How Hamlet's Mental State Changes in the Soliloquies in Hamlet by Shakespeare In William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” there are four major soliloquies that reflect the character of Hamlet. In this paper I will be analyzing and discussing how these four soliloquies reflect changes in Hamlet’s mental state; his changing attitudes toward life and the other characters in the play, particularly the women; and his reflection on the task of revenge that has been assigned to him. These four soliloquies are the backbones of the play, and they offer the audience a glimpse into Hamlet’s mind and thought processes. In the first soliloquy it is very obvious that Hamlet’s sanity is in question. This is apparent in the first four lines of this soliloquy. “ O that this too solid flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew, Or that the Everlasting had not fixed, His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter, O God! God!” (42) These few lines show that Hamlet is so depressed that he wishes he could melt away into nothingness or commit suicide. It is also very apparent in this soliloquy, that Hamlet is beginning to loath his mother for marrying Claudius only one month after King Hamlet’s death. Hamlet loathes his mother and begins to loath all women, because he believes they are all weak. “Let me not think on’t! Frailty, They name is women!” (42) Hamlet seems to view Denmark as a metaphorical garden of Eden which now totally corrupt, this can be seen when Hamlet says “ Tis an unweeded garden, That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature”. (42) This soliloquy presents the audience a glimpse into Hamlet’s psyche, he is obviously enraged at his mother’s marriage, the state of Denmark, and he is... ... middle of paper ... ...of view. First, he was a great man of noble birth and he had a lot of responsibility in his kingdom. He is looked up to by most for leadership and guidance. Hamlet has the fatal tendency to only concentrate on only one thing, this thing was to revenge his father’s death by killing Claudius. This tendency leads him to his downfall along with his on major character flaw. This flaw is that Hamlet is a serial procrastinator. One example of this procrastination is that he had many chance to murder Claudius but he did not, he always seemed to find some excuse not to do it. I wonder if he killed Claudius the first chance he got, would he have lived a long and happy life as the King along with his Queen, instead of dying by the shear will of Claudius. Bibliography: Works Cited Shakespeare, William. “Hamlet” Shakespeare made easy. 1986
William Shakespeare. Hamlet edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. (New York: Washington Square Press, 1992) All future references will come from this text.
When once Hamlet identified himself through his royal blood and the distinguished members of his family, the union of his mother and uncle has left him without status. Hamlet's sense of worth, manliness, and identity are equally undone through the union of Claudius and Gertrude. His body, his status, and his very being have become polluted through his mother’s marriage to his father’s brother, “Fie on ’t, ah fie! 'Tis an unweeded garden/That grows to seed. Things rank and gross in nature” (1.2.134-6). Hamlet uses the line as a metaphor for his world being a garden. As his world is...
To begin, the seven soliloquies serve as a strong testament to Hamlet’s sanity because they convey his coherence like no other remarks made in the play. As the story digresses, there is an apparent shift in Hamlet’s demeanor. The rivaling question is, is Hamlet...
In this tragic story, Hamlet is a deeply sensitive man, too good and too noble to cope with or remain in the wicked world in which he finds himself. According to the prince, the whole world is corrupt, he disowns life by saying, "How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable/ Seem to me all the uses of this world! . . . things rank and gross in nature/ Possess it merely" (William Shakespeare, 29). He also states "I have of late. . . lost all my mirth and this goodly frame the earth seems to me a sterile promontory, this most excellent canopy the air.
After hearing that his widowed mother quickly married his father's brother on the day of his father’s funeral, Hamlet storms off to seclude himself in private then, presents a soliloquy. “O, that this too too solid flesh would melt thaw and resolve itself into a dew!Or that the Everlasting had not fix’d His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God!” (I. ii L 131). Hamlet wishes that his body would turn to water and convert to dew or that God had not made suicide a sin. In this soliloquy, the audience perceives Hamlet to be someone who is often sullen and dispirited relating to how he talks to himself in
Hamlet’s first soliloquy takes place in Act 1 scene 2. In his first soliloquy Hamlet lets out all of his inner feelings revealing his true self for the first time. Hamlet’s true self is full of distaste, anger, revenge, and is very much different from the artificial persona that he pretends to be anytime else. Overall, Hamlet’s first soliloquy serves to highlight and reveal Hamlet’s melancholy as well as his reasons for feeling such anguish. This revelation in Hamlet’s persona lays the groundwork for establishing the many themes in the play--suicide, revenge, incest, madness, corruption, and mortality.
This famous soliloquy offers a dark and deep contemplation of the nature of life and death. Hamlet’s contemplative, philosophical, and angry tones demonstrate the emotions all people feel throughout their lifetimes.
Shakespeare’s introspective play Hamlet embodies elaborate soliloquies and asides that dispense external actions as a result of changes in consciousness, discoveries, and awakenings. Moreover, Maurice Charney claims the “continuity between the conventional speeches of soliloquy and aside and ordinary dialogue throws light retrospectively on Shakespeare and Elizabethan practice” (Charney). Even though Hamlet …”is the prince of philosophical speculators” his soliloquies and asides contribute to the vengeful plot against his uncle by proclaiming to act upon Claudius, responsible for the King’s death (Hazlitt 11).
Throughout the play Hamlet reveals his innermost thoughts and feelings in Shakespeare's play the Tragedy of Hamlet, in his soliloquies which gives the audience insight into Hamlet's emotions that would not be otherwise known. The soliloquies appear to be ambiguous but they all have a unifying theme that signifies a change in Hamlet. Hamlet reveals in his soliloquies his overall evolution towards self awareness, complete consciousness of existence and the understanding of humanities greatest faults. Hamlets complexity is apparent in his soliloquies, not only does he reveal his thoughts and feeling on the matter at hand but it truly shows his progression and transformation within the play.
Soliloquies in a play are very important for an audience to comprehend. When a character on stage speaks their thoughts aloud by oneself, its called a soliloquy. In the play, Hamlet, the main character, Hamlet loses his father. Hamlet’s uncle, who killed the king, takes over and marries the queen, who is also Hamlet’s Mother. After the ghost of the past king visits and exposes his brother for murder, Hamlet attempts uncover his uncle. Acts one, two, and three, of Hamlet, all contain soliloquies that expose a diversity of messages.
and his wife. Claudius had won the love of Gertrude and then murdered the King by
He questions, “Whether ‘tis Nobler in the mind to suffer The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune, Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles, and by opposing end them.” Hamlet does not know if he should exist or kill himself, and what makes him a better person. His indecisiveness is shown again as he desires to end the pain of his life but is afraid of the afterlife. He says, “And makes us rather bear those ills we have, Than fly to others we know not of. Thus Conscience does make Cowards of us all.” In the last line Hamlet says, “Be thou all my sins remembered,” hinting that he has now finally decided to seek revenge upon his uncle. Through his fourth soliloquy, you can see Hamlet’s true sadness and how his indecisiveness reigns in every aspect of his life.
Shakespeare uses the soliloquy to its full power, using a wide range of techniques and images. We, the audience see far more of his ‘inner soul’ than perhaps is comfortable, and by doing so, ironically we are just as confused as Hamlet is, regarding the cause of his life should take as well as the inner workings of his soul.
The two soliloquies are effectively commentaries against eachother, one with a Hamlet who tries to exhibit stoicism and then struggles with his own grief when he can't and another with a libertine Claudius who formulates his grief instead, having the "wisest sorrow", to please himself and
...s recognize it. These words create a strong imagery of smell. He also says that his heart is black as death, “O bosom black as death!” (III, iii, 68). This simile provides strong imagery alluding to his guilt using “black as death” and an overall dark atmosphere for the play (III, iii, 68).