Hamlets 2nd Soliloquy

A detailed Summary of Hamlets 2nd Soliloquy

In Hamlet's second soliloquy the tones of worthlessness and inadequacy are prevalent and serve to emphasize the dissatisfaction he feels with his actions, or lack of action. He rambles incessantly and wallows in his own self-pity as he realizes he has not fulfilled his promise to the Ghost to avenge his father's murder. Instead, he has thought more about his own death than that of his father's supposed murderer, Claudius, and is a piteous coward for taking no action towards this murder.

At the beginning of his soliloquy Hamlet has witnessed a player acting a scene engorged with emotion; the scene reminds Hamlet of his own lack of dedication to his cause. It is "monstrous" (578) that the player "in a dream of passion" (579) could put so much emotion into the piece that he even cried "all for nothing" (584). Hamlet is amazed but also suffers from a feeling of pitiful inadequacy because he sees that this player, acting out a speech about a fictional woman who is no more than a character on paper, has put much more emotion and passion into his speech than Hamlet has into avenging his own father's death. Hamlet loved his father and still continues to mourn for him long after anyone else, and while he should be putting as much

At the end of his soliloquy Hamlet plans a trap for Claudius and this trap is the first of any sort of action Hamlet undertakes, but even this trap is not in fulfillment of that which he has promised the Ghost. Instead, it is a plot to determine if the Ghost is telling the truth by attempting, through a play, to see if Claudius is truly guilty of his father's murder. Hamlet shows a shift in his opinion of the Ghost from thoughts that he was sent from heaven, to thoughts that "the spirit [he] have seen/ may be a (devil)... [who] hath power/ T' assume a pleasing shape" (627-629) and seeks to harm him because of his "weakness and melancholy" (630). Hamlet, therefore, instates this plan to determine if Claudius is indeed guilty, but it is rooted in his own selfish nature as he wants to find out if the Ghost lies or not. He is not making attempts to avenge his father's death, which is the thing over which he tears himself apart and that makes him feel so useless and inept. By explicitly stating that he is weak and melancholy he is accepting the situation in which he finds himself while he continues to complain and whine like a fool. He acts in a hypocritical and childish manner, taking no actions i

Some common words found in the essay are:
, Ghost Instead, Claudius Hamlet's, Hamlet Claudius, King Hamlet, player acting, killing father's murderer, killing father's, avenge father's, putting emotion, father's murderer, father's murder, own death, father's death, taking action, late king,

Approximate Word count = 814
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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