEEN GERTRUDE What would she have? So it did to mine. O most pernicious woman! WebI don't trust him, and it's not safe for me to let him do or say whatever comes into his mad mind. 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[email protected]. And for your part Ophelia, I do wish That your good beauties be the happy cause Of Hamlets wildness. As for me,ll go and pray. Of course, Gertrude is convinced mainly by Hamlets insistence and power of feeling, illustrating what many readers have felt to be her central characteristic: her tendency to be dominated by powerful men and her need for men to show her what to think and how to feel. In general, "assay" means to challenge or test, but in this context it means to challenge to a game or a bit of friendly sport. That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain. But listen carefully to what I have to say. WebHAMLET: To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune (65) Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them. for a group? The time is out of joint. Hamlet pretends to take Ophelia's word that Polonius is at home, but knows that she's lying. Her loneliness, then, is twofold: she's technically alone and also spiritually lonely, because she's faking her connection with God and has ruined her relationship with Hamlet. And therefore as a stranger give it welcome. It is a play about a young prince who sets out to uncover and then avenge the murder of his father, spurred on by his fathers ghost. [Elsinore. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Though Gertrudes speech in this scene is largely limited to brief reactions to Hamlets lengthy denunciations of her, it is our most revealing look at her character. Oh, everyone on earth! PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Nor do we find him forward to be sounded, When we would bring him on to some confession. Hamlet may also be speaking metaphorically, saying that women make men into monsters or terrible people with their dishonest ways and their deceptive beauty. Listen, listen, oh, listen! Argal, he that is not guilty of his own death shortens not his own life. Me, the source of all your magic and all our evil plans. God. Polonius calls for help from behind the curtain and Hamlet stabs him. WebWe may of their encounter frankly judge, And gather by him, as he is behaved, Ift be thaffliction of his love or no That thus he suffers for. Dont I have good reason, you impudent hags? Act 3, Scene 1: A room in the castle. But however you attempt to get revenge, dont allow your mind or soul to contemplate harming your mother. Hell reject his fate and laugh at death, and his hopes will outweigh his wisdom and fear of dying. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. WebAct 1, Scene 5: Another part of the platform. This alleviates some of his suspicion, but not all. A bare bodkin is an unsheathed dagger or blade. Im not going any farther. O villain, villain, smiling, damnd villain! Hamlet describes the ghost, but Gertrude sees nothing, and in a moment the ghost disappears. Madness in great ones must not unwatch'd go. This something-settled matter in his heart, Whereon his brains still beating puts him thus. Here, Hamlet uses the plural "you" to refer to all women, who make men into "monsters" or cuckolds (men whose wives have cheated on them). You say so, but can you promise youll keep the secret?