Analysis of Hamlet Act 2 scene 2 The play “Hamlet” depicts the life of a prince who wants to avenge his father’s death. In his journey, he takes the lives of many, but manages to kill Claudius, the one who killed his father. The soliloquy being analyzed is located at the end of Act 2 Scene 2. This extract takes place after Hamlet is left alone in a room in the castle. A character in this soliloquy is Hamlet. In the extract, he is releasing his fury as a player could get more emotional about his father’s death than Hamlet. He is reflecting at what he has done and what will he do to avenge his father. This extract takes place in the rising action as Hamlet is reacting to his reaction towards his father’s death. Hamlet in this soliloquy is depicted as a vengeful and negative person. Hamlet is desperate to seek revenge for his father, but he is unable to do it, as explained by “dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak, Like John-a-dreams”. This tells us that Hamlet does not have much motivation in avenging his father as he still does not know for sure who or what murdered him. In this soliloquy, he is impatient as he wants to avenge his father as fast as possible. He is also grumpy as someone who does not feel Hamlet’s feelings can get more emotional than him in his …show more content…
One of them is simile, as evidenced by “dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause”. Here, Shakespeare is comparing Hamlet with a dreamer without a cause. This gives us the idea that Hamlet wants to avenge his father but he is not sure if it is the right thing to do. Another stylistic device used is euphony. Euphony is shown when hamlet says “Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!” The use of this stylistic device makes the line melodic. Shakespeare used this device as he wanted to make the line more enjoyable and make the readers feel more tense because of the change of tone between the
Hamlet is very private with his grief. His mourning for his father is long and drawn out. He mulls over how he is going to act and defers action until a perfect moment.
Another interesting thing that happens at this part of the play is that the Player King unintentionally refers to Hamlet’s inaction:
In act 1 scene 2 of “Hamlet” the character Hamlet speaks his first soliloquy which reveals his innermost thoughts and feelings to the audience. In this soliloquy Hamlet’s unstable state of mind is evident as well as his feelings of despair about his father’s death and his disgust of his mother’s remarriage to his uncle Claudius. Hamlet’s hatred for his uncle is shown through harsh comparisons between Claudius and his late father. This soliloquy takes place after Claudius has begun his reign as king and has addressed the court for the first time but before Hamlet hears about the apparition that Horatio and the guards have seen. Hamlet’s character and personality are shown in this soliloquy through the use of classical imagery, diction and
One of the best known pieces of literature throughout the world, Hamlet is also granted a position of excellence as a work of art. One of the elements which makes this play one of such prestige is the manner in which the story unfolds. Throughout time, Shakespeare has been renowned for writing excellent superlative opening scenes for his plays. By reviewing Act 1, Scene 1 of Hamlet, the reader is able to establish a clear understanding of events to come. This scene effectively sets a strong mood for the events to come, gives important background information, and introduces the main characters. With the use of this information, it is simple to see how Shakespeare manages to create stories with such everlasting appeal.
By so doing it was believed that the sins of the dead person would be
In his mature, adult mind, he knows that he must avenge his father, but there lives an innocent child in his conscience who does not want to commit murder; and Hamlet perceives this as cowardice. It seems as though Hamlet is struggling with what he knows he must do, and actually doing it. While instead of pursuing his father’s revenge, he lets his emotions dictate his actions (in this case, his lack of action). So, in self-justification, he tucks away his apprehension and decides to seek proof of Claudius’s murder of Hamlet’s father. Furthermore, Hamlet is beginning to question his identity as a “pigeon-livered coward.” What is more noteworthy, however, is that both soliloquies exhibit Hamlet to be an immature boy, as he speaks on impulses of emotion, rather than logic itself.
As the play begins, Hamlet is in a grieving period over the death of his father. What makes it worse is that only a few
(136) This soliloquy is very important because it demonstrates Hamlet’s anger at himself and Claudius, and how
Hamlet’s character drastically develops over the first four acts of Hamlet, and his character development is most evident through the soliloquys he delivers throughout the play. The most character development can be seen from the first soliloquy, to the second, the third, the sixth, and the seventh and final soliloquy. Hamlet’s inner conflict with his thoughts and his actions are well analyzed in his soliloquys, as well as his struggles with life and death, and his very own existence. He begins the play wondering what purpose he has in life now that his father is dead and his mother has remarried to his uncle. After finding out foul play was involved in his father’s death, he is motivated by revenge. Finally, he wonders how he can enact his revenge while continuously overthinking and overanalyzing his actions.
Shakespeare begins Hamlet's struggle with recognition of Hamlet's sincere grief and anger following his father's untimely death. A taste of the conflict is expressed in the dialogue
In Hamlet's second soliloquy, Act 2, Scene 2, his speech moves through anger, self-condemnation and agonised self-accusation, impassioned fury and mocking self criticism, deep reflection and determination. He continuously points out his faults on how he cannot raise himself to adequate passion to avenge for his father's murder, he comments on how the actor showed grief for his lines, and how he cannot, even though he has great reason to. Hamlet's mood is far beyond normal and has gone into philosophical realms, continuously using metaphors to show his disgust and anguish for himself and his attitudes to the current affairs in the state of his own home.
learns that he must carry on his father’s mission by avenging his death against his newly-crowned uncle, Claudius. Therefore, in this section of the soliloquy, Hamlet addresses this issue by admitting his struggle and lack of inability to accomplish it. He exemplifies it by saying how an actor can pour his whole heart out with little importance to reality, while he has to carry out mission in which not only contributes to the depression of his soul, but in which is reliant on his own legacy. To elaborate, the mission he is set out to do is extremely important to his father and it tests Hamlet’s compassion. It takes courage and a strong will to do what Hamlet is embarking
Hamlet is an intensely cerebral character marked by a desire to think things through and pick situations apart. As such, for the first three and a half scenes of Hamlet, Hamlet broods over his father’s death instead of taking action against Claudius, his father’s murderer. Hamlet finally acts because he experiences three intense emotional jolts that allow him to view his situation from a new perspective and spur him to action. Together, these emotional experiences alter his personal philosophy about the nature of death and God’s relationship with creation, and compel him to finally take decisive action.
The lines carry ironic significance because the character plays with death and life. Hamlet’s play with life and death went to the fact were he died. The thoughts and beliefs that it was the easy way to escape from problems turned to be the real action. The act of death was expected when Hamlet’s uncle was planning it for Hamlet; however, he found way to avoid it. He was near death because the deaths of his relative and people whom he knew did not leave his thoughts. The signs and his played turned into a
Hamlet is a prince, and his father was king until his death. When Hamlet’s mother became re-married to Hamlet’s uncle, Hamlet became increasingly heated, and hard-hearted towards his mother. When he saw the spirit of his father, and heard the foul play of the new king, Hamlet began to plot his revenge. However, the idea of killing the king, his step-father, became a haunting idea to him, and he began to fight with himself on his ideals and character. Hamlet begins his soliloquy with a very self-hating attitude, and he begins to tear at himself, bringing himself to ponder the ultimate penalty one can give oneself. Over and over he speaks venom into his own blood, and soon he wakes up out of his haze, and seems to step outside of his body and talk to his cowering self. Hamlet states, “Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave, that I, the son of a dear father murdered, prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, must like a qhore unpack my heart with words and fall a-cursing like a very drab, a scullion! Fie upon’t! Foh!” (2:2 Lines 571-576) Hamlet continues after this to argue with himself, explicating his cowardice, and his failures. His hatred of himself and his duty overwhelm