Original: Since my dear soul was mistress of her choice
Modern: Ever since my soul has been able to make its own choices

Original: And could of men distinguish, her election
Modern: And could tell the difference between different types of men, it has chosen

Original: Hath seal’d thee for herself. For thou hast been
Modern: You as my friend. Because you have always been

Original: As one, in suff’ring all, that suffers nothing;
Modern: Like someone who endures everything but isn’t destroyed by any of it;

Original: A man that Fortune’s buffets and rewards
Modern: A man who takes Fortune’s punches and prizes

Original: Hast ta’en with equal thanks; and blest are those
Modern: With the same grateful attitude; and blessed are those people

Original: Whose blood and judgment are so well commingled
Modern: Whose emotions and reason are so well balanced together

Original: That they are not a pipe for Fortune’s finger
Modern: That they are not like a flute for Fortune to play

Original: To sound what stop she please. Give me that man
Modern: Making whatever note she wants. Give me a man

Original: That is not passion’s slave, and I will wear him
Modern: Who is not controlled by his emotions, and I will keep him

Original: In my heart’s core, ay, in my heart of heart,
Modern: In the center of my heart, yes, in my deepest heart,

Original: As I do thee. Something too much of this I
Modern: Just as I keep you there. But enough of this—

Original: There is a play to-night before the King.
Modern: There’s a play being performed tonight in front of the King.

Original: One scene of it comes near the circumstance,
Modern: One scene in it closely matches the situation

Original: Which I have told thee, of my father’s death.
Modern: That I’ve told you about, regarding my father’s death.

Original: I prithee, when thou seest that act afoot,
Modern: I’m asking you, when you see that scene being performed,

Original: Even with the very comment of thy soul
Modern: Using your deepest, most careful observation

Original: Observe my uncle. If his occulted guilt
Modern: Watch my uncle closely. If his hidden guilt

Original: Do not itself unkennel in one speech,
Modern: Doesn’t reveal itself during that one speech,

Original: It is a damned ghost that we have seen,
Modern: Then it was an evil ghost that we saw,

Original: And my imaginations are as foul
Modern: And my suspicions are as dirty

Original: As Vulcan’s stithy. Give him heedful note;
Modern: As a blacksmith’s forge. Pay careful attention to him;

Original: For I mine eyes will rivet to his face,
Modern: Because I will lock my eyes on his face,

Original: And after we will both our judgments join
Modern: And afterward we will combine our opinions

Original: In censure of his seeming.
Modern: To evaluate what his behavior reveals.

In Act III, Scene 2 of Hamlet, the Prince delivers his famous instructions to the actors who will perform “The Mousetrap” before the Danish court. Hamlet provides detailed guidance on theatrical technique, advising the players to speak their lines naturally rather than ranting, to match their gestures to their words, and to avoid overacting that might make audiences laugh inappropriately. He emphasizes the importance of holding up a mirror to nature, showing virtue and vice as they truly appear, and warns against ad-libbing or allowing clowns to speak more than is written for them.

After dismissing the actors to prepare, Hamlet speaks privately with Horatio, praising his friend’s balanced temperament and steadfast character. Hamlet reveals his plan to watch King Claudius during the performance, asking Horatio to observe the King’s reactions as well. When a speech concerning a regicide is performed, they will both scrutinize Claudius for any signs of guilt. Hamlet explains that if the Ghost’s accusations prove true, the King’s conscience will surely reveal itself during the play. The scene concludes as the court assembles for the evening’s entertainment, with Hamlet positioning himself strategically to monitor his uncle’s behavior.

Hamlet tells the story of Prince Hamlet of Denmark, who is visited by the ghost of his recently deceased father. The ghost reveals that he was murdered by Hamlet’s uncle Claudius, who has now married Hamlet’s mother Gertrude and assumed the throne. Commanded by his father’s spirit to seek revenge, Hamlet struggles with doubt, melancholy, and the moral complexity of his task. To investigate the ghost’s claims and plan his revenge, he feigns madness, which creates tension throughout the Danish court.

As Hamlet deliberates, his erratic behavior affects everyone around him, particularly his love interest Ophelia, daughter of the king’s advisor Polonius. To test Claudius’s guilt, Hamlet stages a play mirroring his father’s murder, which confirms the king’s culpability. However, Hamlet’s actions become increasingly destructive—he accidentally kills Polonius while the old man spies on him, and his rejection of Ophelia contributes to her descent into genuine madness and eventual drowning.

The play reaches its climax when Ophelia’s brother Laertes returns to avenge his father’s death. Claudius manipulates Laertes into challenging Hamlet to a duel, secretly poisoning Laertes’s sword and preparing poisoned wine as backup. The final scene erupts in tragedy: during the duel, both Hamlet and Laertes are wounded by the poisoned blade, Gertrude accidentally drinks the poisoned wine, and Hamlet finally kills Claudius. As Hamlet dies, he names Prince Fortinbras of Norway as Denmark’s next ruler, bringing the cycle of revenge and political instability to a close. The play ends with Fortinbras restoring order to the Danish court as bodies are carried off in a funeral march.