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 roscius 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
pyrrhus is a figure from greek mythology who avenges the death of his father by brutally killing king priam. what does the excerpt suggest about hamlet’s state of mind?
hamlet does not believe that claudius killed his father.
hamlet is still undecided about avenging his father’s death.
hamlet is shocked by pyrrhus’s merciless behavior.
hamlet admires pyrrhus and wants to follow his example.

Explanation:

To determine Hamlet's state of mind, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: Hamlet suspects Claudius killed his father (from earlier in the play), so this is incorrect.
• Option 2: Hamlet's indecision about avenging his father's death aligns with his character—he overthinks and delays action. The excerpt's context (and the play's themes) support this.
• Option 3: The excerpt provided doesn't focus on Pyrrhus's behavior shocking Hamlet; the question's Pyrrhus info is separate, and the given scene is about actors, not Pyrrhus's actions.
• Option 4: Hamlet's internal conflict (not admiration for Pyrrhus's brutality) is key; he struggles with revenge, so this is incorrect.

Answer:

Hamlet is still undecided about avenging his father’s death.