What should a man do but be merry? For look you how cheerfully my mother looks, and my father died within's two hours.
Act III, Scene 2 · Hamlet
Context
Lying at Ophelia's feet, Hamlet sarcastically remarks that of course he should be merry, since his mother looks so cheerful even though his father died recently—then claims it was only two hours ago.
Analysis
Hamlet's deliberate understatement—'two hours' when Ophelia will correct him to 'twice two months'—forces her to participate in measuring how quickly grief is supposed to fade. The gap between his exaggerated timeline and reality exposes the social pressure to stop mourning, making Gertrude's 'cheerful' demeanor seem obscene. His fake confusion performs the very forgetting he accuses his mother of, holding up a satirical mirror to court expectations.
Essay Tip
Use this to argue that Hamlet's 'madness' is a form of social commentary—by pretending to misremember his father's death, he makes visible the court's collective amnesia and complicity in moving on too quickly.