In his famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy, Hamlet contemplates death and existence. To him, death is full of unknowns and existence is full of suffering and pain. Eventually, he decides to endure “the heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks/that flesh is heir to…” (Shakespeare 62-3) rather than face the possible horrors that might be revealed in death. Kumin’s “In the Park” agrees with Hamlet in the aspect that death and the afterlife is mysterious. Through the exploration of Buddhist and Jewish beliefs on death and the near death experience of Roscoe Black with a grizzly bear in Glacier Park, Kumin comes to a conclusion that death is inevitable and non-discriminatory. Her nonchalant acceptance of death contrasts with Hamlet’s fear of death. The attitude of both poems towards life further sets them apart. Hamlet is tormented and intimidated by the suffering and pains of existence while Kumin subtly appreciates the complexity of life and the possibilities it offers.
Hamlet acknowledges his own cowardice in lines 83-8: “Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,/.../And enterprises
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of great pitch and moment/.../...lose the name of action.” He seems disheartened and even bitter that once again, he has abandoned an action after thorough rumination, even though death may deliver him from his pain, “..’tis a consummation/Devoutly to be wished….” (63-4). Kumin does not want death like Hamlet does but she knows it will come for her anyways one day: “...In the pitch-dark/each of us waits for him in Glacier Park” (29-30). By allowing that line to serve as the final note of the poem, Kumin is emphasising that she is not phased by death. The line before, “When the grizzly bear appears, he lies/lays down on atheist and zealot” (28-29), supports the inclusiveness of death. How one dies or what their beliefs of the afterlife are does not matter, the same death comes for everyone.. Shakespeare’s poem outrightly displays its misery with life. The most prominent instance of Hamlet’s discontent is from lines 70-74, in which he lists the seven main injustices of human life. The visual block of words and the repetition of “the”, which produces a steady rhythm, reflect the constant, every day weariness of life and creates a feeling of being trapped. Negative language regarding the suffering of life is scattered all along the poem, “outrageous fortune” (57), “sea of troubles” (58), “the heart-ache and thousand natural shocks/That flesh is heir to..” (62-3), “mortal coil” (67), “so long life” (69), “fardels” (76), and “weary life” (77), which connects with the pervasiveness of suffering and pain that Hamlet feels in his own life. Kumin quietly weaves in appreciation for life by lacing stanzas that focus on different topics with little details that celebrate life. In the first stanza, which inspects the Buddhist belief of reincarnation, Kumin rattles off options of what a baby can do in forty-nine days. A baby represents the potential of life. The multitude of actions represents the possibilities and opportunities that life offers. . If there is so much a baby can do in forty-nine days, imagine what one can do in a lifetime. The second stanza recounts Roscoe Black’s “skirmish” (11) with a grizzly bear. “I could feel his heart/beating against my heart” (12-3) is part of the narration of Roscoe Black. That line exhibits the moment of intimacy between the grizzly bear and Roscoe Black. The image of two hearts beating next to each other creates a sense of awe for the sacredness of life. In the third stanza, Kumin summarizes the teachings of the Old Testament that she was raised on. She calls it “a simple world, full of crossovers” (22) because it is just a story. Life is complicated and sometimes, things do not make sense. However, the belittling tone of the stanza suggests that Kumin would rather have a complicated world than a simple one. Kumin values the complexity of life. The structure of each poem reflects their mood and meaning.
Hamlet’s soliloquy is written in blank verse. Most of the lines have ten syllables and follow the iambic pentameter. The disciplined thinking of Hamlet is seen in the rigidity of the structure. On the other hand, “In the Park” has such an informal, conversational tone that there almost seems to be no structure. Kumin writes in free verse. Each line does not have a certain number of syllables nor does it follow any stress pattern. “In the Park” also jumps from topic to topic in the each stanza while Hamlet’s soliloquy follows a logical train of progression. The relaxed structure of “In the Park” represents Kumin’s certainty and comfortability with her beliefs and thoughts while Hamlet’s distant tone and rigid structure can be seen as a mechanism he uses to retain some control in discussing a confusing and difficult
topic. Both poems offer glimpses of different perspectives on the complicated subjects of life and death. Hamlet’s fear of death is understandable but the inevitability of death that Kumin points out is also strangely reassuring.The suffering and pains of life that Hamlet highlights is prevalent but the potential and opportunities of life cannot be dismissed either.
Hamlet’s third soliloquy has been famed for the line “To be or not to be,” however the reenactments done by Mel Gibson and directed by Zefirelli has shown to be better performed than that of Kenneth Branagh directed by Branagh in the terms of voice and cinematography but it began to lack in the use of location and lighting.
