Some time has passed. From Ophelia's remarks in III.ii. (which happens the day after II.i), we learn that Old Hamlet has now been dead for four months. Shakespeare telescopes time. We learn (in this scene) that Ophelia has (on Polonius's orders) refused to accept love letters from Hamlet and told him not to come near her. We learn in the next scene (which follows soon after) that the king and queen have sent …
showed first 75 words of 1068 total

showed last 75 words of 1068 total
…en very funny to Shakespeare's contemporaries, and Hamlet calls Denmark a prison. When they disagree ("Humor a madman"), Hamlet says "There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. To me it is a prison." (Note that Hamlet is obviously not referring to the idea that there are no moral absolutes -- as do certain contemporary "multiculturalists".) The idea that attitude is everything was already familiar from Montaigne, and from common sense.