Note to Hamlet, 2.2.278: "Why, anything, but to th' purpose"


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Hamlet,
Act 2, Scene 2, line 278
Why, anything, but to th' purpose: Hamlet may be saying, "Say anything, but make sure it's to the purpose," or he may be sarcastically saying, "Say anything, so long as it's not to the purpose." In either case, he's pointing out that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been dodging the question of what they are doing at Elsinore.