| ACT IV SCENE II | Another room in the castle. | |
| | Enter HAMLET | |
| HAMLET | Safely stowed. | |
| ROSENCRANTZ | [Within] Hamlet! Lord Hamlet! | |
| GUILDENSTERN
HAMLET | What noise? who calls on Hamlet? | |
| | O, here they come. | 5 |
| | Enter ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN | |
| ROSENCRANTZ | What have you done, my lord, with the dead body? | |
| HAMLET | Compounded it with dust, whereto 'tis kin. | |
| ROSENCRANTZ | Tell us where 'tis, that we may take it thence | |
| | And bear it to the chapel. | |
| HAMLET | Do not believe it. | 10 |
| ROSENCRANTZ | Believe what? | |
| HAMLET | That I can keep your counsel and not mine own. | |
| | Besides, to be demanded of a sponge! what | |
| | replication should be made by the son of a king? | |
| ROSENCRANTZ | Take you me for a sponge, my lord? | 15 |
| HAMLET | Ay, sir, that soaks up the king's countenance, his | |
| | rewards, his authorities. But such officers do the | |
| | king best service in the end: he keeps them, like | |
| | an ape, in the corner of his jaw; first mouthed, to | |
| | be last swallowed: when he needs what you have | 20 |
| | gleaned, it is but squeezing you, and, sponge, you | |
| | shall be dry again. | |
| ROSENCRANTZ | I understand you not, my lord. | |
| HAMLET | I am glad of it: a knavish speech sleeps in a | |
| | foolish ear. | 25 |
| ROSENCRANTZ | My lord, you must tell us where the body is, and go | |
| | with us to the king. | |
| HAMLET | The body is with the king, but the king is not with | |
| | the body. The king is a thing-- | |
| GUILDENSTERN | A thing, my lord! | 30 |
| HAMLET | Of nothing: bring me to him. Hide fox, and all after. | |
| | Exeunt | |
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