No Fear Shakespeare: Hamlet: Act 2, scene ii

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	May be the devil, and the devil hath power
	T' assume a pleasing shape. Yea, and perhaps
	Out of my weakness and my melancholy,
	As he is very potent with such spirits,
565	Abuses me to damn me. I'll have grounds
	More relative than this. The play's the thing
	Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.

Murder has no tongue, but miraculously it still finds a way to speak. I'll have these actors perform something like my father's murder in front of my uncle. I'll watch my uncle. I'll probe his conscience and see if he flinches. If he becomes pale, I know what to do. The ghost I saw may be the devil, and the devil has the power to assume a pleasing disguise, and so he may be taking advantage of my weakness and sadness to bring about my damnation. I need better evidence than the ghost to work with. The play's the thing to uncover the conscience of the king.

Exit

HAMLET exits.


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