Hamlet First Soliloquy Analysis

483 Words1 Page

To begin, the theme of death is very prominent in this play, both literally and figuratively speaking. Hamlet undergoes a series of transformations due to the literal death of his father and then the figurative loss of his mother to another man, Claudius. These series of events are immensely detrimental to Hamlet as he suffers both emotionally and mentally. Hamlet is distraught by the manner in which his mother has wronged not only his dead father, but himself as well. In the early stages of the play, Hamlet recites his first soliloquy in which he states, “…within a month…She married:-O most wicked speed, to post/ With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!” (1.2.153-157) voicing his anger towards his mother’s indifference to her former husband’s passing, and blaming …show more content…

Hamlet feels abandoned by his mother which to him is worse than being abandoned by your father. Hamlet reacts very negatively to his mother’s actions, unable to rid himself of the tainted image of his mother that is now engraved in his head, to the point where he almost becomes obsessed with it. Hamlet initially referred to Gertrude as a beacon of virtue and purity while she was married to Hamlet Sr., (1.2.146) however this opinion changes to seeing her as frail, weak, and a whore when she is with Claudius, as he dismisses all women and says they belong in nunneries (3.1.121-130). In addition, the actions of his mother cause Hamlet to react not only to her, but to others around him in a rather harsh manner. When Hamlet arranges for the play to be performed, he deliberately comments at his mother, being extremely cynical and sarcastic, contradicting what he said about only focusing on Claudius, thus Claudius is not the problem for the reason that Hamlet cannot get over his mother’s

Show More
Related

  • Ophelia's Tragic Flaw Of Hamlet

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    The life of Hamlet is without a doubt very interesting, he suffers from unfortunate events in his time that are often major blows to his ego. His father dies while he’s away at college, Hamlet is next in line to be king until his “uncle-father” steals it from him; but it is to be known his “uncle-father” would not have stolen it if his “aunt-mother” hadn’t allowed it. It’s very apparent from the beginning of the play that he is very well obsessed with his mother and her doings. He harasses, humiliates, and abuses her because she has done such an unforgivable act by marrying Claudius. His thoughts and feelings towards his mother are very strong and well known, he even describes the odd pair as “little more than kin and less than kind.” That’s not all with Hamlet; his mother remarrying is just the tip of the iceberg so deeply rooted in the ocean of his emotions. His relationship with Ophelia is twisted, Hamlet goes through episodes of

    Read More

  • Analysis of the Tone of the To Be or Not to Be Soliloquy in Hamlet

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Hamlet Soliloquy Act 1, Scene 2

    904 Words  | 2 Pages

    O, most wicked speed, to post. With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!” Hamlet tells how his mother and his uncle married so quickly from the death of his father and moved with such speed and grace to the incestuous sheets that they sleep together in. There are many references to Hamlet’s disgust with his uncle throughout the play. He seems to be strangely preoccupied with the sheets and bed to which his mother shares with his uncle.

    Read More

  • Discussion of Hamlet’s State of Mind in His First Soliloquy

    915 Words  | 2 Pages

    greatly pained at the loss of his father. It is also clear that he is

    Read More

  • Ways in Which Hamlet's Behavior Was Influenced by Other Characters in Shakespeare's Work

    1380 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many ways that Hamlet and his mother express their feelings for each other. In the beginning, they show tenderness and overwhelming love towards each other. It is Gertrude’s actions that bring out the anger in Hamlet. He cannot understand how his mother could be so disrespectful by remarrying so quickly. Although he honors his mother, he cannot do this upon learning of her engagement.

    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

  • Hamlet Vs. Much Ado About Nothing

    1746 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hamlet has a strong love for his parents and is hurt to see them either die, or fall into the scheme of Old Hamlet’s brother-in-law. Without love in our lives, we would feel almost neglected by the world. After Hamlet’s father dies, he desires his father’s love and comfort that he is unable to get. He turns to his mother after his father’s death and is turned away by her because she has other things to focus on rather than the grieving of Hamlet. Hamlet feels hurt by his mother’s actions and is jealous that she appears to love Claudius and not her own son.

    Read More

  • Hamlet's First Soliloquy Analysis

    1245 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Hamlet And Gertrude's Relationship Essay

    1154 Words  | 3 Pages

    He starts with a bitter hatred for her incestuous actions with Claudius but he sees that she really still does care for him after her showing sympathy for him after his vicious argument. It seems as though Hamlet realizes that his mother knew her mistake and felt bad for her after she seems to be so sad by him being upset with her. All of this anger he had could also be proof that they actually had a really good relationship together and that he simply felt betrayed by the one person that he would least likely expect it from. This may be the most accurate view of their true relationship due to him not just leaving after his father died and attending the University of Wittenburg. Instead, he chose to listen to his mother and stay in boring Denmark where he lived his whole life. His talks of wanting to give his father the credit he deserved by getting revenge on those who treated him wrong is also why he may have felt the need to yell at his mother for what she did wrong. From the interactions that Hamlet and Gertrude have throughout Shakespeare’s Hamlet, it can be concluded that they had a strong relationship that was temporarily harmed by Gertrude’s incestuous actions but later mended due to Gertrude still caring for her dear

