Quote Analysis

Hamlet continues to express disbelief that the Player could weep for Hecuba, a mythical queen who means nothing to him personally.

The chiasmus 'Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba' mirrors the lack of connection from both sides: they are mutually irrelevant. This symmetry emphasizes the absurdity—grief with no personal stake—which throws Hamlet's own inaction into relief, since he has every reason to grieve but cannot.

Support a thesis that Hamlet envies the Player's freedom from authenticity—fiction allows the Player to feel without consequence, while Hamlet is trapped by the weight of real emotion that he cannot translate into action.