Trumpet and cannon sound for beginning the sword contest.
First passes favored Hamlet, and the King, grasping the poison wine cup, says:
_"Hamlet, this pearl is thine; Here's to thy health!"_ (Offering him the cup.)
_"Give Laertes the cup, I'll play this bout first; set it by a while."_
Hamlet makes another pass and touches Laertes, and the Queen grasps the poison cup in her excitement and drinks to her son.
_"Gertrude, do not drink!"_ (Aside) _"It is the poisoned cup!"_
The Queen, as God and Fate would have it, says stubbornly:
_"I will, my lord, I pray you pardon me!"_
In the third round Laertes wounds Hamlet with the poisoned-pointed rapier, and in the struggle Hamlet grasps Laertes' rapier and in turn wounds his antagonist.
At this moment the Queen falls off her throne, and dying, says to Hamlet:
_"O, my dear Hamlet; the drink, the drink; I am poisoned!"_
Laertes then falls, and Hamlet, seeing through the plot, exclaims:
_"O, villainy! Ho! let the door be locked; Treachery! seek it out!"_
Laertes makes the dying confession of his treachery:
_"It is here, Hamlet; Hamlet, thou art slain; No medicine in the world can do thee good, In thee there is not half an hour of life; The treacherous instrument is in thy hand, Unbated and envenomed; the foul practice Hath turned itself on me, lo, here I lie, Never to rise again; thy mother's poisoned; I can no more; the King, the King is to blame!"_
Then Hamlet, as a lion rushing on his prey, exclaims:
_"The point envenomed too, Then, venom, to thy work."_ (Stabs the King.)
The King falls and says: "I am but hurt"; while Hamlet grasps the poisoned cup of wine and dashes it down the throat of the guilty monster, exclaiming:
_"Here, thou incestuous, murderous, damned Dane, Drink off this potion: is thy union here?-- Follow my mother!"_ (King dies.)
_"The King is justly served; Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet."_
_"Heaven make thee free of it! I follow thee. I am dead, Horatio. Wretched Queen, adieu! You that look pale and tremble at this chance, That are but mutes or audience to this act, Had I but time,--as this fell sergeant--Death, Is strict in his arrest--O, I could tell you-- But let it be. Horatio, I am dead! Thou livest; report me and my cause aright To the unsatisfied. O, I die, Horatio; The potent poison quite o'ercrows my spirit, I cannot live to hear the news from England; But I do prophesy the election lights On Fortinbras; he has my dying voice; So tell him, with the occurrents, more and less, Which have solicited. The rest is silence!"_ (Dies.)