Hamlet — Act 4, Scene 6

original text and modern English, side by side

Another room in the Castle · Horatio, Servant, First Sailor

Sailors arrive at Elsinore with a letter for Horatio from Hamlet, who reports that a pirate ship attacked his vessel on the way to England and took him prisoner when he boarded it alone. The pirates have treated him well in exchange for a favour, and he is back in Denmark; he asks Horatio to deliver the enclosed letters to the King and come to him at once. He also hints that he has much to say about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who are sailing on without him.

Enter Horatio and a Servant.

Horatio

What are they that would speak with me?

Who are these people who want to speak to me?

Servant

Sailors, sir.

They say they have letters for you.

Horatio

Let them come in.

Show them in.

Exit Servant.

Horatio

I do not know from what part of the world

I should be greeted, if not from Lord Hamlet.

I can't think where in the world anyone would be writing to me from, unless it's Lord Hamlet.

Enter Sailors.

First Sailor

God bless you, sir.

Horatio

Let him bless thee too.

And bless you as well.

First Sailor

He shall, sir, and’t please him.

He will, sir, if it suits him.

There’s a letter for you, sir.

There's a letter for you, sir.

comes from th’ambassador that was bound for England;

It comes from the ambassador who was on his way to England —

if your name be

Horatio, as I am let to know it is.

if your name is Horatio, which I'm told it is.

Reads.

Horatio

‘Horatio, when thou shalt have overlooked this, give these

fellows some means to the King.

[Reading] "Horatio, once you've read this through, get these men access to the King;

They have letters for him.

they have letters for him.

Ere we were

two days old at sea, a pirate of very warlike appointment gave us

chase.

We weren't two days out at sea before a heavily armed pirate ship came after us.

Finding ourselves too slow of sail, we put on a compelled

valour, and in the grapple I boarded them.

We were too slow to outrun them, so we made ourselves brave because we had to, and when the ships locked together I boarded theirs.

On the instant they got

clear of our ship, so I alone became their prisoner.

They pulled away that same moment, so I ended up their only prisoner.

They have dealt

with me like thieves of mercy.

They've treated me like thieves with a conscience —

But they knew what they did;

but they knew what they were doing;

I am to do

a good turn for them.

I owe them a favour in return.

Let the King have the letters I have sent,

Make sure the King gets the letters I've sent,

and

repair thou to me with as much haste as thou wouldst fly death.

and come to me as fast as you'd run from death.

I have

words to speak in thine ear will make thee dumb;

I have things to tell you privately that will leave you speechless —

yet are they much too

light for the bore of the matter.

and even they are too small for the size of the matter.

These good fellows will bring thee

where I am.

These men will bring you to me.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern hold their course for England:

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are still sailing for England;

of them I have much to tell thee.

I have a great deal to tell you about them.

Farewell.

Goodbye.

He that thou knowest thine,

HAMLET.’

Yours, as you know, Hamlet."

Come, I will give you way for these your letters,

Come on, I'll get you in to deliver these letters —

And do’t the speedier, that you may direct me

To him from whom you brought them.

and I'll do it quickly, so you can take me to the man who sent them.

Exeunt.

Hamlet Act 4, Scene 6 summary

Who appears in this scene

Horatio, Servant, First Sailor — Another room in the Castle.

Keep reading

About this translation: the original text follows the public-domain Project Gutenberg Globe edition; the modern English translation was written in-house for Polytranslator and is reviewed on an ongoing basis (last revised August 2026). Free to print and photocopy for classroom use. Cite as: “Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 6. Polytranslator side-by-side translation, polytranslator.com/shakespeare/hamlet/act-4-scene-6.”

Studying the language itself? Our Shakespearean English course teaches thou/thee, the verbs, and the meter — free through Unit 2. Or try the Shakespearean English translator.