Chapter 23 The inner hall of the Royal Palace of Elsinore

The king, the queen, Hamlet, the captain of the bodyguard, Polonius, his son Latis, and many attendants. king. "I'm sure you're all very tired. I'm sorry for the trouble. The old king died suddenly, and the tears were still wet. I, an incompetent person, succeeded me. This time, I'm married to Gertrude again. I feel ashamed both emotionally and reasonably. I'm sorry, but this is all for our Denmark. This is a decision made after various discussions between me and everyone. I think the king and my brother know it publicly. Considering our selfless concern for the country, he will forgive us. Add Recently, Denmark and Norway are at odds, which may lead to war at any time. The throne cannot be unoccupied for a day. Prince Hamlet was young and weak, so I followed the advice of others to ascend the throne. But my unworthy brother has neither the skill nor the virtue of the previous king. As you can see, the appearance is not good, and it is hard to believe that I and the late king are blood relatives. Whether I can bear this important task and resist foreign aggression makes me very uneasy; fortunately, the highly respected Princess Gertrude puts the country first and is willing to spend her whole life. Helping me, the foundation of the inner court has been laid firmly, and Denmark will surely be peaceful; everyone can rest for a while. It has been the second month since the death of the late king, but I still feel like I am in a dream. It is thanks to your virtuous advice that I can be safe until now. Big mistake. I’m really not good enough, and I will still rely on your loyalty in the future, so that I can manage things with peace of mind. Oh, I forgot, Latis, you said you have something to ask me, what is it?”

Le. "Return to Your Majesty. I would like to ask Your Majesty to allow me to study in France for another year." king. "There is no problem with this matter. You have worked hard enough for me in the past two months. The affairs in the palace have come to an end, so you can concentrate on studying hard." Le. "Don't dare." king. "Have you discussed this matter with your father? Polonius, what do you think?" general. "Return to Your Majesty. He has been pestering me all day long to go, but I finally couldn't persuade him last night, so I had to ask him to seek His Majesty's advice. Hehe, I think young people just can't forget the taste of France."

king. "It's no wonder him. Latis, as a child, the father's opinion is more important than the king's permission. As long as the family is happy, it is loyalty to the king. Since your father allows it, go ahead and be careful. Don’t spoil your body. Young people are so active when they play, it’s really enviable. Hamlet, you seem to have lost your energy recently, do you want to go to France too?” what. "Me? Don't make fun of me. I'm going to hell." king. "You're muttering something. Ah, I see, you said you wanted to go to the university in Wittenberg again. But bear with me, I beg you. You're about to inherit the Danish throne because now The country is in turmoil, so I will take over temporarily. When the crisis is over and people's hearts are stable, I plan to let you take the throne, so that I can enjoy my happiness, so you should be mentally prepared now, and take your time. Stay by my side and see what is going on with politics. I still need your help. Just give up on the university matter. I beg you. If you are not here, the princess is not very lonely. And I have been watching your body recently Not too good either."

what. "Letes,—" Le. "yes." what. "Your father is so kind, you are so happy." princess. "Hamlet, no matter how you speak, you can tell that you are vomiting. Stop pretending to be disgusting, and express your dissatisfaction openly and clearly. I hate your tone the most." what. "Then I'll make it clear." king. "I know. I also want to take this opportunity to have a good talk with the two of you. Princess, you don't need to lose your temper. Young people naturally have their own reasons. I think we also need to reflect on many aspects. Hamlet, you Don't cry either."

princess. "He's just pretending. This kid has been faking crying since he was a child. You don't have to be so polite, scold him severely." king. "Gertrude, to the point, Hamlet is not your own child. Hamlet is our Prince of Denmark." princess. "That's why I also said that Hamlet is already twenty-three. How long did he want to be coquettish? Even a mother like me feels ashamed. Look, today is the first day of the king's court appearance, and only this child wears this on purpose." He probably thought it would be very tragic to wear such an inauspicious mourning dress, and he never thought about how sad it would make us. I know exactly what this kid is thinking. This mourning dress was worn on purpose for us. Look, he's trying to mock us for forgetting the death of our late king. None of us have forgotten it, and everyone is deeply saddened, but now we have to keep that sadness in our hearts, and we have to take Denmark as our goal. Seriously, the Danish people are the most important thing, we don't even have the freedom to grieve now, we can't help ourselves, and Hamlet doesn't understand at all."

