Why Is Hamlet's First Soliloquy

Hamlet is a suspenseful play that introduces the topic of tragedy. Throughout the play, Hamlet displays anger, uncertainty, and obsession with death. Although Hamlet is unaware of it, these emotions cause the mishaps that occur throughout the play. These emotions combined with his unawareness are the leading basis for the tragic hero’s flaws. These flaws lead Hamlet not to be a bad man, but a regular form of imperfection that comes along with being human.

In the first place, the opening lines of Hamlet’s soliloquy uncovers his innermost feelings about all the events that are occurring around him. His father’s death and his mother remarrying his uncle, have all impacted him so much that he is thinking about ways to escape this world. “Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt (…), / Or that the Everlasting had not fixed / His canon 'gainst self-slaughter!”

This soliloquy, found in the third act of the play, presents the the question to end all questions for Hamlet - the question of life or death. In many ways, this long-winded and heartfelt speech is the epitome of Hamlet’s neverending questioning and pondering. From the beginning of the play, it is well established that Hamlet is a young man, whose metal has been tempered in the flames of struggles and hardships, and that, much like Sisyphus, he is condemned to face more difficulties in his journey through life. The prince’s famous “to be or not to be" soliloquy is the speech which brings to completion his two former speeches of Acts One and Two, through his anger, passion, and ultimately, his

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.

Throughout Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet demonstrates his wit and coolness under pressure, whether this be in high stress or comical situations. Very rarely does he ever allow the audience -- or other characters -- to see his genuine turmoil. For these reasons, the “Rogue and Peasant Slave” soliloquy at the end of Act 2 Scene 2 really stands out and updates the audience on Hamlet’s suffering. However, this could not be accomplished without Shakespeare’s masterful writing techniques of shifting tone through diction and subject. Through such, the audience can truly take into full consideration Hamlet’s inner suffering, his self hatred, and how he plans to resolve his issues through “vengeance!” (2.2.610).

b) This quotation confuses readers a lot in terms of Hamlet’s character. It shows Hamlet as someone who had loved Ophelia all his life yet he was extremely rude to her in past Acts. Although he grieves for the loss of Ophelia, he still does not feel sorry for killing Polonius, which ultimately was the cause of Ophelia’s death.

Hamlet’s first soliloquy presents a deeper understanding of his emotional state following the recent death of his father. Hamlet revealed that he is facing a dilemma during his grieving process, and undoubtedly shows signs of depression. Based on his soliloquy, Hamlet seems to be in an intense emotional state which could cause him endanger himself or others.

One of Hamlets most famous soliloquys appears in act three, and establishes a rather dark mood for the coming drama. Hamlets speech in this scene sets up rising action, and builds towards the climax by addressing controversial philosophical topics about the meaning of life, and the unknown land of death. Hamlet battles with intense emotion feelings throughout the play, but in this silique we as the audience can see that he is feeling quite dismal, and is considering very alarming options. For example, “to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing, end them.” Here Hamlet speaks about death as if it is the only way to rid oneself of the pain the physical world has to offer, but he continues to express his ominous thoughts through intense verbal presentation, although he is just speaking to himself.

How far would you go for revenge? How insane are you willing to become? Unfortunately, he tragic ending of Shakespeare’s Hamlet did not satisfy Hamlet’s, vengeful heart. As a young prince, Hamlet must deal with his manipulative uncle, inconspicuously intelligent mother, and bring justice to his murdered father. It is through Hamlet’s seven soliloquies that he reveals how he evolves from endlessly seeking for revenge to stoic acceptance.

In Act III, Scene I of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet delivers his most famous speech – and perhaps one of Shakespeare’s most famous lines. Immediately beforehand, Claudius and Polonius instruct Ophelia to reject Hamlet by returning all of his gifts and letters. She then waits for him, pretending to read a prayer book. As he enters, he speaks in lines 55-87 some of the most famous words in theatrical history: “To be or not to be... And lose the name of action” (Ham.

The soliloquies in Hamlet serve as a way for readers to understand Hamlet’s innermost thoughts and feelings and allows them to determine what Hamlet is thinking and whether or not he is sane. When Hamlet delivers his soliloquies throughout the play, readers are able to view his inner thoughts that he does not disclose to other characters. For example, one of Hamlet’s soliloquys reveals how he believes himself to be “a rogue and peasant slave” (Act 2 Scene 2 Line 560) who should be ashamed of his uncertainty and inability to act upon avenging his father, as well as Hamlet’s decision to put on a play to make sure that Claudius is indeed the one who killed Old King Hamlet. This glimpse into Hamlet’s mind gives readers insight into what he is feeling,

His father’s death and mother’s quick remarriage has him contemplating the world he lives in, and if he would like to continue doing so. This soliloquy is the first that starts to delve deeper into Hamlet’s mind pertaining committing suicide. Hamlet is fascinated with the idea, but his doubt of the paradise-like afterlife stops him “Or that the Everlasting had not fix’d/ His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter! O God! God!”

Hamlet’s first soliloquy starts of with the cliché sound of ‘O’ which can represent a sound of a sigh or even the emphasis of the despair that Hamlet is feeling at that very moment. In the very same line Hamlet continues by saying, ‘O that this too too solid flesh would melt’ this is particularly important as it signifies the overflowing emotions and depressing thoughts that the following speech will have, it also shows how Hamlet wants to disappear from the situation he was currently in. The two words ‘solid’ and ‘melt’ juxtaposition each other; creating that imbalance his life has without his father. The overall phrase almost foreshadows his death at the end of the play as his soul eventually melts away.

Hamlet’s first soliloquy in Act One is an examination of his own suicidal ideation.Hamlet seems to feel out of control, conflicted, and restless. The first portion of his speech expresses his desires- to either disappear by outside trauma or to disappear by his own hands without damnation. He describes his flesh as “too sullied”- meaning defiled. This shows he believes that he is a victim- he started out pure, but the trials he has gone through have made him dirty. He goes on to say that he wishes his skin would “melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew”. Melting implies the presence of heat, and thawing is the quality of something frozen. Heat is associated with passion, pressure,hell, and,problems. If intense heat is applied to

Coming immediately after the meeting with the Ghost of Hamlet’s father, Shakespeare uses his second soliloquy to present Hamlet’s initial responses to his new role of revenger. Shakespeare is not hesitant in foreboding the religious and metaphysical implications of this role, something widely explored in Elizabethan revenge tragedy, doing so in the first lines as Hamlet makes an invocation to ‘all you host of heaven’ and ‘earth’. Hamlet is shown to impulsively rationalize the ethical issues behind his task as he views it as a divine ordinance of justice, his fatalistic view reiterated at the end of scene 5 with the rhyming couplet ‘O cursed spite,/That ever I was born to set it right’. These ideas are