Hamlet Group

Question:

eemanay
eemanay
Student
College - Junior

In act 1, scene 4, what does Hamlet mean by saying, "I do not set...immortal as itself"?

Rate question:

Posted by eemanay on Saturday September 1, 2007 at 9:04 PM and tagged with act 1 scene 4, hamlet, quotes.

Answers:


  1. malibrarian Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    This is Hamlet's response to Horatio, who is begging Hamlet not to follow the ghost of his father (Horatio fears for Hamlet's safety and sanity, in case this is an evil spirit).  Hamlet's response is as follows:

    "Why, what should be the fear?/I do not set my life in a pin's fee;/And for my soul, what can it do to that,/Being a thing immortal as itself?/It waves me forth again: I'll follow it."

    Hamlet is saying that he has no reason to fear - right now, his life doesn't feel like it's worth much, since he's so broken up over his father's death and mother's remarriage, so why worry about this ghost?  And since the ghost is immortal, like his soul, it couldn't possibly do his soul any harm.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/hamlet/act-scene-4-summary-analysis

    Rate answer:

    Posted by malibrarian on Tuesday November 6, 2007 at 4:10 PM