king. "You've said too much. Don't scold him so relentlessly, it will only hurt others uselessly. Princess, you scold him so recklessly because you are his mother and rely too much on your love for him. , but for young people, secret love is not as good as spoken words. I have also experienced it. For young people, a word from others seems to determine everything about them. What happened to you today, princess, Even if Hamlet wears mourning clothes, I don't think it matters. The sentimentality of youth is a very pure thing. It is a sin to try to assimilate it into our lives. We should cherish it. Maybe we should learn from him Learn the innocence of this kind of youth. There are many important things we think we understand, but we have lost them unknowingly. In short, I want to talk to Hamlet alone, let’s go down first.”

princess. "Then leave it to you. I'm exaggerating, but I think you dote on this child too much. This child will never grow up if this continues. Even when the former king was still alive, seeing him today Such an attitude will definitely make him angry.” what. "Then hit me." princess. "What are you talking about over there again. You can't be more honest." King, Hamlet. king. "Hamlet, sit here. If you don't like it, you can stand there, and I will tell you standing up. Hamlet, you have grown up. You are about as tall as me, and you will become an adult soon. But , you should eat a little fatter to see how thin you are. You don’t look very good recently, you need to take care of yourself. You should think about the important tasks you will shoulder in the future. The two of us are here today to have a good time Let's talk, I've been wishing for this opportunity for a long time. I'll be honest with you about what's on my mind, and you don't have to be polite. You can tell the truth. There are too many two people in this world. No matter how people love each other, they will never know if they don’t say it for a day. Philosophers say that human beings are verbal animals, and I roughly understand what they mean. Let’s talk more today. I have been busy for the past two months. I don't have a chance to have a good talk with you, and I can't find the time at all. I hope you can forgive me. I think you have been deliberately avoiding meeting me. As soon as I entered the room, you turned around and ran out immediately, you know How sad do I feel every time I see it. Hamlet! Hold your head up. Answer me seriously, I have something to ask you. Do you hate me? I am your father now. Do you look down on my kind of father ? Do you hate me? Tell me, answer me clearly, just one sentence, tell me."

what. "Alittle more thankin, and less thank you. 4" king. "What? I didn't understand. Don't be kidding, I'm asking you seriously, don't answer me with lines like doggerel, life is different from acting." what. "I should have made it clear. Uncle! You're a good uncle, but—" king. "But he's an annoying father, isn't he?" what. "The feeling cannot be faked." king. "I want to thank you. You said it well. If only you could speak as freely as you do now. I would never be mad at the truth. To be honest, I feel exactly the same way you do. You don't have to immediately Just stare at me like that, your face becomes so fast. Your expression is a bit too exaggerated. Everyone is like you when they are young, but you speak so vigorously when you talk about others, and you are anxious when others say a word about you You have to jump up. Just like you are uncomfortable when others say it, you never think about how uncomfortable others will be when you say it so unkindly.”

