Victoria Liu Act 2 Scene 2 Hamlet soliloquy’s analysis 1. Literal meaning The soliloquy begins with Hamlet expressing his admiration towards the passionate acts performed by the players, despite understanding that the emotions demonstrated on stage are all built upon imagination, as the grief of Hecuba holds no significance in the actor’s heart. However, Hamlet believes that if the actor had the “motive and the cue for passion”(546) he holds, the grief would have made the guilty become insane and terrify the innocents. As a result, he begins interrogating himself for his inaction towards revenge, who insults himself to be acting like a prostitute or kitchen maid that only know how to curse and “unpack [his] heart with words”(573-575). At last, Hamlet reveals his concern of wether he can truly trust the ghost, which could be an evil spirit in leading him to damnation. Therefore, he comes up with a plan to make Claudius watch a play that performs a scene of how he allegedly killed Hamlet senior. By observing Claudius’s reactions , Hamlet will know wether the ghost is trustworthy and determine his future course. 2. Shifts - The soliloquy begins with Hamlet’s observation that despite how passionate the actor’s performances are, the griefs displayed are not real, as they are all built upon imaginations. - His mind shifts by making a connection between his own circumstances and the actors. If they had his “motive and the cue for passion”(546), their performance would be elevated a new level that “amaze indeed the very faculties of eyes and ears”(551-552). - This reflection leads to a shift in his thinking, which sharpens his grief and self loathing for his inaction in taking revenge. - He derives a plan to make Claudius watch his own guilty acts in the play to determine the truth. - His thought ends on doubting the truth-worthiness of the ghost. This devised plan will give him more conclusive proof to determine his course. Victoria Liu 3. Style - The tone of this soliloquy reflect Hamlet’s extreme self loathing for his inability to spur to righteous revenge for his father, who insults himself by saying that “ yet I, a dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause”(553-555). His low self esteem is shown by describing himself as “a rogue and peasant slave”(535). The diction of “rogue” carries the connotation of being deceiving and unreliable, which demonstrates Hamlet’s self shame in not carrying out immediate revenge. On the other hand, “peasant slave”(535) is interpreted as a lower class citizen with no free will. It reflects Hamlet’s reluctance in following his fate to retaliate, as he is accustomed in being a gentle and philosophical scholar. - His self-condemnation is demonstrated through the use of metaphor and simile, who compares himself to be “pigeon-liver’d and lack gall to make oppression bitter”(564-565). Rage is believed to be stored in gall bladder in the Elizabethan age. Therefore, having the same liver size as a pigeon shows Hamlet’s lack of ambition for revenge. He insults himself by saying that rather than “fatten[ing] all the region kites with this slave’s offal”(567-568), he has only “curs[ed] like a very drab, a scullion”(573-574). - Shakespeare’s use of action imagery reiterates Hamlet’s self loathing for his weakness, where no one would call him a “villain, break [his] pate across, plucks off my beard and blows it in my face, tweaks me by the nose, gives me the lie i’the’ throat as deep as to the longs”(558-561). He is always portrayed as an educated and calm scholar with no aggressions. - In comparison to Hamlet’s lack of ambition for revenge, the actor can even have his “visage wand, tears in his eyes, distraction in his aspect, a broken voice” (539-541) to mourn for the imaginary character: Hecuba. The use of this allusion refers to the Greek mythology, where Hecuba—the wife of king of Troy— mourns for her husband’s death, after witnessing his murder by Achilles’ son, Pyrrhus. It foreshadows Hamlet’s revenge towards Claudius, which will be witnessed by Gertrude. - The prominent use of exclamation mark throughout the soliloquy and the strongest swear words “swounds”(563) reiterates Hamlet’s intense self-shame, which reflects his urgent desire to spur to action. Victoria Liu - Lastly, Shakespeare ends Hamlet’s soliloquy with a rhyming couplet: “the play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king”(591-592). It adds emphasis to demonstrate Hamlet’s state of mind to seek the truth in order to determine his future course. 4. Context - In Act 2, the audience realizes that a period of time has passed, as Laertes has arrived and settled down in France. This soliloquy reaffirms Hamlet’s unshaken ambition to revenge for his father—by holding onto the belief that “[he] was born to set it right”(196). It also offers an explanation for Hamlet’s inaction in the past month, as he is doubtful of the ghost’s trustworthiness. This devised plan to seek the truth will finally determine his path. 5. Dramatic purpose Theme - The first theme is the contrast between appearance versus reality. This is shown in the actor’s performances that despite their “wanned face… tear[ed] eyes [and] broken voice”(539-541), it is nothing but deceiving acts built on imaginations. Similarly, the ghost may be a “devil”(586) that “hath power t’assume a pleasing shape”(587) in order to take advantage of Hamlet’s “weakness and melancholy…to damn [him]”(588-590). - The second theme is the contrast between insanity versus antic disposition. This soliloquy demonstrates that Hamlet has been likely putting on an antic disposition, as his mindset is extremely clear and logical. His self loathing reaffirms the great determination to revenge for his father. As a result, the antic disposition is used to protect himself. By pretending to be insane, he will no longer be a threat for Claudius’s throne. Furthermore, His sanity is reassured by the intelligence and flexibility to come up with the plan in making Claudius watch his own guilty act in order to determine wether the ghost was truthful. This caution against the ghost demonstrate his wisdom and rationality. Plot - This soliloquy is significant in building up the plot towards the climax, where the tragic hero reaches the point of no return. This observation of Claudius’s Victoria Liu - reaction—as a test of truth— will finally make Hamlet to determine his fate using free will. It also serves the purpose of foreshadowing the plot, where Hamlet will use the play to determine the truth. Character development - This soliloquy exhibits that Hamlet is still carrying deep grief over his father’s murder, despite the passage of time. His character is developed by demonstrating the eager ambition for revenge, which is reflected through his extreme self loathes for the inability to spur to revenge. - It also develops Hamlet’s character of being prudent and wise, as he casts doubt on the ghost’s truth worthiness. He is cautious about the possibility of the ghost’s “potent[ency] with such spirits [may] abuses [him] to damn him”(589-590), rather than blindly following the supernatural witches’s words like Macbeth. - This soliloquy reaffirms Hamlet’s intelligent and observant character, who is able to devise an elaborate plan to observe Claudius’s action in order to test the truth. Setting - Hamlet’s self condemnation for his inaction indicates that a period of time has passed. - This soliloquy also reflects the Elizabethan historical knowledge about the Greek Trojan war, where Hecuba—the wife of king of Troy—mourns for her husband’s death, after witnessing his murder by Achilles’ son, Pyrrhus. Conclusion Shakespeare’s intention for this soliloquy is to further develop Hamlet’s character in demonstrating his eager ambition for revenge, which is reflected through his extreme self loathing for the inability to spur to action. It also exhibits his prudence and intelligence by casting doubt on the truthfulness of the ghost. This soliloquy builds up the plot towards the tragic hero’s point of no return, where the audience anticipates to see hamlet’s final decision—in wether to carry out the revenge— after observing Claudius’s reactions.
