Hamlet’s Seven Soliloquies:
A soliloquy is a dramatic discourse spoken by a character that is alone on stage and oblivious to the
listeners present. William Shakespeare heavily utilizes soliloquies in Hamlet in order to give the
audience an honest view of Hamlet's true feelings. The soliloquies work as vehicles for his character
development by focusing on the issues that most distress him.
Hamlet's soliloquies portray him as a contemplative man and express his pessimistic view of life. They
convey his disappointment in himself and illustrate his problem of procrastination in avenging his
father's death. Most of all, they mark the movement from his inability to overcome his scholarly
nature to his final resolution to become an avenger. Hamlet gives us seven soliloquies, all centered on
the most important existential themes: the emptiness of existence, suicide, death, suffering, action, a
fear of death which puts off the most momentous decisions, the fear of the beyond, the degradation of
the flesh, the triumph of vice over virtue, the pride and hypocrisy of human beings, and the difficulty
of acting under the weight of a thought 'which makes cowards of us all'.
He offers us also, in the last act, some remarks made in conversation with Horatio in the cemetery
which it is suitable to place in the same context as the soliloquies because the themes of life and death
in general and his attitude when confronted by his own death have been with him constantly.
These soliloquies reveal that he density of Hamlet's thought is extraordinary, expressing the depth of
his reflection and the intensity of his emotion. The language is also beautiful – poetic, written in blank
verse, sustained by a rhythm that is at times smooth and other times rugged, with varying pace, and
surprises in every line. The soliloquies are in effect the hidden plot of the play because, if one puts
them side by side, one notices that the character of Hamlet going through a development which, in
substance, is the history of human thinking from the Renaissance to 20th century existentialism.
1. 'O that this too sullied flesh would melt' (A1, S2)
Hamlet's first soliloquy provides the foundation for Hamlet's inner turmoil and views of life. In it,
Hamlet reveals the first true insight into his contemplative nature after he suppresses passionate
feelings when he is first seen conversing with Claudius and Gertrude. By beginning his speech with "O,
that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew". Hamlet establishes his
desire to disappear through death, expressing the gravity of his innermost grief that he had been
holding back earlier in the scene (1.2.133-134). Newell exemplifies this idea when he says, "The speech
is about the cause of the pain and the depression. The reference to suicide seems to be governed by a
profound need to articulate a terrible sense of himself as befouled, betrayed and disillusioned" (33).
Thus, because Hamlet conceals his great misery from his mother and uncle, he allows his depression
to remain in his mind and escalate to a level of unhealthiness, seeing his escape only in death. He
discloses his negative view of the world by equating it to an "unweeded garden", signifying corruption,
and describing decay through words such as "rank" and "gross".
Lastly, he expresses his disgust over his mother"s hasty remarriage to his uncle after his father's
death, denouncing womanhood and juxtaposing Claudius's inferiority to his father's greatness in the
image of a Hyperion to a satyr. These opposing pictures not only illustrate Hamlet's idealization of his
father, but also his level of intellect. In this way, Hamlet's first soliloquy serves to characterize him as
a reflective, depressed and learned man.
2. 'O all you host of heaven' (A1, S5)
This soliloquy is spoken by Hamlet after the Ghost reveals to him how Claudius had murdered him.
Hamlet is completely overwhelmed by hatred towards his uncle Claudius and vows to kill him in
obedience to his father's wishes. Hamlet's father's ghost reminds him to never give up his idea of
revenging his murder. So Hamlet practises what psychologists would today term as 'selective
amnesia.' That is, deliberately forget everything that has been stored in his memory but always to
remember only one thing - to kill his uncle Claudius and fulfill his father's ghost's wishes.
3. 'O what a rogue and peasant slave am I!' (A2, S2)
This soliloquy serves to reveal the root of his true conflict: his inability to act. By juxtaposing a player,
who "could force his soul so to his own conceit, to weep for Hecuba without any apparent reason,
against him, who has the motive and cue for passion but cannot do anything for a king upon whose
property and most dear life a damned defeat was made", Hamlet makes himself aware of and is
disappointed by his inadequacy in taking revenge for his father's murder (2.2.580; 596-598).
