Question

Sc. 2, Lines 62-95: Describe the tone of Hamlet's aside after Claudius greets him

Answer 1

Describe the tone of Hamlet's aside after Claudius greets him  as "my cousin Hamlet and my son." Why might he feel this way?

Answer: While Claudius tries to balance the feelings of sadness over his brother's death and joy over his recent marriage, when it comes to Hamlet, this whole situation is strange. He does not want to be a part of it.

Explanation:

Hamlet is Shakespeare's play about a man whose father is murdered by his uncle, Claudius. Hamlet's uncle also marries his mother, Gertrude, which Hamlet is certainly not happy about.

In this particular scene from Act I, Scene II, when Claudius greets him as ''my cousin Hamlet and my son'', Hamlet ironically utters: "A little more than kin and less than kind", meaning that his uncle used too many family ties in his greeting. Hamlet says this line as an aside (a remark made which is intended to be heard only be the audience and not by the rest of the characters). This remark shows the audience how Hamlet feels about this strange situation, in which his uncle became his stepfather. While his uncle tries to balance the sadness over his brother's death and happiness over his recent marriage, Hamlet believes that this is completely unnatural, and refuses to participate in it.

Why does the  Queen urge Hamlet to cast "thy knighted color off"?

Answer: She believes that Hamlet must stop mourning and disapproves of his sadness.

Explanation:

Hamlet's mother suggests him to stop wearing black clothes, and to be more sympathetic towards his uncle. He should not spend his precious time mourning his father's death. Her point is that death is inevitable - no one can escape, so why should anyone be sad about it? Gertrude's marriage to Claudius only a month after her husband's death, as well as this remark, indicate that she did not really care about her husband. Her position as the queen is more valuable to her, hence she cannot understand her son's sadness.

What does Hamlet imply  when he says that outward signs of mourning "are actions that a man might  play"?

Answer: Hamlet's mourning is real and cannot even be accentuated enough through wearing black clothes or weeping. However, some people act in this way to give an impression that they are mourning, when, in fact, they are not.

Explanation:

When Hamlet agrees with Gertrude that death happens all the time, she asks why it seems so particular to him. Hamlet insists that it does not 'seem' important to him, but is actually very important. He pretends to be confused over her usage of the word 'seem'. Moreover, he explains that his black clothes or weeping cannot show his true grief. However, he agrees that these signs, in some cases, can 'seem' like mourning, as some people probably behave in this manner so as to fake their grief. This is a possible reference to Hamlet's uncle and mother, who only pretend to mourn, but have actually murdered Hamlet's father.