what. "How can I, how can I, - how can there be such a thing. I was forced to say it because of my last resort. I never remember how rude I have said it." king. "That's why I said that you are not the only one who thinks this way. We have been forced to talk all the time, and we live on pins and needles every day. You may think that we are very confident and can do whatever we want, but in fact it is the same. We and You are almost all the same. As long as we can get through the day in peace, we all thank God with relief. Especially since we shed the blood of the royal family of Hamlet. Temperament, the former king and I both loved to cry when we were young. When foreign envoys saw us playing in the courtyard, they thought we were girls. Both of them were in poor health. I heard that the imperial doctor still doubted whether we would look good or not. Great. But the former king became such a great virtuous king by relying on acquired cultivation. Destiny can be changed by will, and now I believe it. The former king is the best example, so I work hard every day, I want to be a pillar of Denmark, I think I have a clear conscience. But now the hardest thing for me, Hamlet, you know, it’s you. You said just now that you can’t fake your feelings, and I’m the same as you , there is no way to really see you as my child. Let me put it more clearly, you are my lovely nephew, I have always loved you as a smart nephew, and you also liked you very much when the late king was still there Stick to me, uncle goat. The first person who found out that I look like a goat is my lovely nephew. Uncle is also very happy to be your uncle goat. I really miss that time. Now you and I are father and son, and our hearts are separated. Thousands of miles away. In the past, our love has turned into hatred. I and you are father and son, which is the root of all misfortunes. But we can't let this go on, Hamlet, I want to ask you one thing. You just lie They, at least in front of the ministers, hope that you can deceive them with false feelings and pretend to be on good terms with me. You don't like this. This kind of thing is very uncomfortable. But there is no other way The discord in the royal family will lead to the loss of the trust of the ministers, the depression of the people, and finally, sooner or later, foreign insults. The princess also said just now that we are all involuntary. Everything is for our Denmark, for the land of our ancestors. You must give up your feelings. The land, the sea, and the people of Denmark will soon be in your hands, and we must now work together. I will not ask you to love me, as I have just confessed, and I really do not. I feel that my love for you is to the extent that I can truly embrace you and call you a child. I will not only ask you to love me unilaterally. As long as it is in front of others, it is enough. This is an obligation that both of us have to endure. I think this is God's will, and we have to obey it. I believe that obedience to duty is more pleasing to God than cleanliness over love. Moreover, although we are only superficially loving small talk, I believe that sooner or later it is possible to learn from it. That produces true love."

what. "I see. I also understand this kind of reasoning, but I just find it troublesome. Let me play for a while longer, uncle, please promise me one thing, and then let me go to the university in Wittenberg." king. "When it's just the two of us, it doesn't matter to call me uncle, but I hope you promise me that you must call me father in front of the princess and ministers. I don't like to be ashamed of being picky about such boring things, but in these forms Every little detail will affect the fate of Denmark, and I have been asking you to do this since just now.”