Moreover, by questioning his cowardice in the proceeding lines, Hamlet showcases his problem of
procrastination in carrying out the murder of Claudius, even though he knows he is capable of doing
so. Newell affirms this when he says, "Hamlet's sense of himself as a coward is derived from a crude,
simplistic judgment turning on whether or not he has yet taken any action against the man who
murdered his father" (61). Because Hamlet's calculating, intellectual nature causes him to delay
carrying out his father's will with "wings as swift of meditative action", he delays the action and
further troubles himself with the deed. In this way, the soliloquy functions as a window on Hamlet's
fears and passive action.
4. 'To be, or not to be, that is the question' (A3, S1)
This one exposes his true intellectual nature through his inner debate about life and death. Because
Hamlet is neither expecting nor responding to any action in this scene, he exudes an authentic, candid
light into his reflective personality without any interruption.
It begins with what must be the most famous line in the English canon: “To be or not to be.” For the
character at that moment, it is an important question, literally one of “life and death”, but the general
terms in which it is phrased gives it a resonance that reaches out past Hamlet. Hamlet poses the
question on the most metaphysical level – not “shall I kill myself?”, nor “can I live like this?” but “to be
or not to be”. It is existence itself that is up for debate in this speech.
5. 'Tis now the very witching time of night' (A3,S2)
Hamlet's plan to "catch the conscience of the king" has been a success, and Claudius has retired,
distraught, to his chamber. Thrilled that his scheme worked, Hamlet experiences a sudden surge of
confidence which prompts the first half of this short soliloquy. Hamlet is now sure that he could easily
complete the "bitter business" of revenge; sure that he could murder his uncle without hesitation.
However, Claudius is out of reach for the moment, and so Hamlet turns his attention to his mother,
revealing in the second half of the soliloquy his intentions to force Gertrude to make a full confession.
Although Hamlet still loves his mother, he must be cruel to her in order to facilitate the admission of
her guilt. Hamlet says, "My tongue and soul in this be hypocrites" (389), because he knows that he
must feign violent intentions towards his mother, and that his words must express those false
intentions. Hamlet once wished that he could manipulate his emotions and behavior like a player, and
now it seems he can.
6. 'Now might I do it pat, now he is praying' (A3,S3)
Hamlet has thought himself prepared to "drink hot blood" and carry out the murder of the King. Now,
as he happens upon the unattended Claudius, the time has come to take action, but Hamlet finds that
he is unable to kill. Hamlet's reason for delay is that Claudius is in the midst of praying, and in order
for revenge to be complete, the King must be engaged in some sinful act such as sex, gambling, or
drinking, and thus be condemned to eternal damnation. While it is true that similar reasoning is
common in other revenge plays, such vengence seems unworthy of our noble prince.
Many critics believe that Hamlet uses Claudius's prayer as an excuse for further delay because his
conscience will not allow him to commit premeditated murder. Others claim that it is not Hamlet's
altruism which saves Claudius in this scene, but his own paralyzing habit of "thinking too precisely on
th'event" (4.4.41).
7. 'How all occasions do inform against me' (A4,S4)
Hamlet's last soliloquy is crucial to our understanding of his character development. By the end of the
soliloquy, Hamlet brings to a halt his solemn contemplation on the immoral act of murderous
revenge, and finally accepts it as his necessary duty. It is not that Hamlet has presented a solid and
reasonable argument to convince himself of his terrible responsibility; rather he has driven himself to
the conclusion with intense and distorted thoughts. Hamlet accuses himself of forgetting his father in
that "bestial oblivion", yet, he thinks his problem could be "thinking too precisely on the event".
Moreover, although Hamlet has seen Fortinbras only for a moment earlier in the play, and knows
nothing of his true motives for going to war, Hamlet convinces himself that Fortinbras is fighting to
protect his honor. Part of Hamlet relishes the idea of such conviction, however illogical and futile, and
so he focuses on the image of Fortinbras courageously leading his troops. Hamlet's reason, the part of
him that has been dominant throughout the play; the part of him that questions the "honor" in
murder and revenge, this time cannot provide a rebuttal. So Hamlet is overcome by his obligations to
enact revenge.
Hamlet was once greatly distressed over having to exact payment for his father's murder, even though
the reason for such revenge was weighty indeed. Now, Hamlet commends the idea of the "imminent
death of twenty thousand men" for a ludicrous "fantasy and trick of fame".