Hamlet, Act 4 Scene 6 runs 33 lines of dialogue, spoken by 3 speakers. That is shorter than the play’s average scene length of about 201 lines. This scene is part of Act 4 of Hamlet.
Full Dialogue
Horatio ♂
What are they that would speak with me?
Servant ♂
Sailors, sir: they say they have letters for you.
Horatio ♂
Let them come in.
I do not know from what part of the world
I should be greeted, if not from Lord Hamlet.
I do not know from what part of the world
I should be greeted, if not from Lord Hamlet.
First Sailor ♂
God bless you, sir.
Horatio ♂
Let him bless thee too.
First Sailor ♂
He shall, sir, an't please him. There's a letter for
you, sir; it comes from the ambassador that was
bound for England; if your name be Horatio, as I am
let to know it is.
you, sir; it comes from the ambassador that was
bound for England; if your name be Horatio, as I am
let to know it is.
Horatio ♂
[Reads] 'Horatio, when thou shalt have overlooked
this, give these fellows some means to the king:
they have letters for him. Ere we were two days old
at sea, a pirate of very warlike appointment gave us
chase. Finding ourselves too slow of sail, we put on
a compelled valour, and in the grapple I boarded
them: on the instant they got clear of our ship; so
I alone became their prisoner. They have dealt with
me like thieves of mercy: but they knew what they
did; I am to do a good turn for them. Let the king
have the letters I have sent; and repair thou to me
with as much speed as thou wouldst fly death. I
have words to speak in thine ear will make thee
dumb; yet are they much too light for the bore of
the matter. These good fellows will bring thee
where I am. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern hold their
course for England: of them I have much to tell
thee. Farewell.
'He that thou knowest thine, HAMLET.'
Come, I will make you way for these your letters;
And do't the speedier, that you may direct me
To him from whom you brought them.
this, give these fellows some means to the king:
they have letters for him. Ere we were two days old
at sea, a pirate of very warlike appointment gave us
chase. Finding ourselves too slow of sail, we put on
a compelled valour, and in the grapple I boarded
them: on the instant they got clear of our ship; so
I alone became their prisoner. They have dealt with
me like thieves of mercy: but they knew what they
did; I am to do a good turn for them. Let the king
have the letters I have sent; and repair thou to me
with as much speed as thou wouldst fly death. I
have words to speak in thine ear will make thee
dumb; yet are they much too light for the bore of
the matter. These good fellows will bring thee
where I am. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern hold their
course for England: of them I have much to tell
thee. Farewell.
'He that thou knowest thine, HAMLET.'
Come, I will make you way for these your letters;
And do't the speedier, that you may direct me
To him from whom you brought them.
33 lines rendered verbatim from the dialogue corpus.
Who’s On Stage
Speaking characters in this scene
| Character | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Horatio | 27 | 81.8% |
| First Sailor | 5 | 15.2% |
| Servant | 1 | 3.0% |
Line distribution
The top speaker in this scene delivers 27 lines, while the scene’s average per speaker is about 11 lines.
Total speakers on stage
3 named characters speak in this scene.
Scene in Context
Position within Act 4
This is Scene 6 of 7 in Act 4 of Hamlet.
Scene length vs. play average
At 33 lines, this scene is shorter than the Hamlet average scene in Hamlet (~201 lines).
Adjacent scenes
Previous: Act 4 Scene 5 · Next: Act 4 Scene 7