In Hamlet's first appearance in Act 1, his first line is a sarcastic response to Kind Claudius who calls him " ... my cousin Hamlet, and my son." Hamlet replies, "A little more than kin and less than kind." why does Shakespeare choose this as Hamlet's introduction to the play?

a) to indicate that Hamlet might already be crazy.

b) to show immediately that there is some tension between Claudius and Hamlet.

c) to introduce the characters in order of how important they are.

d) to show that Hamlet is sad about his father's death, but happy that his mother remarried.

Question

English

Ashley Mcclure

19 July, 22:08

In Hamlet's first appearance in Act 1, his first line is a sarcastic response to Kind Claudius who calls him " ... my cousin Hamlet, and my son." Hamlet replies, "A little more than kin and less than kind." why does Shakespeare choose this as Hamlet's introduction to the play?

a) to indicate that Hamlet might already be crazy.

b) to show immediately that there is some tension between Claudius and Hamlet.

c) to introduce the characters in order of how important they are.

d) to show that Hamlet is sad about his father's death, but happy that his mother remarried.

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Answers (1)

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Tiara Stein · Answer 1

The correct answer is B) to show immediately that there is some tension between Claudius and Hamlet.

Explanation:

Hamlet's sarcastic response is figurative language. A pun. He uses this sarcasm because Hamlet reveals his disgust at his mother's speedy marriage to his uncle. This is the first pun of the play.