Hamlet in German

At a book sale several weeks ago, Dennis picked up for me Werke in zwei Bänden-- The complete works of Shakespeare in German! I love to flip to passages I am familiar with in the English, and compare them to the German-- it's much easier to read the German than you'd imagine-- especially because Shakespeare's English was even closer to German than ours is today. I've reproduced here both the English and German of one of my favorite passages of Shakespeare, from Hamlet II.ii, in which Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are trying to figure out what's up with the "mad" prince, but Hamlet realizes they've been sent for by the king for this very task. Here is his response to them:

Text from the recent Cambridge edition of Shakespeare's Hamlet, ed. Philip Edwards (Cambridge: 2003). II.ii.280-291:

...I have of late, but wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises; and indeed it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory; this most excellent canopy the air, look you, this brave o'erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire,-- why, it appeareth no other thing to me but a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours. What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals-- and yet to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me..."

And in German (note: for each "eszet" in the text of the book, I have typed double "s" here, and each umlaut has become the vowel followed by "e"):

Ich habe seit kurzem-- ich weiss nicht, wodurch,-- alle meine Munterkeit eingebuesst, meine gewohnten Uebungen aufgegeben, und es steht in der Tat so uebel um meine Gemuetslage, dass die Erde, dieser treffliche Bau, mir nur ein kahles Vorgebirge scheint, seht irh, dieser herrliche Baldachin, die Luft, dies praechtige umwoelbende Firmament, dies majestaetische Dach mit goldnem Feuer ausgelegt: kommt es mir doch nicht anders vor als ein fauler, verpesteter Haufe von Duensten. Welch ein Meisterwerk ist der Mensch! Wie edel durch Vernunft! Wie unbegrenzt an Faehigkeiten! In Gestalt und Bewegung wie ausdrucksvoll und wunderwuerdig! Im Handeln wie aehnlich aenem Engel! Im Begreifen wie aenlich einem Gott! Die Zierde der Welt! Das Vorbild der Lebendigen! Und doch, was ist mir diese Quintessenz von Staube? Ich habe keine lust am Manne...

I especially like the parts: "this majestical roof fretted with golden fire" = "dies majestaetische Dach mit goldnem Feuer ausgelegt" and all of the exclamations at the end starting with: "What a piece of work is a man!" = "Welch ein Meisterwerk ist der Mensch!" and don't forget: "and yet to me, what is this quintessence of dust?" = "Und doch, was ist mir diese Quintessenz von Staube?"

If there are any requests of favorite parts in Shakespeare that you'd be curious to see in German, let me know. I think it's a fun distraction-- and probably helps with my German!