When Gertrude hears the Player Queen say that she will not remarry if her husband dies, Gertrude says, “The lady protests too mu

Answer:

The Player Queen often comments on the passing of her spouses, making it quite unexpected if she refrained from remarrying.

Explanation:

Dramatic irony is a technique employed to create a strong impact on the audience, serving either humorous purposes or to involve the audience in particular actions. This occurs when the audience possesses knowledge that the characters lack.

In Hamlet, a play is staged for the court, directed by Prince Hamlet to determine if his uncle truly murdered his father. This performance mirrors Hamlet’s beliefs, with the character of the queen in the play representing his actual mother, Queen Gertrude. Consequently, when Gertrude remarks on the play saying, "The lady protests too much, methinks", she inadvertently critiques herself; she fails to recognize this, while Hamlet and the audience are fully aware of the truth. The usage of dramatic irony here is aimed at inducing laughter and making the audience complicit in Hamlet's scheme. Hamlet holds his mother in disdain for remarrying shortly after his father's demise.