Hamlet Roast
One AI REALLY Lets It Rip
In those same chats about Hamlet’s soliloquy discussed in my previous post, I asked about Hamlet’s age. I knew of the debate but didn’t expect the two AI to go in completely different directions. While Gemini toed the company line and offered explanations for why the direct textual approach might conflict with the internal textual clues, Claude fully embraced the questions I raised and delivered an incisive critique of the “low-hanging fruit” approach, revealing quite a humorous side to boot. I’m presenting Claude’s hilarious take first before Gemini’s milquetoast analysis, which is not anything to write home about (including it here only to highlight the contrast between the two).
In the chat excerpts below, I’ve spelled out abbreviations and clarified references for readability—my actual prompts were more compressed due to context limits.
Want to see how this unfolded? Here are excerpts of pivotal points from those actual conversations.
Claude Thinks It Through
Prompt: From a prince. So he’s casting about and coopting grievances that he’s never really experienced.
Claude Digs In
Prompt: So you’re not swayed by those scholars who peg his age at 30 because of that mention in the gravedigger’s scene?
Claude REALLY Lets It Rip
Prompt: Aha! The other AI thought it made sense initially before I pointed out all the late teen aspects (underdeveloped frontal lobe) of Hamlet’s profile. Much better analysis from Opus.
Claude Calls It like It Is
Prompt: Probably not far from the original intent of the great bard. I don’t think anyone with such a genius for language would have thrown in those grievances for nothing. He wanted to show how laughable it was for a prince to go on about how hard life is.
Gemini: Setup
Prompt: I always wanted to ask someone about this, but no one was knowledgeable enough. Now I have you! How old would you say Hamlet is?
Gemini: Redirect
Prompt: No, not those external clues, but what he says in the play. That should be the real clue.
Womp Womp
Prompt: Yes, very immature, who thinks that the greatest pain in life is to toil? I mean, how spoiled is this kid?
