"turn Turk"
Allusion
Act 3,
Scene 2
Lines 251-261
All
[Exit all except Hamlet and Horatio]
Hamlet
[Hamlet merrily sings a few lines from a ballad]
Horatio
Hamlet
“To turn Turk” was a disparaging expression in the Renaissance that meant to turn against what’s seen as good, like a Christian becoming Muslim, as Turks were assumed to be. Hamlet is saying that his luck — his fortunes — are starting to betray him.