Question

the tragedy of hamlet, prince of denmark
act ii. scene ii. (continued)
enter polonius.
polonius: well be with you, gentlemen!
hamlet: hark you, guildenstern; and you too; at each ear a hearer: that great baby you see there is not yet out of his swaddling-clouts. (275)
rosencrantz: happily he’s the second time come to them; for they say an old man is twice a child.
hamlet: i will prophesy he comes to tell me of the players; mark it. you say right, sir; o’ monday morning; ’twas so indeed.
polonius: my lord, i have news to tell you.
hamlet: my lord, i have news to tell you. when roscus was an actor in rome,—
polonius: the actors are come hither, my lord. (280)
hamlet: buzz, buzz!
polonius: upon my honour,—
hamlet: then came each actor on his ass,—
polonius: the best actors in the world, either for tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-comical-historical-pastoral, scene individable, or poem unlimited: seneca cannot be too heavy, nor plautus too light. for the law of writ and the
with forms to his conceit? and all for nothing!
for hecuba!
shakespeare’s allusion to hecuba suggests that hamlet
wishes the actor had shown more emotion during the speech.
feels that the actor does not know who hecuba really was.
is impressed by the actor’s ability to cry for a fictional character.
is irritated by the actor’s emotional performance of the speech.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the context of Hamlet's reaction to the actor's speech about Hecuba. Hecuba is a tragic figure (Queen of Troy, whose story is fictional in the context of the play's performance). Hamlet is reflecting on the actor's ability to emotionally connect with a fictional character (Hecuba) by crying for her. Let's evaluate each option:

• Option 1: The text doesn't suggest Hamlet wants more emotion; rather, he is struck by the actor's emotion for a fictional character. Eliminate.
• Option 2: There's no indication Hamlet thinks the actor doesn't know who Hecuba was. Eliminate.
• Option 3: Hamlet is impressed that the actor can cry for a fictional character (Hecuba), as he himself struggles with expressing emotion about his real - life grief. This matches.
• Option 4: Hamlet is not irritated; he is impressed by the actor's emotional depth for a fictional role. Eliminate.

Answer:

is impressed by the actor’s ability to cry for a fictional character.