(III, ii. lns 68-74).His speech to Horatio “gratifies our hope that Hamlet will pause somewhere in his busycareer of mayhem and self-involvement to acknowledge the services of a dear friend” (States 188). This speech demonstrates Hamlet’s ability to recognize virtue when he seesit. He also recognizes and envies Horatio’s ability to refrain from becoming “passion’sslave.” This speech also proves that Hamlet has told his trusted friend everything aboutClaudius and the ghost. Up until now, this had only been assumed. When the king and queen arrive with the court, Hamlet becomes the comic. Heplays on puns and makes jokes. This is unlike what the court has recently seen from itsmelancholy prince, though most of Hamlet’s jokes hide a darker meaning than the courtmay realize. The king immediately asks Hamlet how he “fares.” Hamlet playing on thedefinition of the word “fare” to also mean “dine,” jokes: “Excellent, i’ faith; of thechameleon’s dish: I eat the air, promise-crammed: you cannot feed capons so” (III, ii. lns 93-94). Hamlet replies that he “eats the air,” a pun on the word heir, aschameleons were thought to do, and that is not a good way to feed capons, castrated malechickens. This is a hint that he suspects Claudius, in naming him successor, of stuffing himwith promises the way a capon is fattened before being butchered (Fisch 162).Hamlet also plays the court jester when Polonius reveals he was once an actor. Polonius announces that he once played Julius Caesar. “I was killed in the Capitol,” hesays, “Brutus killed me.” Hamlet replies, “It was a brute part of him to kill so capitol acalf there” (III, ii. lns 102-104). He is making a joke, but his pun on Brutus unwittinglyforeshadows the “brute part” he will play later that night in Polonius’ murder. ...
