Yorick believes himself a good and benevolent man, and in many cases he certainly is. I have behaved very ill, said I within myself but I have only just set out upon my travels and shall learn better manners as I get along. Indeed, Yorick believes that he can spread a general warmth of disposition in the world. The narratives he recounts - the man distressed over his dead ass, the townspeople who watch a play and emulate its virtues - combine with pronouncements such as this one to reveal his warm disposition. He hopes that this behavior will be reflected in those he meets, and that his example will foster good behavior on a broad scale. This welcoming attitude is also what gives the novel its sentimental focus as well, for Yorick is concerned with openness, kindness, and amiability. Part of the point of Yorick's narrative is to contrast his benevolent attitude towards man with the attitudes expressed in the more spleen-oriented, irritable travel narratives of his contemporaries. When man is at peace with man, how much lighter than a feather is the heaviest of metals in his hand! Yorick, 4
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