Act Two
Act
Two Scene Two
Sub
Scene Four
The
madman arrives.
Hamlet
was seen outside the chamber read on a book.
“But
look where sadly the poor wretch comes reading.” Gertrude smiled. “Like his
father, any reading was good material to him. He explores his mind.”
“Away,
I do beseech you both, be away.” Polonius turned to the Emperor and
Gertrude. “I’ll board him presently”
“Oh,
why should we?” Gertrude asked.
“Let
me be with him. I shall know more of his …ailment? O, give me leave. I am also
Ophelia’s father. Does he loves her or …”
“Yes,
we will leave him. He does have more to invest than us.” Claudius led Gertrude
to leave by the side door. Polonius took that moment to call in Hamlet. The
young Prince walked in and true to the description of the daughter, the young
Prince was dressed poorly with stains over his clothes. He held the book he was
reading over his thighs.
“How
does my good Lord Hamlet?”
“Well,
God-a-mercy. You scared me then.”
“Do
you know me, my lord?”
“ Excellent
well. You are a fishmonger.” Hamlet replied. “I could smell the fish in you.”
“Not
I, my lord. I am the Great Chamberlain.”
“Then
I would you were so honest a man.”
“Honest,
my lord?”
“Ay,
sir. To be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten
thousand.” Hamlet strikes out. “The single actor among all who is there; the
other actors, the crews, and the audience. Only one stands out honest, the real
actor. The others are all …acting their roles to be amused but not the honest
actor. He stands there to show himself as the one that deserves adoration.
Isn’t that honesty acknowledged?”
“That’s
very true, my lord. The real actor acts not but rehearsed the true role of the
character in its whole form, and honestly in its form.”
“For
if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being good kissing carrion…. Have you a
daughter, fishmonger?”
“I
have, my lord,” Polonius replied. “And I am no fishmonger.”
“Let
her not walk i’ th’ sun. Conception is a blessing, but, as your daughter may
conceive, friend, look to ’t. It may be the carrions that to her. Or you as the
fishmonger true in your role. Honestly, I think you reels in the fish to lay
them on the beach for all. The bitches on the beach by the monger.”
“How
say you by that? Still harping on my daughter. Yet he knew me not at first; he
said I was a fishmonger. I offered no fish to the market there.” Polonius
was upset. A fishmonger was the expression for the pimp who plays the girls to
offer their services for money.
“Does
he takes Ophelia for a whore? Insults after insults he plays on me. He is far
gone. And truly, in my youth, I suffered much extremity for love, to my
daughter, and very near this, he is not accepted by her, he chooses to insult
me.”
“I’ll
speak to him again.” Polonius annoyed and determined to win his way with words
then moved the subject from his daughter. “What do you read, my lord?”
“Words,
words, words.”
“What
is the matter, my lord?” Polonius pushes on. He likes words. It’s his life
learning about words “I mean the matter that you read, my lord.”
“Slanders,
sir; for the satirical rogue says here that old men have gray beards, that
their faces are wrinkled, their eyes purging thick amber and plum-tree
gum, and that they have a plentiful lack of wit, together with most weak hams;
all which, sir, though I most powerfully and potently believe, yet I hold it
not honesty to have it thus set down; for yourself, sir, shall grow old as
I am, if, like a crab, you could go backward.” Hamlet splashed out the words as
it comes to his mind.
“What
were you reading?” Polonius asked. To his mind, the young man may be reading an
amorous reading that will spike his urges to deflower Ophelia.
“Most
vile are my thoughts.” Polonius shook his head. “I must be ..”
“ Human
behavior is influenced by unconscious memories, thoughts, and urges,” Hamlet
replied cutting into the others’ strive for un-sinful thoughts.
“This
theory also proposes that the psyche comprises three aspects: the id, ego, and
superego. The id is entirely unconscious, while the ego operates in the
conscious mind.” Hamlet read the extract of his readings.
“What
madness are you reading? Polonius grabbed the book from Hamlet. “Sigmund Freud?
Who is he? What happened to your scripts? Shakespeare? Those are your
lifeline.”
“I
am researching my mind on the concept of love.” Hamlet looked at Polonius. “Do
you love me?”
“Goodness
prevails here. I do for I have …”
“But
we are of the same gender. How could we love each other? We are not blood-related.
Are you my son or father here?”
Polonius
decided to delve deeper and asks Hamlet what the words are about.
“It's
about how foolish and disgusting old men are.” Hamlet looked at the elderly
man. “Fishmonger indeed.”
“Though
this is madness, yet there is a method in ’t.—Will you walk out of the air, my
lord?” Polonius pushed to have some air into his mind.
“Into
my grave? Like a ghost.”
“Indeed,
that’s out of the air.” Polonius looked at Hamlet. His thoughts then were that
Hamlet is true with madness hits on, which reason and sanity could not so
prosperously be delivered of.
“I
will leave him and suddenly contrive the means of meeting between him and
my daughter,” Polonius said to himself. “I need to see my daughter.”
“My
lord, I will take my leave of you,” Polonius called to be excused.
“You
cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will more willingly part
withal—except my life ….. except for my life, ….. except for my life.”
“Fare
you well, my lord.” Polonius sighed. He is beginning to see that Hamlet is
speaking in double entendres—a suspicion that is confirmed when Hamlet says
he'd like to walk out of the fresh air and straight into his grave. Still,
Polonius doesn't fully understand what's going on here. He decides the best
thing to do is to proceed with his plan to send Ophelia to talk to Hamlet and
then spy on them to see what happens.
“Go
thou who is a tedious old fool,” Hamlet called out to Polonius. “Fishmonger.”
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