Hamlet 6

In Act III Scene iv, Hamlet wittily lashes out at his mother for her inappropriate behavior. When she says to Hamlet that he has "[his] father much offended," Hamlet turns the statement back on her using the exact same words, changing only the necessary pronouns, but Hamlet refers to his original father rather than to Claudius (12-13). By repeating his mother's phrasing, he voices his frustration with her while simultaneously pointing out her hypocrisy. He does the some with her next accusation that his tongue is "idle," changing the idiomatic "Come, come" to the literal "Go, go" and changing "idle" to "wicked" (14-15). Hamlet once again makes clear to Gertrude that he is frustrated with her behavior in a manner that is dismissive and defensive. Hamlet's strategy of turning his mother's statements against her enhances his sense of alienation from her because it clearly points out her wrongdoings in a way that is likely to expose his emotions and to hurt her feelings.