A little more than kin, and less than kind.
– William Shakespeare
Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 2. Hamlet’s first words in the play and one of his ironic witticisms. He plays on words in a withering assessment of his relationship with the new king of Denmark, his uncle Claudius, who poisoned his father. Claudius is twice related to him, as uncle and stepfather, but he sees him as neither his kin or kind.