Babienko English
Hamlet – “How all occasions….”
(4.4.34-69)
How all occasions do inform against me,
And spur my dull revenge! What is a man,
If his chief good and market of his time
Be but to sleep and feed? a beast, no more.
Sure, he that made us with such large discourse,
Looking before and after, gave us not
That capability and god-like reason
To fust in us unused. Now, whether it be
Bestial oblivion, or some craven scruple
Of thinking too precisely on the event,
A thought which, quarter'd, hath but one part wisdom
And ever three parts coward, I do not know
Why yet I live to say 'This thing's to do;'
Sith I have cause and will and strength and means
To do't. Examples gross as earth exhort me:
Witness this army of such mass and charge
Led by a delicate and tender prince,
Whose spirit with divine ambition puff'd
Makes mouths at the invisible event,
Exposing what is mortal and unsure
To all that fortune, death and danger dare,
Even for an egg-shell. Rightly to be great
Is not to stir without great argument,
But greatly to find quarrel in a straw
When honour's at the stake. How stand I then,
That have a father kill'd, a mother stain'd,
Excitements of my reason and my blood,
And let all sleep? while, to my shame, I see
The imminent death of twenty thousand men,
That, for a fantasy and trick of fame,
Go to their graves like beds, fight for a plot
Whereon the numbers cannot try the cause,
Which is not tomb enough and continent
To hide the slain? O, from this time forth,
My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!
Address each of the following questions in your analysis of the soliloquy, but do not do bullet points.
Integrate your ideas into coherent paragraphs – this is an essay, not a series of short responses!
(must be typed (obviously); 2 PAGE MINIMUM).
1. The word “fust” means to become musty and conveys the idea of organic matter rotting (“fusty”
means stale smelling). How does this word choice relate to the garden motif, especially the act of
“weeding the garden”?
2. At various points in the play, Hamlet likens Claudius to a beast because of his actions (murder of
Hamlet’s father, sleeping with his brother’s wife). What kind of behavior does Hamlet associate with
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Babienko English
Hamlet – “How all occasions….”
the beast here? What similarities and differences exist between this characterization of a beast and the
earlier one? Think especially in terms of the action of killing.
3. Earlier in the play, Hamlet argues that too much thought and reasoning about whether or not to kill
hampers action. How has his argument concerning reason and action changed here? According to
Hamlet, what would be the correct use of reason? Does he associate reason with action or inaction
here?
4. How does the diction in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth line of this soliloquy support the idea that
God “wants” him commit the act of murder? Is Hamlet simply appropriating religion to justify
murder, or is his argument logical given the circumstances of his father’s death and the resulting state
of affairs in Denmark?
5. What two possible explanations does Hamlet offer as to why he has not yet taken action (ninth and
tenth line)? How might the first possibility relate to his discussion of “the undiscovered country” in
“To be or not to be”? How is the second possibility also applicable to Hamlet?
6. When Hamlet states that examples as “gross as earth exhort” him to do “the thing” he is referring to
Fortinbras and his army, which he has just encountered on their way to fight the Polack over a small
piece of land. How does Hamlet characterize Fortinbras here? What is his attitude toward Fortinbras
(tone)?
7. Why do you think Hamlet uses the phrase “delicate and tender prince” in his description of Fortinbras
(it’s a lot different from “unimproved mettle, hot and full”!)? What does effect does this have?
8. How does Hamlet’s characterization of Fortinbras contrast to his view of himself (especially his fear
of the “undiscovered country”)? What lines suggest that Fortinbras is unafraid of death and what
awaits him thereafter?
9. Explain Hamlet’s argument concerning honor. Is this a “reasonable” argument?
10. In six lines near the very end of the soliloquy, Shakespeare uses powerful imagery to show what
Fortinbras is willing to sacrifice for an “eggshell”. Explain the imagery and its effect.
11. The diction in these final lines is equally powerful. Hamlet states that twenty thousand men will be
sent to their deaths for a “fantasy and trick of fame” – might the diction here suggest any criticism
(implicit or explicit, by either Hamlet or Shakespeare) of Fortinbras’ actions?
12. In this soliloquy Hamlet compares himself and his cause for action to Fortinbras (Fortinbras serves as
a foil). How does this comparison echo the earlier comparison that Hamlet draws between himself
and the Player in “O, what a rogue and peasant slave”?
13. How might the last line of the soliloquy be considered ironic?
14. Is there a distinction to be made between Hamlet’s and Shakespeare’s attitude here?
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