| Hamlet' s two old friends met him when he was saying some strange things to himself alone in the hall of the castle. They begged him to tell them the true cause of his madness. But he would not tell them anything, and instead made fools of them.
One day when Hamlet was unhappy and worried by the memory of the ghost and the promise he had made, a group of actors came to visit him. They were the same players that Hamlet used to enjoy seeing. He welcomed them. Then they acted a short play for him.
It was a sad story about a good king who was poisoned to death by his brother. And this man became king and married the queen. They played it so well, with tears in their eyes, that the scene seemed real. While Hamlet was watching them, he felt very angry with himself. He said to himself, "Those players can cry for the sad king whom they have never met. But in my case I have done nothing at all for my poor father who was killed by my uncle Claudius. What a coward I am!"
When the play was over, he thought of a good plan. He decided to have them play it once again in front of the king and queen the next day. He also asked them to add a few lines of his own to the play so that he could make the play more like what had happened to his father. Hamlet said to himself, "If Claudius is really guilty, his face will turn pale while he is watching the play. Then I will know that what the ghost told me is true. I will watch his face very carefully."
哈姆雷特的两位老友见到他时，他正独自一个人在城堡里胡言乱语。他们请求他告诉他们他发疯的真正原因，但是他非但没有告诉他们，反而还捉弄他们。
有一天，当哈姆雷特想到父亲的鬼魂和他对鬼魂所做的承诺而显得郁郁寡欢和忧虑时，一群演员来看他。他们是哈姆雷特以前喜爱观赏的同一群演员。哈姆雷特欢迎他们的到来，接着他们为他表演一出短剧。
那是叙述一位好国王被他的弟弟毒死的悲伤故事。他的弟弟后来当了国王并且娶了皇后。他们含泪演出表演得真好，以致于这一幕戏好像是真的一样。当哈姆雷特看着他们表演的时候，他对自己感到非常的生气。他对自己说：“那些演员可以为这个他们从没见过面的悲哀的国王而哭泣，而以我的立场，我却没有为被我叔叔克劳迪斯杀死的可怜的父亲尽过任何力。我真是一个懦夫！”
这出戏结束时，他想到了一个好计划。他决定要他们隔天在国王和皇后面前再表演一次，他也要求他们在剧中加一些他自己想的台词，以使这出戏更像发生在他父亲身上的事。哈姆雷特对自己说：“假如克劳迪斯真的有罪，当他在观赏这出戏时，他的脸将会变得苍白。那个时候我就会相信鬼魂告诉我的事是真的，我会非常仔细地注意他脸上的表情。”
He told his plan to Horatio, his best friend in the castle, and also asked him to watch the king' s face with the greatest care.
Hamlet went to the king and queen to tell them that he would like to invite them to a play the next evening. They agreed to see the play. They hoped that Hamlet was at last getting better and would come to accept them as his father and mother. He said good night to Claudius and Gertrude, pretending that he was happy that night.
On his way back to his own room, he met Ophelia, who looked so sad and unhappy in the hall. The king and Polonius were hiding behind the curtains of the hall, trying to listen to their conversation.
Hamlet said to Ophelia, "I don' t love you anymore. We are all dirty animals on this earth. Ophelia, you are one of these dirty ones, too. Go to a nunnery. Go away right now, you dirty woman!"
Ophelia was too surprised at his words to say anything to him. It was such a strange and mad thing to say. Polonius thought his guess was right. But the king still doubted Hamlet' s madness.
The king, the queen and Polonius entered a large room where the play was to be shown to the whole court. The king sat with the queen. Hamlet sat by the side of Ophelia. Horatio sat facing the king in order to watch him carefully.
他把他的计划告诉在城堡内的挚友荷瑞修，也要他很仔细地注意国王脸上的表情。
哈姆雷特去见国王和皇后，告诉他们他想邀请他们隔天晚上去欣赏戏剧。他们同意去看这出戏。他们希望哈姆雷特的病情终于能好转起来，并能渐渐接受他们做他的父母亲。哈姆雷特向克劳迪斯和葛楚德说晚安，那天晚上并装出很愉快的样子。
在回到他房间的路上，他在大厅遇到欧菲莉亚，她看起来既伤心又难过。国王和普罗尼尔斯躲在大厅的窗帘后面，设法要听到他们在说些什么。
哈姆雷特对欧菲莉亚说：“我不再爱你了。我们都是世上卑劣的动物。欧菲莉亚，你也是其中之一，去女修道院，现在就去，你这卑劣的女人。”
欧菲莉亚对于他所说的话大感吃惊，以致于搭不上他的话。说出这样的字眼真是荒诞疯狂。普罗尼尔斯认为他的猜测是正确的。但是国王仍旧对哈姆雷特发疯一事感到怀疑。
国王、皇后和普罗尼尔斯走进一间大房间，这出戏即将在这里表演给整个宫廷的人欣赏。国王和皇后坐在一起，哈姆雷特从在欧菲莉亚的旁边，荷瑞修面对国王坐下来为了能仔细地注意他。
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