Why Is Hamlet's First Soliloquy

We can see the dramatic differences in Hamlet’s facial expression and tone of voice when he starts to talk about Claudius and his mother. Hamlet is revolted by him, he is “a mildewed ear/ Blasting his wholesome brother.” We can hear the disgust in Hamlet’s words as he describes his malevolent uncle and this shows the distorted relationship between them. Finally he turns to his mother. His words are full of deep hatred and utter contempt for her. He asks her how she could have replaced her perfect husband with this foul man: “Could you

Hamlet continues on and almost complains on the state of the world, calling it stale, flat, and unprofitable, showing how truly miserable he is. Hamlet considers suicide as a possible option of escape from his life in a painful world, but feels as though religion is preventing him from doing so. Hamlet then provides us with the roots for his pain and the reason for his contemplation of suicide. Hamlet is is troubled by his mothers marriage to Claudius, but especially how quickly the two were married after his father's death. He continues to express his dislike and hatred for Claudius calling him a satyr, while praising his father and saying how excellent of a king his father was. In one of the final lines of the soliloquy Hamlet comments on how the marriage is a bad omen for Denmark, "It is not, nor it cannot come to good," (I. ii. 163). For the first time we are introduced to the idea of suicide which will continue to present itself as the play develops.

Hamlet is very distraught and grief stricken for the death of his father, the King of Denmark. As well, he is upset with his mother's quick marriage to his uncle Claudius, who is now King. Hamlet is emotional and melancholy, and he considers suicide because he wonders

Hamlet also manages to both degrade himself and his uncle in another comparison, saying his uncle was “no more like my father / Than I to Hercules” (1.2.152-3). Though such strong comparisons to romanticized and mythical figures could are partially simple hyperbole, they also underscore some of the insecurity in Hamlet’s character. The value in recognizing this comes as Hamlet descends into his madness, whether real or imaginary, where the reader can see that, even before Hamlet deliberately decides to appear to be “mad” he has certain issues and insecurities with his own feelings. Even more significantly, this passage begins to elaborate on Hamlet’s relationship with his mother. Gertrude represents an interesting dilemma for the deconstructionist critic, as she does not create or involve herself in many conflicts or oppositions. She manages to significantly affect the plot and the subtext of the play while seeming almost insignificant as a character at first glance through the deconstructionist lens. She does not overtly affect events, and often plays the victim of circumstance. This very insignificance creates an issue for Hamlet, who is clearly quite disgusted with her behavior. He vehemently disapproves of the speed of her marriage to Claudius, saying that “a beast, that wants discourse of reason, / Would have mourned longer” (1.2.150-1), but can find no other strong criticism of her other than how fast she remarried. This strikes at the

Hamlet’s first soliloquy in Act 1 Scene 2 reveals important key thoughts Hamlet holds for related characters. The purpose for this soliloquy is to inform the audience of Hamlet’s true feelings about his family and life, which provides the audience with a deeper understanding and meaning of the future choices chosen throughout the play. One of the more intriguing truths revealed by Hamlet is the disgust he holds for his mother’s new relationship and her little acknowledgment of her husband's death.

Shakespeare builds and maintains the tension in Hamlet’s soliloquy through tone. The soliloquy begins in a depressing tone with the use of imagery when Hamlet contemplates on committing suicide, “Throw and resolve itself into dew” (1.2, 130). Shakespeare then shifts to a frustrated tone with the use of an exclamation point (syntax), “Seem to me all the uses of the world!” (1.2, 134), gives an idea of how angered Hamlet is with his mother’s incest. Hamlet’s soliloquy then shifts to a somber tone as he characterizes his father who was, “So excellent a king” (1.2, 139) that was so kind to Hamlet's mother, that the King would not allow, “...the winds of heaven Visit her [Gertrude’s] face too roughly.”

Very early in the play, Hamlet has a very passionate soliloquy, in which he mourns the loss of his father; his mourning transitions into anger towards his mother, Gertrude, and his uncle, Claudius (Hamlet, 1.2.129-59). Hamlet mourns so deeply, that he loses interest in the world and contemplates suicide (but curses it for being a sin), “O that this too sullied flesh would melt, / That and resolve itself into a dew, / Or that the Everlasting had not fix’d / His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter. O God! God! / How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable / Seem to me all the uses of this world!”

