Read the excerpt from act iv of hamlet. hamlet: rightly to be great is not to stir without great argument, but greatly to find quarrel in a straw when honour’s at the stake. what is the most likely reason shakespeare repeats "great” and "greatly”? shakespeare utilizes the repetition of “great” to illustrate hamlet’s lack of a main point. by repeating the same word, shakespeare shows that hamlet is not sure of his point. shakespeare capitalizes on the multiple meanings of “great” to emphasize hamlet’s point. by using a word with multiple meanings, shakespeare shows that hamlet is not good at making his point.