Soliloquy and Revenge in Hamlet

656 Words2 Pages

Soliloquy and Revenge in Hamlet The soliloquy is a literary device that is employed to unconsciously reveal an actor's thoughts to the audience. In William Shakespeare's, Hamlet, Hamlet's soliloquy in Act II, ii, (576-634) depicts his arrival at a state of vengeful behaviour through an internal process. Hamlet moves through states of depression and procrastination as he is caught up in the aftermath of the murder of his father and the marriage of his mother to his uncle. The soliloquy serves to effectively illustrate the inner nature of Hamlet's character and develop the theme of revenge. In the soliloquy, Hamlet's depression, due to his "dear father['s]" (612) murder and the incestuous family relationship, is revealed as he compares his situation to that of King Priam and Hecuba. The pain that the player feels, acting as the mythological King Priam symbolizes the loss that Hamlet experiences. Hamlet feels that he has enough cause to "drown the stage in tears." (589) Arising from Hamlet's depression comes a paralysis to act. By not acting upon the...

Show More
Related

  • A Comparison of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Beliefs

    604 Words  | 2 Pages

    the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan like as to put to

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Hamlet's Soliloquy

    691 Words  | 2 Pages

    The interpretation of Hamlet’s, To Be or Not to Be soliloquy, from the Shakespearean classic of the same name, is an important part of the way that the audience understands an interpretation of the play. Although the words are the same, the scene is presented by the actors who portray Hamlet can vary between versions of the play. These differences no matter how seemingly miniscule affect the way in which someone watching the play connects with the title character.

    Read More

  • Revenge in Hamlet

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare’s plays, among other classic works of literature, tend to be forged with the tension of human emotion. The archetypical parallel of love and hatred polarizes characters and emphasizes the stark details of the plot. More specifically, the compelling force of revenge is behind most of the motives of Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet. The play opens with the return of Hamlet’s father, a surprising encounter, which ended in his son learning that his father’s death was the result of foul play. By emphasizing this scene as the beginning of the story to be told, Shakespeare clearly implies that the plot itself will be based around the theme of revenge. Through three different instances of behavior fueled entirely by vengeance, Shakespeare creates an image in the reader’s mind, which foreshadows the future of the story and provides insight into the plot line. Even so, despite the theme of revenge being the overarching concern of the plot, the parallels drawn between characters truly strengthen the thematic depth of the piece overall, making the play easily one of Shakespeare’s most infamous and historically valuable works.

    Read More

  • Revenge in Hamlet

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shakespeare wrote hundreds of pieces, from sonnets to plays. Hamlet is one of his most

    Read More

  • Shakespeare Soliloquies In Hamlet

    1548 Words  | 4 Pages

    Shakespeare uses soliloquies in his play as a means of communicating the thoughts of a character without revealing them to the other characters. I will investigate soliloquies because they are commonly found in literature, but not in every day speech; therefore, I want to have a better understanding of how a soliloquy can benefit the play’s plot rather than the use of conversation between two or more characters. The three plays that we can see the effect of Shakespeare’s soliloquies on the plot are Jacques in As You Like it, Hamlet in Hamlet, and Macbeth in Macbeth. In each of these plays, the subtopics that I will discuss are: how a specific soliloquy reveals the character’s inner thought, how these lines differ from the views society has

    Read More

  • The Lasting Impact of King Hamlet's Ghost

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many characters and people even with very few appearances or interactions with others can leave a lasting effect on someone or can impact the overall mood and message of a body of work. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, King Hamlet’s ghost or afterlife form makes a few appearances through the course of the tragedy but leaves a persisting effect that weighs heavily on the decisions and actions of Prince Hamlet that result in further deaths, adds depth and establishes the theme of revenge, and overall assists in the development of Prince Hamlet’s character as a person.

    Read More

  • Provoking Revenge In Hamlet

    488 Words  | 1 Pages

    Storming into the palace and throwing accusations at Claudius, Laertes reveals he is impulsive. Laertes anger is due to the dishonor that has been inflicted on his family by Polonius’s murder. Claudius takes advantage of the sudden appearance of Laertes, by provoking Laertes into assisting him in plotting Hamlet’s murder. Shakespeare uses Laertes not only as a catalyst in the story, but as a contrast to the pensive Hamlet.

    Read More

  • Tragedy in William Shakespeare´s Hamlet

    1312 Words  | 3 Pages

    William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is laden with tragedy from the start, and this adversity is reflected in the title character. Being informed of his father’s murder and the appalling circumstances surrounding the crime, Hamlet is given the emotionally taxing task of avenging his death. It is clear that having to complete this grim undertaking takes its toll on Hamlet emotionally. Beginning as a seemingly contemplative and sensitive character, we observe Hamlet grow increasingly depressed and deranged as the play wears on. Hamlet is so determined to make his father proud that he allows the job on hand to completely consume him. We realize that Hamlet has a tendency to mull and ponder excessively, which causes the notorious delays of action throughout the play. It is often during these periods of deep thought and reflection that we hear one of Hamlet’s famous soliloquies, which are obviously relative to Hamlet’s apprehensions and worries surrounding his current situation. The seven soliloquies throughout the play offer insight pertaining to the deteriorating mental state of Hamlet, and the circumstances which induce his decent into madness.