In Hamlet’s first soliloquy, Hamlet expresses the depths of his melancholy and his disgust at his mother’s marriage with Claudius after the death of his father. As a result, Hamlet condemns the marriage between his mother and uncle. He says Claudius is far inferior to his father and in anguish describes his mother, Queen Gertrude, as a lustful beast. The fact that his mother’s marriage to Claudius was so fast and to his father’s brother infuriates Hamlet. Moreover, Hamlet is already grieving over the fact that his father recently died, so the stress about his mother is enough to make him contemplate suicide.

In Act II Scene 2 of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet performs his second soliloquy of the play in which he laments the true feelings behind his inner conflict due to his mother and uncle’s marriage. He expresses his wanting to gain revenge on the King to expose his guilt, on behalf of his father, and ultimately works himself up by the end of the scene. Throughout the play, Hamlet has clearly developed a mad persona, which is well expressed in this passage and general soliloquy. In lines 617-635, Shakespeare shows Hamlet’s transition from being emotional and having a breakdown to being calm and controlled by altering structure; sentence length, rhyme, personification and going from describing abstract to physical objects.

To Be or Not To Be “To be, or not to be—that is the question.” Undoubtedly, this simple, yet profound phrase is one of the most quoted sayings of all time. However, this single sentence is only the tip of a beautifully crafted speech found in the ancient play Hamlet, and written by none other than the classic playwright Shakespeare himself. In this speech, the protagonist of the play, a young man named Hamlet, has reached the depths of hopelessness, frustration, and despair. Hamlet’s father, the former king of Denmark, has recently been killed by Hamlet’s wicked uncle, Claudius.

The first decently large block of dialogue the audience receives from Hamlet is his lament about how quickly his mother has wed Claudius. He expresses his disgust at her seeming lack of respect for her husband, saying that she married his uncle with "most wicked speed" (I.ii.161) in the wake of Hamlet the elder's funeral. Any establishing lines are important, and while Hamlet's first line was, "A little more kin and less than kind." (I.ii.67) earlier in the scene, this soliloquy marks his first dialogue where he is alone, and therefore just as important, if not more, as his fist line in establishing his character. From this soliloquy the audience is not only able to interpret some of Hamlet's beliefs, but also the character trait that will ultimately cause him to fail later on: his hesitancy.

Hamlet once again contemplates suicide in his third soliloquy “To be, or not to be? That is the question – whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and, by opposing, end them?” (III.i.57-61), showing that he is depressed because he is contemplating killing himself. The inability to get his revenge also depress Hamlet. He says: “How all occasions do inform against me, and spur my dull revenge? What is a man if his chief good and market of his time be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more.” (IV.iv.31-4). Hamlet is depressed because of his fruitless attempts to revenge his father’s death. According to Mr. Bradley “the tragedy of Hamlet is that these very characteristics, which were the reasons for his superiority, because of the marriage between his mother and uncle and the murder of his father is the reason for his destruction.” Mr. Bradley sees “Hamlet’s inability to gain his revenge as a moral disillusionment.” Mr. Bradley

Indecisive, cowardly, and unconfident are only some of the characteristics that Hamlet, the protagonist in William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, possesses and displays throughout the play. Through the seven soliloquies Shakespeare delicately crafted, Hamlet’s true views and thoughts are revealed to the reader. They mainly reveal that though Hamlet can be seen as virtuous, he lacks confidence and suffers from a severe case of unconfidence. These characteristics are explored through the various ways of insulting himself for not acting on his beliefs and his constant need to reassure himself that everything he does has a good reason behind it.

Hamlet’s first soliloquy establishes his character as dramatic and slightly obsessive. From the beginning of the scene, he is ill-tempered with his uncle, Claudius, and mother, Gertrude, and when everyone has left the stage but for himself, we find out his reasons. In this passage, Hamlet conveys his disgust with the marriage between his mother and his uncle. The imagery, allusions to Greek Mythology, and the style of the verse all lend themselves, with varying degrees of subtlety, to a more rich and complete depiction of Hamlet’s emotions.

In Hamlet’s first soliloquy he shows that he is angry with his mother and upset over his father’s death. Hamlet, however, does not think about taking revenge against his uncle for marrying his mother, instead he is just furious at his mother for being