Hamlet Soliloquy Essay

The first soliloquy of Hamlet falls in the Act 1, Scene II and it is one based upon sadness and gloom. This soliloquy occurs after King Claudius and the Queen Gertrude urge Hamlet in the open court to cast off the deep melancholy attitude, which has taken possession of his mind as a consequence of his father’s death. The opening lines of this soliloquy show not only his youth and naïve mind but also reinforce the symbolism of his feelings. Claudius expresses to Hamlet that he has grieved for his father for enough time and excessive grieving is unmanly. Prior to the soliloquy, the King Claudius and Queen Gertrude makes announcement to their marriage, as according to them, the court could not afford excessive grief, which further saddens Hamlet. Claudius states, “How is it that the clouds still hang on you?” and Hamlet responds with, “Not so, my lord; I am too much i' the sun.” There is pun in the use of sun / son and it becomes obvious that Hamlet is too good a son to be cheerful less than two months after his father's death. But there is also a metaphor on clouds and sun. Later in the scene, Hamlet compares his father to Hyperion, the sun-God. Hamlet also states, “So excellent a king; that was, to this, Hyperion to a satyr.” The sun is a symbol for Hamlet's father, and the clouds symbolize Claudius. Hamlet is too loyal to his father (too much i' the sun) to shift his loyalty to Claudius (to be under the clouds.) The soliloquy is continued with more examples of symbolism through further comparison of “clouds” to Claudius. Hamlet refers the world as an “unweeded garden” in which negativity and sadness thrive tremendously. As the depressing mood of this soliloquy is continues, Hamlet laments the fact that he cannot commit suicide and he wishes that his physical self might cease to exist. He says, “O that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!” It is obvious that though he is saddened by his father’s death but the larger cause of his gloom is his mother’s untimely marriage to his uncle, barely in a month of his father’s death. Hamlet scorns his mother by saying, “Frailty, thy name is woman!” He also continues his disdain by stating that even, “a beast would have mourned a little longer.” Hamlet’s directive commentary regarding his mother’s marriage implies that he believes it to be an incestuous affair.
This soliloquy shows Hamlet’s deep affection with his beloved father. It also puts focus on the character of the dead King that he was a loving husband and a respected father. It also enlightens the fact in the haste in which Queen Gertrude decides to marry with the dead King’s brother, without mourning for a respectable period of time. Hamlet’s second soliloquy occurs in Act 2 scene 2 creates Hamlet as a character that is on the verge of insanity. This facade of insanity roots from a mission to expose King Claudius and his immoral act in order to become King. Hamlet initiates his plan to pretend to have lost his sanity so that he won’t be suspected or watched while he creates his play. The ghost of King Hamlet revealed to his son, “the serpent that did stung thy father’s life / Now wears thy father’s crown,” and from that point on Hamlet’s character has changed dramatically and evolved in phases, edging ever closer to insanity.

The death of Hamlet’s father sets the backdrop for the uncertainty of Hamlet’s sanity. He does not know how to deal with a situation so complex and horrible. These questions bring up the argument of just how stable Hamlet may be before he speaks to his father’s ghost in Scene 5 of Act 1.
In Hamlet’s second soliloquy we obtain Hamlet’s views and feelings become quite evident. Many tones are presented by Hamlet’s speech and these include ones of frustration and anger. He feels worthless for his lack of taking action of everything that is going around

Show More