Hamlet (1990)

Ian Holm: Polonius

Photos 

Quotes 

• Polonius : What do you read, my lord?

  Hamlet : [looks down at his book]  Words...

  [looks at the cover of the book] 

  Hamlet : words...

  [looks up at Polonius] 

  Hamlet : Words.

• Polonius : Ophelia, walk you here.

  [to Claudius] 

  Polonius : Gracious, so please you, we will bestow ourselves.

  [to Ophelia, handing her a book of prayers] 

  Polonius : Read on this book. He is coming. Let us withdraw, my lord.

  [Hamlet sees Polonius and Claudius sneaking away to hide and eavesdrop. Ophelia looks up and sees him approaching the staircase down to her; she obediently starts walking back and forth, pretending to study the prayers. Hamlet has a pretty good idea what is going on] 

  Hamlet : Nymph, in thy orisons be all my sins remembered.

  Ophelia : Good my lord, how does your honor for this many a day?

  Hamlet : I humbly thank you, well.

  [He starts to walk away and she hurries after him] 

  Ophelia : My lord, I have remembrances of yours that I have longèd long to redeliver. I pray you now receive them.

  Hamlet : No, not I. I never gave you aught.

  Ophelia : My honored 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. There, my lord.

  [He takes the necklaces, staring at her, then begins to chuckle] 

  Hamlet : Ha, ha! Are you honest?

  Ophelia : My lord?

  Hamlet : Are you fair?

  Ophelia : What means your lordship?

  Hamlet : That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty.

  Ophelia : [spiritedly]  Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than with honesty?

  Hamlet : I did love you once.

  Ophelia : Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.

  Hamlet : [Pretending contempt]  You should not have believed me. I loved you not! Where's your father?

  [Hiding behind a pillar, watching, Claudius and Polonius jump in fear. Horrified to lie to him, Ophelia gives us the first wild-eyed look of fright that will accompany her when she goes mad] 

  Ophelia : At home, my lord.

  Hamlet : [loudly, for the eavesdroppers]  Let the doors be shut upon him, that he may play the fool nowhere but in his own house. 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. Or if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. I have heard of your paintings, well enough. God hath given you one face and you make yourselves another. You jig and amble, and you lisp, you nickname God's creatures and make your wantonness your ignorance. Go to, I'll no more on 't.

  [He shoves her at the wall and she gasps] 

  Hamlet : It hath made me mad. I say, we will have no more marriage. Those that are married already, all but one, shall live. The rest shall keep as they are.

  [He throws the necklaces at her] 

• Polonius : This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.

• Polonius : Tender yourself more dearly!