Hamlet - The Lost Ending
Recently, an old, dusty volume of Shakespeare’s works was discovered by an antique manuscript dealer in London. Besides containing his fabled Love’s Labour’s Won, the tome also featured two versions of bard’s magnum opus, Hamlet. The first text was found to be virtually identical to the Second Folio’s. In the other text, the final portion of the play was considerably different. This was the play as it was originally written. Here is presented the finale of Hamlet as Shakespeare first intended, starting in Act V, Scene II, after Queen Gertrude’s death:
- Hamlet
- O villany! Ho! let the door be lock’d:
- Treachery! Seek it out.
- Laertes
- It is here, Hamlet: Hamlet, thou art slain;
- No medicine in the world can do thee good;
- In thee there is not half an hour of life;
- The treacherous instrument is in thy hand,
- Unbated and envenom’d: the foul practise
- Hath turn’d itself on me lo, here I lie,
- Never to rise again: thy mother’s poison’d:
- I can no more: the king, the king’s to blame.
- Hamlet
- The point!–envenom’d too!
- Then, venom, to thy work.
Stabs KING CLAUDIUS
- All
- Treason! treason!
- King Claudius
- O, yet defend me, friends; I am but hurt.
- Hamlet
- Here, thou incestuous, murderous, damned Dane,
- Drink off this potion. Is thy union here?
- Follow my mother.
KING CLAUDIUS dies
- Laertes
- He is justly served;
- It is a poison temper’d by himself.
- Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet:
- Mine and my father’s death come not upon thee,
- Nor thine on me.
Dies
Hamlet
If only there was an antidote to this foul
Venom, I would not feel the sting of death!
Enter OPHELIA with antidote
Ophelia
Hamlet! Catch!
Tosses antidote. HAMLET catches and drinks
Hamlet
Ophelia! I thought you were dead!
Ophelia
That’s what Fortinbras wanted you to think. His henchmen kidnapped me and threw a look-alike dummy into the water to fool you. Luckily, I was able to pick the lock of my cell with a hairpin when the guard wasn’t looking.
Hamlet
So Fortinbras was behind all this. I should have known!
Ophelia
We’d better be careful. Fortinbras’ll be here any minute.
Giant hole blown in wall. Enter FORTINBRAS
Fortinbras
Ah, Ophelia and Hamlet together again. Isn’t that sweet…
Hamlet
Stay out of this, Fortinbras.
Fortinbras
What are you going to do, Hamlet? We all know that your tragic flaw is the inability to take action.
Hamlet
Is that right? Well, when you get to Hell, tell ‘em Hamlet sent ya.
Throws poisoned sword through FORTINBRAS’ skull
Fortinbras
Alas! I am slain!
Dies
Ophelia
I love you, Hamlet!
They kiss. CROWD cheers
Exeunt
