Thou know’st ’tis common, all that lives must die, / Passing through nature to eternity.
Act I, Scene 2 · Gertrude
Context
Gertrude urges Hamlet to stop mourning his father, pointing out that death is a natural and inevitable part of life.
Analysis
Gertrude's appeal to what is 'common' tries to make death feel ordinary and therefore not worth prolonged grief. The word 'common' does double work—it means both 'universal' and 'unremarkable,' subtly nudging Hamlet to see his mourning as excessive. Her language normalizes loss in a way that makes continued sorrow seem like a refusal to accept reality.
Essay Tip
Use this to argue that Gertrude's comfort relies on flattening individual grief into general fact—by calling death 'common,' she dismisses what feels unbearably particular to Hamlet.