The Soliloquies of Hamlet

A detailed Summary of The Soliloquies of Hamlet

The Soliloquies of Shakespeare's "Hamlet"

A soliloquy is spoken by someone who is alone, or thinks they are alone. It reveals characters true thoughts. It shows there true self. The most meaning, expression, passion, and intensity of feeling are put into these soliloquies (Cambridge School). Yes Hamlet, through the brilliant words of William Shakespeare, brought the most memorable soliloquies. What did these soliloquies in Hamlet's play mean?

'O that this too, too solid flesh would melt'

This is the first soliloquy that appears. In this soliloquy Hamlet releases the tension that has built up inside when he oppugns Claudius' conclusion that it "shows a will most incorrect to heaven" to mourn for so long. During his opposition he still maintains some social restrictions that contrast with his denunciation of his mother and womanhood. But in the soliloquy his emotions are unleashed. In the soliloquy he goes through four main stages. At first there is the suicidal state of mind. However, whether it really is a suicidal state of mind is questionable. He could just be an expressive need to articulate his melancholy. Notice how h

It is ironic that he wishes that he had "fatted all the region kites with this slave's offal" since in the beginning he as called himself a "peasant slave!" Hamlet imagines his role of revenger as a part that the actor might play. The revenger is a persona other than who Hamlet really is. Hamlet tries to emulate the actor's emotion and seems to indicate that he will have to play his part better. But the brutality of the revenger, of Pyrrus, gives rise to problems. Gothe said that Hamlet was a week willed character. In this soliloquy, he himself calls himself a coward. The revenger's character is thus not compatible with Hamlet's own. The conflict is best seen in the reflection that he uses words too much rather than actions. "What a brave an act is this" shows, that without understanding why, he finds it difficult to play the role of the player.

The soliloquy begins with an intellectual self-reproaching tone. Although the soliloquy is based on "blood" and "revenge" the tone is in no way as violent as the first half of the "O what a rogue and peasant slave am I" soliloquy. As his thoughts become less confused the rhythm becomes smoother and less disjointed. His thoughts thus gain intellectual momentum until the tone explodes in a genuine outburst of passion. "O from this time forth My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth." The last soliloquy ends in a heroic couplet that gives the play the necessary dramatic thrust that inspires hopes for action.

Hamlet's long speech is divided into two main parts. The comparison between Hamlet's father and Claudius and the insults against his mother. In the first part the rhythm is smooth and written in perfect iambic pentameter except for when he adverts to Claudius. This shows Hamlet's deference to his father and his disrespect for Claudius. As he leaves the subject of his father, the rhythm becomes much more disjointed, caused from the punctuation placed in the middle of the sentences. "And batten on this moor? Ha, have you eyes?" The disjointed rhythm is effective because it is congruous with his vexed state of mind. (futures)

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Approximate Word count = 3683
Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English