what. "Is that so. You're welcome." king. "Why do you always act like this? As long as I speak a little more seriously, you pouted and looked for casual answers to divert my words." what. "Uncle, no, Your Majesty is the one who is distracting my request. I want to go to Wittenberg. It's as simple as that." king. "Really? I thought you were lying to me, so I pretended not to hear it. You didn't mean to go back to college, it was just an excuse. You mentioned those things just to express your resistance to me. These are my It can also be seen. The wild wings of the young age are only concerned with expanding. They don't need any meaning, just want to struggle. I think it is an animal instinct. Now you are putting all kinds of ideals and righteous fallacies Connect with that animal instinct, and then keep moaning. I can say with certainty that even if the old king is still there now, you will still rebel against him, look down on him, hate him, and say behind his back that he won't listen Reason, make it difficult for him. You are at this age now. Your resistance is physical, not spiritual. Even if you go to Wittenberg now, I can already guess the result. You will make friends from the university Welcome like a hero, they will regard you as a true friend who resists the traditional and abused family tradition, confronts the stubborn and cruel adoptive father, and returns to the university after seeking freedom, a righteous and pure prince to kiss you, let you You're soaking up the rain of toasts. But what's that strange passion. I'd call it physical sentimentality. It's close to a dog rubbing against its body like crazy in the grass. It's a little too much for me to say I don't intend to completely deny this youthful passion, it's a time God has given us, it's a sea of ​​fire that we must walk through. But we have to get out of there as soon as possible, of course. Crazy as much as you want , Burning out, and then awakening as soon as possible, this is the best policy. You also know very well that I am definitely not a smart person, I am a very stupid fool. Now I dare not say that I have awakened very much Thoroughly, but at least I don't wish to fail you. Have you delved into the nature of the spur-of-the-moment applause of your fellow students? They were glad to have a dissolute senior for their peace of mind. Showing off each other's depravities and adventures, In the end, it will only make each other useless and incompetent. I am only telling you now because I have experienced ignorance myself. I also lived a lawless college life before. What is left of me now? Well. Nothing. Just some memories I don't want to think about. Just groaning shame. Just inert senses. I couldn't change those bad habits before, and I still don't know how to deal with them now. Letes Not the same, he still has the desire to get ahead. As long as people have the desire to get ahead, they will not fall into a depraved life. You don’t have this desire, you only have the enthusiasm to try to degenerate. You have passed three years College life is already long enough. If you go back and repeat the previous frenzy with those classmates, this time I’m afraid you won’t even have room for regret. The scars of infamy in your youth can easily be healed by everyone’s laughter Healed, but the scars of a twenty-three-year-old man's gaffe are bloody and indelible. You have to love yourself, and those irresponsible and fierce words of college students are just to incite you. I understand it too well. Just now at the Minister Before, I used other reasons to prevent you from going to college, no, of course IThe things you said are also very important reasons, but I am more worried about your flying wings now.I fear what happens to the passion on your wings.What I said in front of the ministers just now, I hope you can also take it to heart, that is to say, I hope you can stay by my side to practice politics.But aside from political considerations, as your father, no, as your ignorant predecessor, I hope to give you some advice on your adventures.I said that I still can't feel the love of my biological father for you, but the obligation as a person is a different thing.I hope I can help you.I hope to teach you and protect you from the conclusions I have drawn from my ignorant experience.How much I wanted to raise you upright, that's something you can't doubt.You are the Prince of Denmark, a unique and noble status.You have to strengthen your self-awareness a little bit, and you can't compare yourself with Letis.Latis is just one of your courtiers, and he went to France to gild his future self, so that shrewd Plonnes agreed to him.You don't have the same need as him.Please stop thinking about going to Wittenberg, I am no longer begging you, this is an order.It is my duty to raise you into a great king.You stay in this town, and we'll come to town with a good bride soon, Hamlet. " what. "I never thought of learning from Latis, it's a very simple thing, I just,—" king. "Okay, okay, I know. You miss your former classmates. You can't tell me if you have something on your mind. In this case, there is no need for you to go to Wittenberg. I have already asked Horatio to come over." what. "Horatio is coming!" king. "You look happy. He is your best friend. I also appreciate his sincere personality. He should have left Wittenberg by now." what. "thanks." king. "Then let's shake hands. If we are willing to talk, there is actually nothing that cannot be resolved. I believe that our relationship will get better and better in the future. I also said a lot of bad things to you today, I hope you don't mind. The cannons for the banquet are already ringing, everyone has probably been waiting for a long time, let's go together." what. "That... I want to think about it here alone, you go first." Hamlet is alone. what. "Wow, I'm so bored, I've said the same sentence so many times. Recently, I suddenly like to use that expression that seems to make sense to say some inexplicable things. It's useless to say it nicely, anyway, it's all for myself Looking for a reason. Isn’t it Uncle Goat? He used to be scolded by my father every time I was drunk, and he was the one who encouraged me to go out of the city to find girls to play with. The woman over there also said that uncle was transformed from a pig. The goat is still high-ranking. Not worthy. Not worthy. It's a pity that he is not qualified. He is not qualified to be a king. Goats are kings. I'll laugh to death. But uncle can't be too careless with him. He actually saw it. He actually knows that I don't want to go to Wittenberg at all. Don't be too careless. You can do whatever you want. Ah, I really want to see Horatio. Any old friend is fine. I really want to see you. I have something to do I want you to tell me. I have something I want to discuss with you! Uncle Goat called Horatio for me. It was really right. People who are not doing business 6 have a very good sixth sense. After all, the bastard Goat knows How much? Ah, I'm starting to degenerate too. It's so depraved. My life is messed up after Dad's gone. Mom is more on the side of Uncle Goat and treats me like an outsider. I'm going crazy. I'm a self-esteem I'm a very tall person, but I can't bear to think about my shameless behavior for a while. Now I'm a person who dare not speak ill of anyone. It's so despicable. No matter who I meet, I tremble with fear. Ah, I should What's to be done, Horatio. My father's dead, my mother's been taken away, and even that goat-monster has come to pretend to lecture me all day long. It's disgusting. It's dirty. Ah, but there's something more to teach in my heart than that. Painful anxiety. No, it’s all of this. All of it is painful. For the past two months, it’s all been falling on me in one lump. I never knew that painful things would follow one another One at a time. Pain begets pain, sorrow begets sorrow, sighs beget more sighs. Suicide—the only way out.”