Essay On Hamlet's First Soliloquy Analysis Of Hamlet

In this play we read about a young prince named Hamlet who devotes himself to avenging his father's death. As the play progresses we see that Hamlet is contemplative and demonstrates his true desires and feelings. Hamlet begins to show signs of weakness and his indecision to seek vengeance in his soliloquy “O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!”(2.2.560). Hamlet throughout the play is perceived as a weak, emotionally unstable, and cowardly individual.
At the beginning of his soliloquy Hamlet berates himself for not being more passionate in nature, that a mere player can perform a more intense feeling on a stage than he can, “What would he do / Had he the motive and the cue for passion / That I have? He would drown the stage with tears...”(2.2.570-576).

Hamlet blames himself for not being as passionate as the player. He feels that he is guilty for not loving his father strongly and not hating Claudius enough. He continues to scold himself for his lack of courage, “Yet I A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak… Am I a coward?”(2.2.577-582). He starts to question his courage and to me that is a sign of weakness.
Hamlet compares himself to a servant rather than a prince, he is merely a “rogue and peasant slave”(2.2.560). He feels like a worthless, indolent, coward. He claims to be in a dream-like state, stating that he cannot stand up for his cause, “Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause”(2.2.579). Hamlet may be feeling this way because of the fact that he has yet to do anything to avenge his father. He should be feeling angry, his blood boiling with rage instead he is showing a sign of weakness and his inability to avenge his father. Hamlet even recognizes his own weakness, “But I am pigeon-livered and lack gall”(2.2.588) because if he wasn’t weak he would have exacted revenge upon Claudius. He then shows his hatred for Claudius, cursing him and calling him a “remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!”(2.2.592).
Hamlet is also using ridicule in calling himself brave, he is using sarcasm to show that he is not brave at all, “Why, what an ass I am!

This is most brave”(2.2.594). He is insulting himself because he is truly a coward. He then compares himself to a whore in the streets shouting and expressing his feelings, “Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words.”(2.2.597). He is emptying his his heart out with words and tears much like a coward would. Hamlet is frustrated with his inaction and scolds himself to put his brain to work, “About, my brains.”(2.2.599). He finally realizes that shouting and fooling around isn’t going to benefit him. He needs to stop and reevaluate the situation and conjure a plan.
After much thinking and thought Hamlet then comes up with a plot to have the players simulate the murder of his father on stage. He explains that guilty people can be affected by the scene of a play, “I have heard that guilty creatures sitting at a play / Have by the very cunning of the scene / Been struck so to the soul that presently.”(2.2.601-603).
As Hamlet’s soliloquy comes to an end and after analyzing, I’ve come to a conclusion that this soliloquy reveals the inner torment of Hamlet. Not only does Hamlet insult and berates himself he realizes that he is indeed a coward. I strongly believe that Hamlet is a weak, emotionally unstable, and cowardly individual because of how he conveyed this

soliloquy.