The Hamlet Project

I’m trying so hard to make this line NOT be a super dickish way of speaking to a grieving person. I tried to read these first two lines – before Hamlet re-introduces himself as the Dane in a moment – as a reference to himself. I wanted this step forward to be about his OWN grief – and a precursor question to the answer. That is – what is he? This is I, Hamlet the Dane! Who is he? Hamlet the Dane!

But…I don’t know, given how far Hamlet leans into his critique of Laertes’ grieving later, it’s pretty difficult to see this as a self presentation. Even though Laertes has said nothing about the wandering stars or anything star related …and it would, in a way, be very like Hamlet to brag – it is a stretch.

I don’t know why Laertes’ grief triggers Hamlet so hard. He blows his whole plan for it, I assume. I mean, I assume it wasn’t his plan to leap out at a funeral and cause a ruckus.