    Read More

  • Exploring Hamlet's Soliloquies: A Personal Approach

    1907 Words  | 4 Pages

    In this essay I examine the soliloquy-approach which the hero uses. If Hamlet’s personality seems abnormally vague, if his different performer can award him with such widely differing characteristics, it is because his part is presented personally, much of it confided to us through soliloquies.

    Read More

  • Hamlet and his battle with depression

    1756 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hamlet gives many clues in this play that he is beyond feeling upset and anger over what is happening in his life. His soliloquies and speeches give excellent indications that he is actually depressed. People do not understand why he acts the way he does and even try to tell him to move on with his life. However, depression is a very serious disorder that cannot be easily detected or treated. Because the people do not detect that Hamlet is depressed, they obviously do not treat him for it. Hamlet's case continues to get worse and eventually aids in the cause of his death. Hamlet reveals too many obvious symptoms of depression to disclaim that he is inflicted with the disorder. Hamlet, a young prince, his heart filled with years of sadness and hardship, cannot escape his misery and develops major depression disorder.

    Read More

  • Does Hamlet Make a Good King?

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    Any great king must be compassionate, and Hamlet is the embodiment of compassion. He shows this through his great sadness after his father’s death. Unlike many others in the play, Hamlet continues to mourn long after his father’s death. In fact, he never stops thinking of his father, even though his mother rushed into a marriage with Claudius a mere two months after her husband’s funeral. Also, Hamlet shows the reader his compassion through

    Read More

  • The Conveying of Hamlet's Thoughts

    592 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Shakespeare’s Hamlet gives the readers insight into Hamlet’s state of mind as his world comes crashing down with the knowledge of his father’s murder. In the well-known soliloquy from Act III, scene i, Hamlet concisely invokes his thoughts and feelings through the extended use of diction, imagery, and syntax. Hamlet’s powerful word choice conveys his deeply unresolved problems as he considers life’s cycle.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Seeking Revenge In Hamlet

    674 Words  | 2 Pages

    Seeking revenge is never the answer to any problem. In Romans 12:19 it states, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written, “It is mine to avenge, I will repay,” says the Lord.” In Shakespeare play Hamlet, there are plenty of examples of the domino effect of revenge seeking. The first example is the rage and revenge expressed by Hamlet, which drives him mad. The second is Laertes seeking revenge on Hamlet. Lastly, all characters who played the game of revenge all payed the price in the end. Let us begin the game of revenge dominos…

    Read More

  • Hamlet and Revenge

    985 Words  | 2 Pages

    Revenge has caused the downfall of many a person. Its consuming nature causes one to act recklessly through anger rather than reason. Revenge is an emotion easily rationalized; one turn deserves another. However, this is a very dangerous theory to live by. Throughout Hamlet, revenge is a dominant theme. Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet all seek to avenge the deaths of their fathers. But in so doing, all three rely more on emotion than thought, and take a very big gamble, a gamble which eventually leads to the downfall and death of all but one of them. King Fortinbras was slain by King Hamlet in a sword battle. This entitled King Hamlet to the land that was possessed by Fortinbras because it was written in a seal'd compact. "…our valiant Hamlet-for so this side of our known world esteem'd him-did slay this Fortinbras." Young Fortinbras was enraged by his father’s murder and sought revenge against Denmark. He wanted to reclaim the land that had been lost to Denmark when his father was killed. "…Now sir, young Fortinbras…as it doth well appear unto our state-but to recover of us, by strong hand and terms compulsative, those foresaid lands so by his father lost…" Claudius becomes aware of Fortinbras’ plans, and in an evasive move, sends a message to the new King of Norway, Fortinbras’ uncle.

    Read More

  • Hamlet Acts Morally, Harms Others by his Actions, and Realizes his Tragic Limits

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most famous work of tragedy. Throughout the play the title character, Hamlet, tends to seek revenge for his father’s death. Shakespeare achieved his work in Hamlet through his brilliant depiction of the hero’s struggle with two opposing forces that hunt Hamlet throughout the play: moral integrity and the need to avenge his father’s murder. When Hamlet sets his mind to revenge his fathers’ death, he is faced with many challenges that delay him from committing murder to his uncle Claudius, who killed Hamlets’ father, the former king. During this delay, he harms others with his actions by acting irrationally, threatening Gertrude, his mother, and by killing Polonius which led into the madness and death of Ophelia. Hamlet ends up deceiving everyone around him, and also himself, by putting on a mask of insanity. In spite of the fact that Hamlet attempts to act morally in order to kill his uncle, he delays his revenge of his fathers’ death, harming others by his irritating actions. Despite Hamlets’ decisive character, he comes to a point where he realizes his tragic limits.

    Read More

More about Soliloquy and Revenge in Hamlet

Open Document