Hamlet’s soliloquy is surely one of the great dramatic monologues in world literature. It is as well known as any in the Shakespearean canon and a favorite selection for memorization. The Prince’s meditation transcends the personal. Much of what he says is applicable to all mankind. The speech, coming as it does at the midpoint of the entire action, poses many critical problems. In view of the widely contrasting interpretations of this speech, it would be naïve to ignore the difficulties of interpretation. The soliloquy comes as something of a surprise after the conclusion of Act II, which displayed Hamlet as rational and determined, intent upon carrying out a positive action that, he was sure, would resolve all doubts relating to Claudius. Now he seems to have reverted back to the mood of the first soliloquy--the mood of the Prince who would welcome death, crushed as he initially was by his mother’s marriage to her brother-in-law. Our tragic hero is suffering from grief and this soliloquy is one of those violent mood swings typical of the depressed individual. With this in mind, his intellectual skepticism and honesty with himself, is commendable. Let us examine the beginning of his philosophical inquiries. “To be, or not to be: that is the question,” so Hamlet begins his contemplations. The line uses one of the most basic verbs in the language, one without which English itself would surely be impossible to speak. The verb is then phrased in the infinitive and lacks the attachment of any specific noun or pronoun. Balancing it on the other side of “or” is the simplest possible opposition: “not”. Shakespeare places the issue in its simplest and most abstract form, until it almost does not make sense. Shakespeare avo... ... middle of paper ... ...pe, including our tragic hero. Essentially, it all comes back to consequences. If Hamlet takes his life to escape his troubles, he could end up with worse predicaments in the afterlife. However, killing Claudius could very easily end his own life as well. The true irony lies in the multiple deaths Hamlet will unintentionally cause, which includes his beloved Ophelia. This speech connects to many of the play’s themes: including suicide, love, truth, teen angst, the debate between thought and action, natural order, inevitability, and so forth. The soliloquy is crucial. Here it reveals the quality of Hamlet’s mind, his passionate nature struggling relentlessly to escape his misery. And although, there is much up for debate, the reader is reassured that Hamlet has not departed from Christianity. There can be no doubt of his conviction in heaven and hell.
William Shakespeare was a Stratford Grammar School boy, who was a member of the Church of England, similar to just about everyone else in Stratford. However, due to some events that occurred in the Shakespeare family home, there is some evidence that could prove that the family may have had some Roman Catholic connections. When William Shakespeare was 10 years old, legal issues and debt took a toll on his family’s life. Shakespeare’s father’s stopped attending alderman meetings which resulted in the removal of his name to become an alderman, and he was also forced to sell his beautiful home. The cause of this crisis is unknown, however the records can be used to throw together the idea that there were peculiar religious events going on (Fox). Due to these mishaps, William Shakespeare’s religion is a bit of a mystery. The play, Hamlet, was written by William Shakespeare during the Elizabethan era, which happened to be a time when religious conflicts were a big deal (Alsaif). The protagonist in the story, Hamlet, is a character who seems to make his choices through his religious beliefs. Hamlet is a very indecisive person, but his thoughts on religion tend to persuade him. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses the character of Hamlet to show the flaws in all religions. Hamlet does his best to follow the rules of Christianity, but he often questions the morality involved. Although Shakespeare belonged to the Church of England, he didn’t find any particular religion to be perfect.
Hamlet's first words are rhetorically complicated, and also challenging and puzzling. Does he pretend to be flippant or boorish in order to keep his thoughts to himself, or to contain his pain? Or does he express rational criticism in savagely sarcastic comments spoken only to himself? Or is the energy of his mind such that he thinks and speaks with instinctive ambiguity? Words are restless within his mind, changing meaning, sh...
Hamlet’s soliloquy is able to encompass his ever-changing feelings and emotions into one. There are examples of both rational and emotional action throughout its entirety. It develops all of Hamlet’s personal issues and also foreshadows what is to come throughout the rest of the play. The beginning of the soliloquy is of utmost importance because it shows not only Hamlet’s ability to think rationally, but it also shows an emotional side as well.
Many people may think of William Shakespeare’s work as very outdated and undecipherable, but in reality, his plays are a work of art. The remarkable Hamlet is one of his best known pieces, especially the famous “to be or not to be” (3.1.57) quote. Shakespeare did not just write Hamlet for entertainment, but to have the audience be able to relate to conflicts, death and overall human existence. Shakespeare targets the Elizabethan audience in a very specific way. The most interesting way that he made the content of this play more appealing was by having young Hamlet say his notorious soliloquies. One of the most important ones in this piece was “How all occasions do form against me” in act 4, scene
Everyone has lied at one point or another in their life. Whether it is a small white lie about an outfit’s mishaps or something that ruined a relationship, lying or hiding the truth is a universal theme that everyone could relate to. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses the theme of deception to develop characters and cause their ultimate downfall in the play. Deception is not only woven in the plot but also portrays through the characters’ action and personality, such as Claudius, Polonius, and Hamlet.
