OPHELIA
What does your lordship mean?
HAMLET
If you're chaste and beautiful, the former will protect the
latter.
OPHELIA
Could beauty be any better served than by chastity?
HAMLET
Beauty will corrupt chastity before chastity could ever
create physical beauty. I did love you once.
OPHELIA
Indeed, my lord, you made me believe it.
HAMLET
You shouldn't have.
OPHELIA
I was deceived.
HAMLET
You should become a nun.
OPHELIA
My lord?
HAMLET
Yes--you should become a nun. Why give birth to sinners? As
men go, I'm not half bad, but I can certainly make the case I
should have never been given a life: I'm vain, I'm vengeful-
cunning--I have potential for more crime than my imagination
can think up, not to mention the time to act it out. Why
should fellows such as I be allowed to crawl between heaven
and Earth? We're all unprincipled clots of desire--believe
none of us! Get thee to a nunnery!
(She is shocked.)
HAMLET (CONT'D)
Where's your father?
OPHELIA
At home, my lord.
HAMLET
Well lock the fox up, that way he can act like a fool only in
his own house.
OPHELIA
May God help you!
HAMLET
If you do marry, let me give you this plague for your dowry:
even if you are pure as snow, you shall not escape scandal.
So if you must, marry a fool, wise men know well enough what
monsters you make of them. To a nunnery--go!
What does your lordship mean?
HAMLET
If you're chaste and beautiful, the former will protect the
latter.
OPHELIA
Could beauty be any better served than by chastity?
HAMLET
Beauty will corrupt chastity before chastity could ever
create physical beauty. I did love you once.
Indeed, my lord, you made me believe it.
HAMLET
You shouldn't have.
OPHELIA
I was deceived.
HAMLET
You should become a nun.
OPHELIA
My lord?
HAMLET
Yes--you should become a nun. Why give birth to sinners? As
men go, I'm not half bad, but I can certainly make the case I
should have never been given a life: I'm vain, I'm vengeful-
cunning--I have potential for more crime than my imagination
can think up, not to mention the time to act it out. Why
should fellows such as I be allowed to crawl between heaven
and Earth? We're all unprincipled clots of desire--believe
none of us! Get thee to a nunnery!
(She is shocked.)
HAMLET (CONT'D)
Where's your father?
OPHELIA
At home, my lord.
HAMLET
Well lock the fox up, that way he can act like a fool only in
his own house.
OPHELIA
May God help you!
HAMLET
If you do marry, let me give you this plague for your dowry:
even if you are pure as snow, you shall not escape scandal.
So if you must, marry a fool, wise men know well enough what
monsters you make of them. To a nunnery--go!
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