an allusion to a
statement in the
play,
Hamlet, by
William Shakespeare. In this tragedy,
Hamlet falls into melancholia after the
death of his father, the
king. The
king's
brother, Claudius, assumes the throne and marries
Hamlet's
mother, Gertrude, within two months of the
king's
death. His father's
ghost appears to
Hamlet, accusing Claudius of murdering him and demanding revenge. Unable to bring himself to
action and
beset by doubts as to the
truth of the
ghost's words,
Hamlet persuades some traveling players to re-enact the
death of his father. The
play includes a
scene in which the actress depicting the queen vehemently protests the idea of remarrying after the
king's
death. During this
scene,
Hamlet asks his
mother how she likes the
play. The queen's reply: "The lady doth protest too much,
methinks."
See also Shakespeare in this glossary. —SHSBC Binder 30 Approved Glossary