    Read More

  • Essay On Hamlet's First Soliloquy

    504 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the first act of William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, Shakespeare uses metaphors, imagery, and allusion in Hamlet’s first soliloquy to express his internal thoughts on the corruption of the state and family. Hamlet’s internal ideas are significant to the tragedy as they are the driving and opposing forces for his avenging duties; in this case providing a driving cause for revenge, but also a second-thought due to moral issues.

    Read More

  • Hamlet, the Existentialist

    1068 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a tragic play about murder, betrayal, revenge, madness, and moral corruption. It touches upon philosophical ideas such as existentialism and relativism. Prince Hamlet frequently questions the meaning of life and the degrading of morals as he agonizes over his father’s murder, his mother’s incestuous infidelity, and what he should or shouldn’t do about it. At first, he is just depressed; still mourning the loss of his father as his mother marries his uncle. After he learns about the treachery of his uncle and the adultery of his mother, his already negative countenance declines further. He struggles with the task of killing Claudius, feeling burdened about having been asked to find a solution to a situation that was forced upon him.Death is something he struggles with as an abstract idea and as relative to himself. He is able to reconcile with the idea of death and reality eventually.

    Read More

  • Hamlet Soliloquy Act 2 Analysis

    453 Words  | 1 Pages

    roughout Hamlet's soliloquy in Act II scene ii, he expresses his true inner conflict. Since he found out the truth about his father's death, Hamlets only goal has been to get revenge on Claudius, but he feels that he has done nothing. Hamlet judges himself harshly which we see in the first line when he says, “O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” (II, ii. I 520). In self-conflict, Hamlet degrades himself for being too hesitant in pursuing his plot of revenge. He feels he isn't the man that he or his father would want him to be, and thus is useless. Shakespeare's primary goal of Hamlet's speech is to reveal Hamlet's true feelings. To show this, Shakespeare creates a foil, the actor, of Hamlet that embodies everything that Hamlet is not. “Could force his soul so to his own conceit / That from her working all his visage wann'd, / Tears in his eyes, distraction in's aspect, / A broken voice, and his whole function suiting / With forms to his conceit?

    Read More

  • Hamlet

    1500 Words  | 3 Pages

    Major life changes bring about the rise of Hamlet's insanity. The play begins with Hamlet returning home to Denmark to discover that his father had died. Aside from his father's death, Hamlet also had to accept that his mother was now married to his father's brother, Claudius. In Hamlet's first soliloquy preceding his father's death, he tells the audience “O that this too, too solid flesh would melt. Or that the Everlasting had not fixed, His canon 'gainst self-slaughter!”(Act 1. Scene 2. lines 130-133) This gives us a brief preview of Hamlet's mental state in the beginning of the play. Hamlet is extremely depressed and admits that but says it would be a sin to kill himself. Hamlet goes on to describe the world as "weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable" and compares it to an "unweeded garden” (Act 1. Scene 2. lines 133-135). Hamlet shows red flags for depression; however, he seems to be reacting as a normal person would to the death of a loved one, losing a sense of understanding and love fo...

    Read More

  • Free Hamlet Essays: Role of Women in Hamlet

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gertrude influenced Hamlet significantly throughout the course of the play. Hamlet was very angered by his mother's remarriage. A few months after his father's death, Gertrude married Claudius, Hamlet's uncle. He was driven mad when his father's ghost appeared to him and revealed that Claudius was responsible for the death of Old Hamlet. Hamlet even termed the marriage as incest. Hamlet's fury is displayed when he throws his mother on the bed and says, "Frailty, thy name is woman" (Act #. Scene #. Line #). This shows his extent of anger because he makes a generalization that all women are weak. As a result of his mother's actions, Hamlet strives to seek revenge against Claudius for the death of his father. In order to marry Gertrude, Claudius kills his brother. Therefore, Gertrude is the driving factor for the whole setup of the play.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Gertrude's Relationship In Hamlet

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    Early in the play, one can notice the strained feelings Hamlet has for his mother. Hamlet does not necessarily hate his mother at the beginning of the play, but it is as like a reader can sense Gertrude is a burden to Hamlet. Hamlet associates himself with his royal family and does care for them early in the play, but what caused the strained feelings early in the play was his mother’s decision to marry his father’s brother, Claudius. Gertrude only waited two months before she found her new companion. This decision made Hamlet feel like Gertrude was betraying his biological father since Gertrude did not mourn the loss of her royal husband.

    Read More

More about Hamlet First Soliloquy Analysis

Open Document