Hamlet Soliloquies
Act I, Scene ii, 129 - Hamlet
Hamlet in this particular soliloquy is lamenting the poor state of things he finds upon returning home. Just before his emotional speech, Claudius, Hamlet's uncle, announces the sudden death of Hamlet's father, the late King of Denmark. In the same mourning speech, Claudius also declares his taking the throne and marrying the widowed queen, Gertrude. Because of this, there is a festive tone to the atmosphere, and Hamlet, it appears, seems to be the only one in mourning.
The main points in Hamlet's speech revolve around his father's cruel end and his mother's sudden marriage to Claudius. Keeping in mind that Hamlet had been abroad until the recent news hit, hearing about his father's death becomes a gigantic blow to Hamlet's well-being. Upon arriving and discovering that his mother is already remarried, Hamlet further breaks down and laments over the fickleness and "frailty" of women. For the majority of the speech, the mourning Prince of Denmark notes that his mother, a woman who once doted so lovingly on her husband, quickly marries Claudius only a month after the King's death. Yet, even with this anger and resentment within Hamlet, he chooses to remain silent over his feelings.
In this soliloquy, we, as the audience, see the tension and growing unease in Hamlet's mind. We get a sense of timing in the events and see the speed of which Claudius takes over and marries Gertrude. Hamlet's anger is apparent here, and this unease in his mind foreshadows his reaction to the appearance of his father's ghost. Later on, this choice of brooding becomes paramount in Hamlet's character; his conception of females pushes Ophelia away, and his silent rage becomes unhealthy and tantamount to his vengeance.
Act III, Scene i, 141 - Ophelia
Hamlet Annotated Bibliography Cook, Patrick J. Cinematic Hamlet: the Films of Olivier, Zeffirelli, Branagh, and Almereyda. Athens, Ohio: Ohio UP. 2011. Print. This book focuses on the many versions of Hamlet that have been made for the silver screen. The play by William Shakespeare is one of the most frequently filmed works and each version of the story has a unique perspective. Director, screenwriter, and of course actor each influence the overall
Hamlet Many consider Shakespeare's "Hamlet" to be the most problematic play ever written (Croxford pp). Leslie Croxford writes in his article, "The Uses of Interpretation in Hamlet" for a 2004 issue of Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics, that the play presents inconsistencies that arise from the "variousness" of its medieval and Renaissance sources, from discrepancies between printed version of the drama, and from a host of unresolved thematic and psychological problems,
Hamlet as Hero and Joker Choose three examples of Hamlet's wordplay: puns, riddles, double entendres, insults, jokes and other verbal wit and virtuosity. Please explain what each of your examples means (a paragraph or so) and why each is appropriate for Hamlet to say. Hamlet is a very humorous hero, and though his jokes and witticisms were often dry, subtle and sarcastic. Under his breath, for example, he says of his mother
Hamlet decides to play at being mad in ways that seem calculated. This is evidenced in his verbal dueling with Polonius, the courtier of the play who in contrast to the blind prophet of the Greek tragedy is truly a foolish old man, rather than merely seeming so. But even Polonius admits that Hamlet's madness seems to have a verbal sense to it -- although the reason for Hamlet
Then he embraces Ophelia and weeps, indicating he is sad because he knows that it is unlikely that he will ever have a normal relationship, given his enforced role as an avenger. Of course, there are moments in the text where Hamlet does seem completely out of control, as in the case Hamlet's accidental homicide of Polonius, but Jacobi's performance underlines the wisdom and intelligence of Hamlet's character. When Jacobi's
Hamlet and Revenge Hamlet -- Prince of Denmark -- is considered to be one of Shakespeare's greatest plays. (Meyer, 2002). It is also one of his most complex plays. It is about the evolution of a character within the context of a revenge drama -- that of Hamlet in Hamlet. In keeping with the revenge-theme of this drama, this thesis of this essay will aver that Shakespeare exalts Hamlet as a
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now