Hamlet

Hamlet

1. The Prince of Denmark, the title character, and the protagonist. About thirty years old at the start of the play, Hamlet is the son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet, and the nephew of the present king, Claudius. Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full of hatred for his uncle’s scheming and disgust for his mother’s sexuality. A reflective and thoughtful young man who has studied at the University of Wittenberg, Hamlet is often indecisive and hesitant, but at other times prone to rash and impulsive acts.

2. A little more than kin, and less than kind.

   • Hamlet makes a play on words to imply that Claudius is more than family (or kin) because not only is he Hamlet’s uncle, he is now his stepfather as well
   • Shows Hamlet’s bitter situation and rhetorical adeptness.

3. Not so, my lord; I am too much i' the sun.

   • Hamlet’s use of the word “sun” plays off Claudius’s reference to clouds, but it’s also a pun on the word “son” – he’s not comfortable with his new father-in-law. Also worth noting that the incidental conversation at the end of the play’s first scene is around “morning” and “the sun,” whereas this scene discusses “mourning” and a “son,” including this pun.