HamletS--Theatrical Performance Archive

THE TEXT:

The Nunnery Scene in HamletS

Key to Script

8 Hamlets:

T—Theater Hamlet
A – Action Hamlet
R – Romantic Hamlet
M – Madman Hamlet
S – Scholar
P – Prince
D – Adolescent
G – Strategist

(T)--POLONIUS
I loose my daughter to him;
Be you and I behind an arras then.
[to CLAUDIUS] Gracious, so please you,
We will bestow ourselves.

[They dispose themselves under OPHELIA’s skirt]

(T)--POLONIUS
Read on this book;
That show of such an exercise may color your loneliness.

[CLAUDIUS HIDES, and POLONIUS place Ophelia on the plinth. POLONIUS AND CLAUDIUS get between her legs, and pick her up like playing “chicken.” With THEIR faces clearly visible to HAMLET through this next scene. When THEY get too tired, they throw her off their shoulders and make a puppet of her. At he end, they cast her onto the floor like a broken doll. HAMLET has his choice of playing the scene to whomever he pleases at any given time.]

R—HAMLET
Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember'd.

(M)--OPHELIA
Good my lord,
How does your honour for this many a day?

R--HAMLET
I humbly thank you; well, well, well.

(M)--OPHELIA
My lord, I have remembrances of yours,
That I have longed long to re-deliver;
I pray you, now receive them.

A--HAMLET
No, not I;
I never gave you aught.

(M)--OPHELIA
My honour'd lord, you know right well you did;
And, with them, words of so sweet breath composed
As made the things more rich: their perfume lost,
Take these again; for to the noble mind
Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind.
There, my lord.

D--HAMLET
Ha, ha! are you honest?

(M)--OPHELIA
My lord?

D--HAMLET
Are you fair?

(M)--OPHELIA
What means your lordship?

S--HAMLET
That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should
admit no discourse to your beauty.

(M)--OPHELIA
Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than
with honesty?

S--HAMLET
Ay, truly; for the power of beauty will sooner
transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the
force of honesty can translate beauty into his
likeness: this was sometime a paradox, but now the
time gives it proof.

S,D,R--HAMLETS
I did love you once.

(M)--OPHELIA
Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.

A--HAMLET
You should not have believed me; for virtue cannot
so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of
it: I loved you not.

(M)--OPHELIA
I was the more deceived.

G,R--HAMLET
Get thee to a nunnery:

A--HAMLET
why wouldst thou be a
breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest;
but yet I could accuse me of such things that it
were better my mother had not borne me: I am very
proud, revengeful,

G--HAMLET
ambitious, with more offences at
my beck than I have thoughts to put them in,
imagination to give them shape, or time to act them
in.

A--HAMLET
What should such fellows as I do crawling
between earth and heaven?

G,A--HAMLETS
We are arrant knaves,
all; believe none of us.

A--HAMLET
Go thy ways to a nunnery.

G--HAMLET
Where's your father?

(M)--OPHELIA
At home, my lord.

S--HAMLET
Let the doors be shut upon him, that he may play the
fool no where but in's own house. Farewell.

(M)--OPHELIA
O, help him, you sweet heavens!

R--HAMLET
If thou dost marry, I'll give thee this plague for
thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as
snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a
nunnery, go: farewell.

D--HAMLETS
Or, if thou wilt needs
marry, marry a fool;
for wise men know well enough
what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go,
and quickly too. Farewell.

(M)--OPHELIA
O heavenly powers, restore him!

A--HAMLET
I have heard of your paintings too, well enough; God
has given you one face, and you make yourselves
another: you jig, you amble, and you lisp, and
nick-name God's creatures, and make your wantonness
your ignorance. Go to, I'll no more on't; it hath
made me mad.

S--HAMLET
I say, we will have no more marriages:

A--HAMLET
those that are married already, all but one, shall
live; the rest shall keep as they are. To a
nunnery, go.

[CLAUDIUS AND POLONIUS throw OPHELIA onto like a broken doll. She is clearly unable to be mended ever again.]

(M)--OPHELIA
O, woe is me,
To have seen what I have seen, see what I see!

