Asked by bob

Read the excerpt from Act II of Hamlet.

Rosencrantz: To visit you, my lord; no other occasion.

Hamlet: Beggar that I am, I am even poor in thanks; but I thank you: and sure, dear friends, my thanks are too dear a halfpenny. Were you not sent for? Is it your own inclining? Is it a free visitation? Come, come, deal justly with me: come, come; nay, speak.

Guildenstern: What should we say, my lord?

What is the effect of Hamlet’s use of metaphors in this excerpt?

It establishes that Hamlet is poverty-stricken.
It establishes that Hamlet dislikes his friends.
It establishes that Hamlet suffers hardships.
It establishes that Hamlet has little gratitude.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
It establishes that Hamlet has little gratitude.

His metaphors ("Beggar that I am," "poor in thanks," "my thanks are too dear a halfpenny") present his thanks as meager and inadequate, using images of poverty and cheapness to show limited gratitude (and a bitter, ironic tone).