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Hamlet solilioquy analysis

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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.
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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.
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- 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
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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.
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