[HAMLET watches OPHELIA, CLAUDIUS, POLONIUS ]

[OPHELIA sees her father and the King speaking.]

(P)--CLAUDIUS [to POLONIUS]
He shall with speed to England

(T)--POLONIUS
It shall be so.

(P)--CLAUDIUS
Madness in great ones must not unwatch'd go.

M--HAMLET [broken]
This is I,
Hamlet the Dane!





Nunnery Scene in Hamlet		THE TEXT: The Nunnery Scene in HamletS Key to Script 8 Hamlets: T—Theater Hamlet A – Action Hamlet R – Romantic Hamlet M – Madman Hamlet S – Scholar P – Prince D – Adolescent G – Strategist (T)--POLONIUS I loose my daughter to him; Be you and I behind an arras then. [to CLAUDIUS] Gracious, so please you, We will bestow ourselves. [They dispose themselves under OPHELIA’s skirt] (T)--POLONIUS Read on this book; That show of such an exercise may color your loneliness. [CLAUDIUS HIDES, and POLONIUS place Ophelia on the plinth. POLONIUS AND CLAUDIUS get between her legs, and pick her up like playing “chicken.” With THEIR faces clearly visible to HAMLET through this next scene. When THEY get too tired, they throw her off their shoulders and make a puppet of her. At he end, they cast her onto the floor like a broken doll. HAMLET has his choice of playing the scene to whomever he pleases at any given time.] R—HAMLET Soft you now! The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons Be all my sins remember'd. (M)--OPHELIA Good my lord, How does your honour for this many a day? R--HAMLET I humbly thank you; well, well, well. (M)--OPHELIA My lord, I have remembrances of yours, That I have longed long to re-deliver; I pray you, now receive them. A--HAMLET No, not I; I never gave you aught. (M)--OPHELIA My honour'd lord, you know right well you did; And, with them, words of so sweet breath composed As made the things more rich: their perfume lost, Take these again; for to the noble mind Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind. There, my lord. D--HAMLET Ha, ha! are you honest? (M)--OPHELIA My lord? D--HAMLET Are you fair? (M)--OPHELIA What means your lordship? S--HAMLET That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty. (M)--OPHELIA Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than with honesty? S--HAMLET Ay, truly; for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness: this was sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof. S,D,R--HAMLETS I did love you once. (M)--OPHELIA Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so. A--HAMLET You should not have believed me; for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it: I loved you not. (M)--OPHELIA I was the more deceived. G,R--HAMLET Get thee to a nunnery: A--HAMLET why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest; but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me: I am very proud, revengeful, G--HAMLET ambitious, with more offences at my beck than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in. A--HAMLET What should such fellows as I do crawling between earth and heaven? G,A--HAMLETS We are arrant knaves, all; believe none of us. A--HAMLET Go thy ways to a nunnery. G--HAMLET Where's your father? (M)--OPHELIA At home, my lord. S--HAMLET Let the doors be shut upon him, that he may play the fool no where but in's own house. Farewell. (M)--OPHELIA O, help him, you sweet heavens! R--HAMLET If thou dost marry, I'll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery, go: farewell. D--HAMLETS Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool; for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go, and quickly too. Farewell. (M)--OPHELIA O heavenly powers, restore him! A--HAMLET I have heard of your paintings too, well enough; God has given you one face, and you make yourselves another: you jig, you amble, and you lisp, and nick-name God's creatures, and make your wantonness your ignorance. Go to, I'll no more on't; it hath made me mad. S--HAMLET I say, we will have no more marriages: A--HAMLET those that are married already, all but one, shall live; the rest shall keep as they are. To a nunnery, go. [CLAUDIUS AND POLONIUS throw OPHELIA onto like a broken doll. She is clearly unable to be mended ever again.] (M)--OPHELIA O, woe is me, To have seen what I have seen, see what I see! [HAMLET watches OPHELIA, CLAUDIUS, POLONIUS ] [OPHELIA sees her father and the King speaking.] (P)--CLAUDIUS [to POLONIUS] He shall with speed to England (T)--POLONIUS It shall be so. (P)--CLAUDIUS Madness in great ones must not unwatch'd go. M--HAMLET [broken] This is I, Hamlet the Dane!