Hamlet in the First Act of Shakespeare\'s

Hamlet

In the first act of Shakespeare's Hamlet, the title character delivers a powerful soliloquy expressing his anguish and suicidal ideations. Hamlet is coming to terms with the death of his father; and the tragedy that his uncle might be the murderer torments him. At this point in the play, Hamlet remains in touch with his emotions without being totally consumed by them. His anger is growing; he has not yet figured out a strategy with which to effectively deal with the problem. By Act II, however, Hamlet's anger has started to fester into deep-seated resentment. Hamlet's soliloquy at the end of the act reveals the prince's plot to entrap Claudius by staging the play "The Murder of Gonzago." Hamlet still has his wits about him. Just as in his earlier soliloquy in Act II, scene ii, Hamlet directs much of his anger inward.

Both the soliloquy in Act I, scene ii and in Act II, scene ii contain references to Greek mythology. In Act I, scene ii, Hamlet refers to Hyperion and a satyr to compare and contrast his father with his uncle Claudius. Hyperion was a Greek Titan; a satyr was a forest creature known for its horniness. Thus, Hamlet makes an overt reference to Claudius having stolen his brother's wife as well as his brother's life and political status. Also in Act I, scene ii, Hamlet compares his mother with Niobe. Niobe is also a figure in Greek mythology. The comparison signals Hamlet's distaste for his mother's decision to remarry with haste; Hamlet is clearly uncomfortable with the entire situation and has simply yet figured out a way to rectify the problem. By the end of Act II, scene ii, Hamlet has devised what he believes to be the best way to expose the truth: by observing Claudius's reaction to "The Murder of Gonzago." The plot seems outlandish, which underscores Hamlet's mental anguish and inability to think clearly as a result of the tragedy. As in Act I, scene ii, Hamlet also uses references to Greek mythology: most notably the reference to Queen Hecuba.

In both the soliloquy in Act I, scene ii and in Act II, scene ii, Hamlet expresses his tendency towards emotional and psychological breakdown. Both scenes suggest Hamlet's self-hatred. In Act I, scene ii, Hamlet is overtly suicidal. He states, "O, that this too solid flesh would melt, / Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! / Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd / His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O. God!" (I, ii,131-134). Hamlet wishes that there were no taboo against self-slaughter because he envisions self-annihilation as a feasible means of dealing with the trauma. Ironically, the scene hints at the possibility that Hamlet would have made a poor successor to his father's throne; he comes across already as being emotionally unstable as well as indecisive. In Act II, scene ii, Hamlet's emotionally unstable character is also evident. He begins the soliloquy by stating, "O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!" And later refers to himself as a "dull and muddy-mettled rascal," (II, ii, 309; 327). Hamlet then questions, "Am I a coward?" (II, ii, 331). Given the way he chooses to confront Claudius -- passively aggressive in nature -- the answer to Hamlet's rhetorical question might indeed be yes.