Analysis Of Hamlet's First Soliloquy

Words: 1651
Pages: 7
Open Document
The first soliloquy shows Hamlet’s sense of betrayal and dissatisfaction with his life. Hamlet feels deep anguish and grief at the recent death of his great father, King Hamlet, whom he admired. He feels betrayed by his mother, Gertrude, for remarrying his uncle Claudius so quickly. His grief is multiplied by his mother’s marriage to a man much “inferior,” to his father (Al-Ogaili). Although Hamlet is upset, he does not want to articulate how he feels because it would trouble Gertrude, “within a month, ere yet the salt of most unrighteous ears had left the flushing in her gallèd eyes, she married…But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue.” (I, II, 155-161). Hamlet pleads, “Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve …show more content…
In Act one, scene five, Hamlet meets his father’s ghost for the first time. The ghost shares the gruesome details of his death, he was poisoned by his own brother. The ghost orders Hamlet to avenge his death, but not hurt his mother in the process. The ghost bids him goodbye and tells him to remember him. “O all you host of heaven! O earth! What else? And shall I couple hell? Oh, fie! Hold, hold, my heart,” Hamlet is confused by everything around him, especially what he has just discovered, and how he is still alive, which displays his ultimate flaw of indecisiveness and insecurity (I, V, 92-94). Hamlet vows to erase his memory of everything he has ever known to remeber the ghost, “Yea, from the table of my memory/ I'll wipe away all trivial fond records''(Act 1, v). By doing so, he makes revenge his main purpose in life, “So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word. It is Adieu, adieu. Remember me. I have sworn ’t.” (I, V, 111-112). This is the vow Hamlet has made to kill his Uncle, Claudius. ''Hamlet is more aware than we are that he has been assigned a task wholly inappropriate for him' …show more content…
Claudius decides to send Hamlet to England after the showing of the Mousetrap performance. How Claudius reacted to the play was the final conviction of his guilt. "'Tis now the very witching time of night, / When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out / Contagion to this world," he decides this is the perfect moment for revenge (3.2.358-60). He reaches a point in the soliloquy where he wishes he “could I drink hot blood/ and do so bitter business as the day (Act ). In this moment, he is so angry he could even kill his mother. He decides to “"speak daggers" to her "but use none" (366). His deep hatred for himself turns into rage and he feels motivation to pursue his
Show More

Related Documents: Analysis Of Hamlet's First Soliloquy

Hamlet's First Soliloquy Analysis

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet had a set of seven soliloquies that revealed a lot about his character. They seemed to make Hamlet quite ethical, though he is conflicted about what actions he should take and what is the right move. You can see as the play goes on how the soliloquies show Hamlet criticizing himself for not pursuing what he believes, and his reassurance that he’s doing the right thing. The first soliloquy stated, “Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw, and…

Words 519 - Pages 3

Hamlet Character Essay

The Troubled Prince: An Analysis of Hamlet “To be, or not to be: That is the question”(3.1.58). This is probably the most famous quote in all of Shakespearean literature and was uttered by the main character, Hamlet, of the play “Hamlet” written by Shakespeare. It demonstrates his instability and suicidal thoughts. Throughout the play he comes off as a very unpredictable and complex character. He makes many rash decisions, but at the same time often takes a lot of time to contemplate many of his…

Words 1185 - Pages 5

Hamlet - characterisation Essay examples

Analysis Characterisation of Hamlet Act 1 scene 2 The Melancholic Introduction. Think about the creation of the character. Clothing. Demeanor. Shakespeare has a tragic hero with skill in language. Does he always use this to show his intelligence or does it sometimes show his instability? Think about his dialogue with Gertrude and Claudius at the start. Soliloquy 1. – Frustration. Suicidal Contemplates suicide Frustration at being unable to come to terms with Gertrude's marriage to Claudius…

Words 1722 - Pages 7

Essay on Hamlet vs. Oedipus

Character Analysis of Prince Hamlet in "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare and Oedipus in "Oedipus King" by Sophocles In Aristotle's literary discourse, "Poetics," he discusses his theory of tragedy, wherein he introduces the concepts of tragic flaw or "hamartia," which serves as the catalyst for the protagonist's downfall or the tragedy of the story to happen. He determines a tragedy as a "drama" that brings about a "sorrowful conclusion, arousing fear and pity in the audience" (Roberts and Jacobs…

Words 904 - Pages 4

Patriarchy Of Ophelia In Hamlet

insanity. Through the character of Ophelia, we can see the intersection of all three of these aspects, and through an analysis of her character can gain insight the complex social factors that lead to the patriarchy of Elsinore.…

Words 986 - Pages 4

The Medieval Method Actor An Analysis of Hamlet s Madness and Melancholy Essay

The Medieval Method Actor An Analysis of Hamlet's Madness and Melancholy By Evan Jones Method acting, although a relatively young technique, has helped many actors achieve a higher quality performance. Usually, a method actor will call upon powerful emotions to bring life to their character. This results in a character that is more realistic and dynamic than that of a conventional actor. Although the ethics of method acting are often disputed, its effectiveness is not: Even James Franco…

Words 1706 - Pages 7

Shakespeare Major Paper

the psychosis of Shakespeare’s characters and what led to their insanity. The author expresses insight for not only the themes of madness in Hamlet but also helps explain the aspect of madness in one Shakespeare’s other plays, Macbeth. Through her analysis, Coddon successfully offers her readers a deeper understanding of Shakespeare’s choice to portray his characters in this way and provides the…

Words 2852 - Pages 12

taking the ghost's word Essay examples

Taking the Ghost's Word: Transcendence and the Rationale of Hamlet's Choices in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet HAMLET. Angels and ministers of grace defend us! Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damned, Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell, Be thy intents wicked or charitable, Thou com’st in such a questionable…

Words 8438 - Pages 34

Shakespeare essay

also as ‘just a man’. I hope to consider throughout this essay how the influence of muses and patrons as well as audience members have helped to carve Shakespeare as a figure of immense literary proportions. This will not be a historical analysis, neither will it be an exclusive assessment of the impact of his body of work to a modern audience; instead I hope to elucidate how the writer was influenced, at the time of writing, and how these influences have had a direct effect on the interpretation…

Words 2795 - Pages 12