Question

Reread Hamlet's exchange of words with Osric in Scene 2, lines 82-184. What customs or behavior is Hamlet ridiculing? Identify examples of techniques used in this satirical passage.

Answer 1

Hamlet ridicules the excessive and ornamental courtly behavior through his exchange with Osric in Act 5, Scene 2 of 'Hamlet'. Shakespeare's satire targets Osric's affectations, using irony and exaggerated politeness to ridicule the superficial customs prevailing in the aristocracy.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Act 5, Scene 2 of Hamlet, the exchange between Hamlet and Osric is a satire of the excessive, ornamental courtly behavior. Osric represents the courtier, a figure often ridiculed in Elizabethan drama for his affectations and pretentiousness. Hamlet mocks Osric's mannered speech and exaggerated courtesy. He imitates and exaggerates Osric's language and behavior, employing similar verbal gymnastics that Osric uses to showcase Osric's absurdity.

Through Hamlet's ridicule, Shakespeare is satirizing the superficial customs of the aristocratic society. Techniques used in this satirical passage include irony, exaggerated politeness, and the playful manipulation of language. Hamlet's mockery of Osric's excessive adherence to cultural context and courteous form over substantive content points towards the play's larger themes of appearance versus reality.

By joking about the formalities and forced civility, Hamlet underlines the artificiality of the court's behavior, contrasting it with genuine emotion and sincerity that are absent in such exchanges. This mockery serves to criticize the courtier's lifestyle, suggesting that it undermines authentic human interaction.

Answer 2

Hamlet is making fun of Osric for his hat, and the way he takes it off and puts it back on again throughout the passage. Hamlet, through the interaction, presents 'truths' about the temperature and then immediately changes them to see how Osric responds. This passage shows the lengths a servant will go to to try and appease or please the prince, even though Hamlet is just messing with him.