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"ourselves"
Irony
Act 1,
Scene 2
Lines 6-7

The irony of Claudius' use of the word "ourselves" in Act 1, Scene 2 of myshakespeare's Hamlet.

Claudius 

That we with wisest sorrow think on him
Together with remembrance of ourselves.

In this passage, the amiguity in Claudius' use of "ourselves" is ironic. The message he wants to convey is that he has acted wisely toward the welfare of all the Danes. However, those in the audience familiar with the story of Hamlet know that he is really only thinking about himself.