Hamlet Essay

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Although Hamlet has many significant soliloquies throughout the play, two show very different sides of Hamlet’s character to the naked eye. His “O all you host…” soliloquy portrays an enraged, passionate Hamlet while his “O, what a rogue…” demonstrates how Hamlet’s rationality has stopped him from taking action. Both soliloquies use dark diction, vivid, scholarly imagery and syntax to characterize Hamlet, and portray common Shakespearean themes of revenge and deception. Hamlet begins his soliloquy in Act I, Scene V with passionate diction by shouting to heaven, hell and earth. He compares his life to hell, and the beginning of the soliloquy continues to portray him as a man who is disgusted with life and humanity. He use the phrase “O, fie” which all serves to show Hamlet’s frustration and anger after having heard what the ghost, his father, has told him. He’s enraged because of the deception of his uncle and mother and knows he must get revenge. He tells his muscles to “grow not instant old” because he knows he will need the energy to get revenge. He continues to speak indirectly to the ghost by saying that he’ll “remember thee” and he continues to sound very passionate; but even he may realize that he is overestimating himself as he knows he is confused and tends to overthink as he speaks of his “distracted globe”. But he is very determined as he says he’ll “wipe away” all thoughts and memory, the “baser matter” and only think of his father’s “commandment”. This demonstrates how important it is to Hamlet in this act to get revenge, and in hindsight shows his overestimation for his ability to take action. The Hamlet in this scene is seemingly more passionate and less rational; but the use of his scholarly metaphors such as compar... ... middle of paper ... ...aracter through his language and his actions. In the second soliloquy we see Hamlet as not being quite as trusting of the ghost as he appeared to be in the first soliloquy, but he is also ashamed of not having taken action. Hamlet’s inner conflict is shown as he seems to want to take action, but he’s not sure if he can trust himself or the ghost. He also appears to not have a strong desire to get revenge as he himself says he is “unpregnant” with his cause and he makes excuses and stalls his actions. Hamlet is shown to be somewhat of an over thinker as he himself says he wishes he’d stop “[unpacking his] heart with words” and take action. Both of Hamlet’s soliloquies serve to portray him as a scholar with an apparent desire with vengeance, but it becomes clear that he is conflicted if revenge is what he truly wants due to his highly perfectionistic way of thinking.

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