In this passage from Act II, Scene 2, Hamlet speaks to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He tells them of his despondency and his lack of interest in his usual activities; in other words, he finds nothing to excite or inspire him.
After getting his former classmates and friends to admit that they have been sent for, Hamlet admits to them that he has changed. However, he does not reveal what has really caused this change in him. Instead, having already led Polonius to believe he is "mad," Hamlet now launches into a speech characterized by a deep melancholy so that his former friends will think he is greatly depressed. Here is a summary of what he says,
- Although I do not know the reason, I am deeply depressed, having lost all happiness ("sense of mirth"). My usual activities are of absolutely no interest to me. In fact, as I see it, the entire world seems sterile and empty. Even the sky filled with lovely golden sunlight does not move me to joy; instead, it seems no more than foul and disease-filled fumes to breathe.
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