Mr.

Mr.

A technique not seen in modern literature that helps show the thoughts and feelings of the characters in plays is the soliloquy. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the reader is given a look inside Hamlet’s head through the soliloquies that he gives at various points throughout the drama. They show the reader his thoughts and help them better understand what he is feeling. In Hamlet, they specifically show the reader his increasing loss of control over his emotions, his grief due to his indecisiveness over what to do about his father, and eventually, how he decides to handle this grief.

The first soliloquy serves to 'set the stage' for the rest of Hamlet's thoughts, feelings, and actions. It is here that Hamlet first reveals his hatred for his mother's incestuous marriage to his uncle, Claudius, his low opinion of himself, and his great admiration for his father. Though he hates Claudius for taking his father’s thrown, he is more upset at himself for not taking action against Claudius. In the beginning lines of this soliloquy, Hamlet is already considering suicide. He tells the audience, “O that this too too solid flesh would melt,… Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God! How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world” (2.1.135-6).

Through these lines, it is obvious that Hamlet is in the midst of a deep depression. He has no control over the "uses of the world." Hamlet compares Denmark to an "unweeded garden" to symbolize the corruption within his country, that is seeded within Claudius and his incestuous marriage to Gertrude. Hamlet goes on to compare his father to Claudius and comment on the relationship between King Hamlet and Gertrude. “So excellent a King that was to this Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother That he might not beteem the winds of heaven Visit her face too roughly”(1.2.139-142). In Hamlet's eyes, Claudius is a beast in comparison to the god-like features of his father. This lays the foundation for Hamlet's vengeful intentions.

Hamlet's also comments on the loving relationship enjoyed by his parents, in disbelief of Gertrude's actions. He does not understand why his mother married Claudius in such haste, causing such internal torment for Hamlet. This leads Hamlet to make a generalization about all women. "Frailty, thy name is woman"(1.2, 146)! Hamlet displays his inability to separate his emotions from his rational being. Hamlet ends this soliloquy by resolving to do nothing for the time being. He has laid the foundation for the rest of the play, but he has also made a decision that will cause him even more pain. His resolution to do nothing will be the source of his problems in following speeches.

The second soliloquy concerns Hamlet's delay of action. He feels ashamed that he has not avenged his father's death with the speed and expression exhibited by the actors in the play. Hamlet compares his inaction to the dramatic expression the actor exhibits for the death of his character's father. "What would he do, Had he the motive and cue for passion That I have"(2.1. 499-501)? Hamlet is amazed that the actor can display such emotions without a real impetus, while he is incapable of doing anything in response to his father's murder. Hamlet then asks, "Am I a coward"(2.2, 511), referring to his inability to say anything in defense of his father. Hamlet also displays his low self-esteem in this soliloquy as he sarcastically describes his inaction. “This is most brave, That I, the son of a dear father murdered, Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, Must (like a whore) unpack my heart with words And fall a-cursing like a very drab…”(2.2.524-528). Hamlet is his own worst critic throughout the play. He often criticizes himself to the point that he would like to commit suicide.

The third soliloquy shows Hamlet reverting back to the depressed mood of the first soliloquy. As soon as he made a plan of action, his thoughts regress. Hamlet's thoughts are about more than contemplation of suicide. He is questioning whether one should suffer the burdens of society or take action against it. "Whether 'tis nobler…to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or take arms against a sea of troubles…"(3.1.57-59). These "slings and arrows" are the conflicts faced by Hamlet and the rest of the world. Next Hamlet considers suicide as a solution to his problems. "To die, to sleep; perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep what dreams may come…"(3.1. 64-5). Hamlet would like to die only if he can enter a state in which he would not be able to dream. The mystery of what comes after death is what keeps Hamlet from