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.
Lugo, Michael. "Thus Conscience Does Make Cowards of Us All." Hamlet reaction papers. Wynnewood: FCS, 2000.
The “slings and arrows”, “whips and scorns”, and the “grunt and sweat” express the realistic and well-known burdens of living. These simple yet intense descriptions are purposeful to stick with the audience regarding the negative light in which Hamlet views his life. While the descriptions of life remain realistic, Shakespeare uses comparisons for death to emphasize the unknown parts of it. Comparing death to sleep brings a sense of familiarity, but adding in the fact that there is only a chance of dreaming peacefully- not a guarantee- emphasizes the terror of the unknown. Metaphorically, Shakespeare refers to death as an “undiscover’d country” in which no one returns from to share their experience. These two comparisons display Hamlet’s caution yet unsettling thoughts of
People reveal their true selves when they are alone, for when they are alone they are their only judge. Authors use this trait in writing to give only the audience important information and not the other characters. In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare uses Hamlet’s soliloquies in order to convey important information. It is during Hamlet’s soliloquies that Hamlet reveals his true thoughts of other. Hamlet’s soliloquies are used as a tool in order to understand his feelings about himself. It is during Hamlet’s soliloquies that his plans for the future are revealed.
...tude of the medieval men in his time. He thinks a lot, considers his motivations and finds evidence for his fathers’ deed before he executes his actions. This is why Hamlet couldn’t understand himself, his character differs from the typical man of his times and therefore his motives will be different too. Hamlet lost his confidence and therefore couldn’t decide on whether to act or not since he lost his understanding of himself. So therefore, a little corruption in Hamlet’s world, mixed with his characteristics that just weren’t right his time lead him to his tragic end; as a result of his actions and inactions. In conclusion, confidence in ourselves can lead us to do great and reasonable things. Losing that self-assurance will lead us to become indecisive and weak individuals. This corruption of character can ultimately lead to a tragic decline in our ideal world.
Hamlet is a suspenseful play that introduces the topic of tragedy. Throughout the play, Hamlet displays anger, uncertainty, and obsession with death. Although Hamlet is unaware of it, these emotions cause the mishaps that occur throughout the play. These emotions combined with his unawareness are the leading basis for the tragic hero’s flaws. These flaws lead Hamlet not to be a bad man, but a regular form of imperfection that comes along with being human.
In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare we look at two of his most famous soliloquies. On the one hand, Hamlet 's’ first soliloquy expresses dominated feelings of despair by saying how he had lost everything in his life and doesn 't want to live anymore. On the other hand, Hamlet’s third soliloquy expresses dominated feelings of inferiority. Hamlet is insecure about life or death by telling if he chooses either one of them both will lead to a negative place. These two soliloquies expresses Hamlet’s feelings at the beginning of the play and how it changes as the play goes.
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.
King Claudius exits the play while the scene of his brothers death is being reenacted. Guildenstern and Rosencrantz talk to Hamlet afterward explaining that the King is upset and that his mother has sent for him. Polonius also enters at the end of the scene to reiterate to Hamlet that his mother, the queen, wants to speak to him. This passage is Hamlet’s soliloquy before speaking to his mother. Hamlet is discussing his plan regarding how he’s going to speak with his mother after he confirmed King Claudius is guilty to murder by his action of exiting the play.
Hamlet’s psychological influence demonstrates his dread of both death and life. In Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, “To be or not to be” (3.1.64), he refers the “be” to life and further asks “whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” (3.1.65.66). By this, Hamlet is asking himself the question of whether to live or die.
Hamlet is also a coward because of his inability to act against those who betrayed him, but had other people carry out their demise. Rosencrantz
Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most complex play. By integrating plot within another pot. It mostly surrounds the lives of the nobilities, and most of their conflicts. It also containing the nobilities of another country Denmark. Shakespeare uses soliloquies of Hamlet throughout the entirety play, this is because Shakespeare wants the audience to know the emotional break down Hamlet is having as a result of this father’s death and the plans on how to get revenge. Hamlet has seven soliloquies in the play that gives the audience a closer look has, to what is Hamlet feeling in different parts of the play. The seven soliloquies are the ones that drive the story forwards. Another thing that it does is that it gives a foreshadowing of what Hamlet
The major question 'To be or not to be' is believed by some to be a
Hamlet now seems to make a decision. He makes the profound judgment that ‘conscience does make cowards of us all,’ This sentence is probably the most important one in the soliloquy. There is a religious dimension to it as it is a sin to take one’s life. So with that added dimension the fear of the unknown after death is intensified.