Read the excerpt from Act III of Hamlet . Ophelia: What means this, my lord? Hamlet: Marry, this is miching mallecho; it means mischief. Ophelia: Belike this show imports the argument of the play. Enter Prologue. Hamlet: We shall know by this fellow: the players cannot keep counsel; they’ll tell all. Ophelia: Will he tell us what this show meant? Hamlet: Ay, or any show that you’ll show him; be not you ashamed to show, he’ll not shame to tell you what it means. Ophelia: You are naught, you are naught. I’ll mark the play. What word from the excerpt suggests that Hamlet has hidden motives in showing the play?
Hamlet says the play is “miching mallecho,” then explains that it means “mischief.” Mischief suggests wrongdoing or an intention to cause trouble, hinting that Hamlet has a hidden purpose in showing the play. “Argument” means the subject or plot of the play, while “counsel” means a secret or private discussion.
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