weet! I
thought to have decked thy bride-bed, sweet maid, not to have strewed
thy grave. Thou shouldst have been my Hamlet's wife." And he heard her
brother wish that violets might spring from her grave: and he saw him
leap into the grave all frantic with grief, and bid the attendants pile
mountains of earth upon him, that he might be buried with her. And
Hamlet's love for this fair maid came back to him, and he could not bear
that a brother should show so much transport of grief, for he thought
that he loved Ophelia better than forty thousand brothers. Then
discovering himself, he leaped into the grave where Laertes was, all as
frantic or more frantic than he, and Laertes knowing him to be Hamlet,
who had been the cause of his father's and his sister's death, grappled
him by the throat as an enemy, till the attendants parted them: and
Hamlet, after the funeral, excused his hasty act in throwing himself
into the grave as if to brave Laertes; but he said he could not bear
that any one should seem to outgo him in grief for the death of the fair
Ophelia. And for the time these two noble youths seemed reconciled.

But out of the grief and anger of Laertes for the death of his father
and Ophelia, the king, Hamlet's wicked uncle, contrived destruction for
Hamlet. He set on Laertes, under cover of peace and reconciliation, to
challenge Hamlet to a friendly trial of skill at fencing, which Hamlet
accepting, a day was appointed to try the match. At this match all the
court was present, and Laertes, by direction of the king, prepared a
poisoned weapon. Upon this match great wagers were laid by the
courtiers, as both Hamlet and Laertes were known to excel at this sword
play; and Hamlet taking up the foils chose one, not at all suspecting
the treachery of Laertes, or being careful to examine Laertes' weapon,
who, instead of a foil or blunted sword, which the laws of fencing
require, made use of one with a point, and poisoned. At first Laertes
did but play with Hamlet, and suffered him to gain some advantages,
which the dissembling king magnified and extolled beyond measure,
drinking to Hamlet's success, and wagering rich bets upon the issue: but
after a few pauses, Laertes growing warm made a deadly thrust at Hamlet
with his poisoned weapon, and gave him a mortal blow. Hamlet incensed,
but not knowing the whole of the treachery, in the scuffle exchanged his
own innocent weapon for Laertes' deadly one, and with a thrust of
Laertes'