Question

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 1

Hamlet's aside is: " A little more than kin, and less than kind." This shows indifference and sarcasm.

Step-by-step explanation:

Claudius is his mother's lover who would soon become his stepfather, thus, he is "more than kin." Still grieving for his father's death, Hamlet finds it unkind for both Claudius and Gertrude to make their relationship public. This is heightened by his suspicion that it was Claudius who killed his father, hence the expression "less than kind."