What is the appropriate time of mourning for a lost loved one? In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlets mother, Gertrude, mourned the passing of her husband for less than two months. She then decided to marry King Hamlet's brother, Claudius. Hamlets mother's new marriage is what bothers him the most. Hamlet believes Claudius will never live up to the legacy left by his father as the King of Denmark. The social context that is being revealed to the reader through Hamlets soliloquy describes three character traits he possesses: suicidal thoughts, concern for the well-being of his country, confusion towards his father's ghost and whether or not it’s in the countries best interest for him to get revenge. This also portrays how Queen Gertrude’s hasty nuptials after not having a proper time of mourning, goes against society in this era. Furthermore, this foreshadows the vast effect this will have on Hamlet.
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.
In this paper I will be analyzing and discussing how these four soliloquies reflect changes in Hamlet’s mental state; his
Hamlet by William Shakespeare is one of the most famous plays written in the history of English literature. This is partly due to the fact that its central characters and thematic concerns are still able to resonate with readers today. Because of the play’s polysemous nature, its ideas can be interpreted in a myriad of ways, and there is no single right meaning. Readers bring in their personal experiences, cultures and beliefs to their reading of the play. I will be exploring the notion of privacy in Hamlet, and its scarcity. There were also a few film interpretations that influenced my judgement of the play. Additionally, I will examining the extent to which Hamlet is relevant to me personally and to the 21st century, 400 years after the play was originally written.
While a revenge tragedy by definition, William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, is first and foremost a play concerning memory. The importance and effect of memory and the ars memoria could not be stressed more. Memory, remembrance, or, in some cases the lack there of, frame much of the dialog throughout the work and are therefore unmistakable themes of the play. In Act one, scene five, the ghost of old king Hamlet uses memory as a call to arms, “Mark me…Remember me,” he commands his astonished son (1. 5. 2, 91). This supernatural encounter, with its simple directives to memory, changes everything for Denmark. Memory becomes Hamlet’s foundation for avenging his father’s murder. However, his dwelling in the past soon proves problematic and his memory of the phantom’s words becomes warped. Hamlet regrettably suffers from selective memory when it comes to his father’s directives. This corrupted recollection of the ghost’s instructions develops into the core conflict of the tragedy. While Hamlet is ultimately able to reach his vengeful goal, it is not in a timely manner and certainly not without added bloodshed; making each casualty of the play a result of Hamlet’s inability to follow orders, to remember correctly.
The complexity and effect of father-son relationships seems to be a theme that Shakespeare loved to explore in his writings. In Hamlet, the subject is used as a mechanism to identify the similarities between three very different characters: Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet. They have each lost their fathers to violent deaths, which leads them to seek vengeance. As different as they may seem, they all share the common desire to avenge their father’s deaths. The method they each approach this is what differentiates each of their characters, and allows the audience to discern their individual characteristics. Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet’s intense loyalty to their fathers drives them to individual extreme measures of revenge, exemplifying Shakespeare’s masterful use of describing the human psyche during Elizabethan times.
Hamlet appears to be a rather philosophical character. He is skeptical and expresses views that nowadays can be described as existential and relativist, but those terms did not exist in Shakespeare’s time. Existentialism analyzes existence and the way humans appear to exist in this world. It is concerned with the individual; finding oneself and finding a meaning to life by one’s own measures.That is exactly what Hamlet is going through. Presented with the jarring conflict of avenging his father’s death, Hamlet finds his meaning to life shortly before dying himself among others tangled in this mess. He was tasked by the ghost of his father to kill Claudius in an act of vengeance, which would be considered noble (though in this case, it is a regicide avenging a regicide; treason for treason). The ideals of society demand that he...
"To be, or not to be, that is the question."(Hamlet) This is the question that plagues Hamlet through the entire play. Should I live or should I die, should I take revenge for my father's death? These are all issues that Hamlet battles within himself. Hamlet's indecision is followed by inaction. The reason for this struggle with indecision can be based on many factors or on a combination of a few.
Hamlet is one of the most often-performed and studied plays in the English language. The story might have been merely a melodramatic play about murder and revenge, butWilliam Shakespeare imbued his drama with a sensitivity and reflectivity that still fascinates audiences four hundred years after it was first performed. Hamlet is no ordinary young man, raging at the death of his father and the hasty marriage of his mother and his uncle. Hamlet is cursed with an introspective nature; he cannot decide whether to turn his anger outward or in on himself. The audience sees a young man who would be happiest back at his university, contemplating remote philosophical matters of life and death. Instead, Hamlet is forced to engage death on a visceral level, as an unwelcome and unfathomable figure in his life. He cannot ignore thoughts of death, nor can he grieve and get on with his life, as most people do. He is a melancholy man, and he can see only darkness in his future—if, indeed, he is to have a future at all. Throughout the play, and particularly in his two most famous soliloquies, Hamlet struggles with the competing compulsions to avenge his father’s death or to embrace his own. Hamlet is a man caught in a moral dilemma, and his inability to reach a resolution condemns himself and nearly everyone close to him.
The perfection of Hamlet’s character has been called in question - perhaps by those who do not understand it. The character of Hamlet stands by itself. It is not a character marked by strength of will or even of passion, but by refinement of thought and sentiment. Hamlet is as little of the hero as a man can be. He is a young and princely novice, full of high enthusiasm and quick sensibility - the sport of circumstances, questioning with fortune and refining on his own feelings, and forced from his natural disposition by the strangeness of his situation.