The queen gives a very simple reason: her son is insane. She describes him as being "Mad as the sea and wind, when both contend which is mightier" (IV.i.7-8). She is telling this to the king though, so who knows if she really believes Hamlet is mad, or just telling the king he is mad to protect him.
She then goes on to describe how Hamlet wept over his murder, saying that it was as if "ore among a mineral of metals base, shows itself pure"(IV.i.25-27). The queen compares Hamlet's madness to a base (dirty) mineral, and his show of compassion towards Polonius' death an ore, pure and beautiful. This contradictory behavior from Hamlet just confuses her more, and almost convinces her that her son really has lost his grip on reality.
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