Man delights not me; no, nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so.
Act II, Scene 2 · Hamlet
Context
Hamlet concludes his speech by stating flatly that neither men nor women give him pleasure, then notes that Rosencrantz is smiling.
Analysis
The negative parallelism 'not... no, nor... neither' reinforces Hamlet's isolation through repeated negation. His observation that Rosencrantz is smiling suggests he is being watched and interpreted even as he speaks, which turns his confession of despair into another performance for an audience.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that Hamlet can never fully escape performance—even his most apparently sincere admissions of despair are framed by his awareness of listeners, which raises the question of whether he has any private, authentic self left.