Immediately after Hamlet says "a little more than kin, and less than kind!" Claudius, referring to Hamlet's prolonged sadness at King Hamlet's death, asks, "How is it that the clouds still hang on you?" Read Hamlet's answer and explain the pun he uses.

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Nehemiah Carroll

16 April, 00:50

Immediately after Hamlet says "a little more than kin, and less than kind!" Claudius, referring to Hamlet's prolonged sadness at King Hamlet's death, asks, "How is it that the clouds still hang on you?" Read Hamlet's answer and explain the pun he uses.

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Lisa Montgomery · Answer 1

Hamlet says "I am too much in the sun". This pun of 'sun' plays on the word 'son'. Claudius had just referred to Hamlet as his "son", which Hamlet refuses to accept. So, he is taking the word 'sun' (referring to the clouds that Claudius says hang over him) and twisting it to mean 'son'.