XD! I already ruined the party with it. Now I'm gonna ruin the WHOLE SPOT! Plus Radi wanted to read it, and Nate was proper getting into it. And... its a new gift for Cat... yeah. Backstory time. My computer crashed along with the bitch essay I'd been writing, so I was posting paragraphs on the forum incase this computer died. It hasn't yet. Anyways, this is DEFINITELY tl;dr
A commentary on Hamlet's Soliloquy in Act 1 Scene 2
In Act 1, Scene 2 the audience gets their first glimpse into Hamlets head, making him as a character much more relatable. This dark and depressing soliloquy is in stark contrast with the rest of the scene – the union of Gertrude and Claudius, highlighting Hamlets dismay even further.
In the first lines “Oh that this ... dew,” Shakespeare shows the audience his depressive state, as he wishes for death and even wishes for suicide were it not considered a sin. This is somewhat ironic, as further on the play he commits sins a lot worse than suicide. He then continues to say “how weary ... world,” showing the audience that he feels there is nothing good in his life anymore, and that there's no point to living. This could show a closeness between Hamlet and his deceased father, as now that his father is gone, he feels that there's nothing worth living for anymore. It could also show his deep sadness over his mothers betrayal, implying that without the trust & support of his family, there's nothing left for him.
Shakespeare uses strong imagery to convey Hamlets emotions. “'Tis an unweeded ... in nature,” is an example of a metaphor being used to show his dismay in the world. The idea of it being an “unweeded garden” implies that his world was once something beautiful, but has been completely ruined by the “weeds.” The worlds “rank,” shows a disgust and that he considers his life foul. The garden metaphor could also show how Hamlet views his mother – pure and untouched like a garden, before Claudius came and made it “rank and gross,” which would paint him as a sort of homewrecker, or a devil like figure, ruining the pure untouched “garden.” Shakespeare also uses strong repetition on the main point Hamlet is saying. It has been two months since Hamlets father died, and the repetition of the words “two months,” shows Hamlets dismay over his mothers rushed decision to marry Claudius, his uncle. The strong repetition conveys his point aswell as showing the audience his shock, disbelief and disgust.
Possibly due to the rushed nature of the marriage, Hamlet's frustration is almost entirely focused on his mother as opposed to Claudius, which could show how women were viewed at the time. “A beast ... mourned longer,” compares his mother to an animal, claiming an animal would have mourned for longer, and “unrighteous tears,” shows that Hamlet considers her tears to be fake, or that she wasn't worthy of crying over him. The line “frailty thy name is a woman,” shows the unfair treatment of women at the time as Hamlet stereotypes all women to be like his mother. Hamlet remembers the relationship between Gertrude and his father, claiming that “she followed [his] poor father's body,” which could mean she literally followed his fathers body to the funeral, or it could mean that when alive, she followed him – here the use of “poor,” implies that his father was unfortunate to have Gertrude as a wife, and he would be better off without her. Another interpretation of this line could be that she “followed” Hamlet's fathers body to beyond the grave, implying that his mother is now dead to him. Animal imagery is again used in likes 143-145. The idea of comparing Gertrude to an animal is again shown in the words “appetite had grown by what it fed.” The use of the word “it” as opposed to “she,” implies that he now considers her less than a human being, a beast. And the use of the word “fed,” conjured up pictures of animals feeding. The use of the word “fed,” could also show a dependency on Hamlets father from Gertrude, which would add to Hamlet's complete shock, as he would be wondering how Gertrude could go from utterly dependent on his father & then marry his brother within in month.
Shakespeare present also used comparisons to Greek mythology, highlighting that the play is definitely a tragedy by using throwbacks to some of the earlier Greek tragedy's such as that of Niobe. Hamlet contrasts Gertrude to Niobe, who had all her sons killed and mourned over it for eternity whereas Gertrude married her late husbands brother. This could also show the role of women in the 1600's society – Hamlet expects his mother to grieve about it for eternity, disregarding her as an actual human being with feelings other than grief. Hamlet slanders his mothers new relationship, considering it “incestuous,” and that it “cannot come to good.” The idea of Hamlet considering the relationship as incest again highlights the play as a tragedy, showing it as unnatural, going against the natural order of things. The words “with such ... sheets,” implies that he thinks their relationship is built purely on lust. However this does raise the Oedipus complex issue which is strongly featured in Hamlet, raising the question, why would Hamlet be thinking that of his mother?
Shakespeare shows Hamlet as somewhat resentful towards Claudius. “Hyperion to a satryr,” shows his opinion on his father and his uncle. He remembers his father as a sun-god, and an excellent king and comparing Claudius to a half human, half goat, showing that he considered his father infinitely superior. He also refuses to accept Claudius as a father figure, saying that “[he is] no more like my father than I to Hercules.”
The first soliloquy is a highly passionate and insightful speech in which the audience can connect with the protagonist. Shakespeare presents Hamlet as a tormented and depressive person with no one to talk to (“But break my heart, for I cannot hold my tongue”) which could all be a reason for his later actions in the play.
A commentary on Hamlet's Soliloquy in Act 1 Scene 2
In Act 1, Scene 2 the audience gets their first glimpse into Hamlets head, making him as a character much more relatable. This dark and depressing soliloquy is in stark contrast with the rest of the scene – the union of Gertrude and Claudius, highlighting Hamlets dismay even further.
In the first lines “Oh that this ... dew,” Shakespeare shows the audience his depressive state, as he wishes for death and even wishes for suicide were it not considered a sin. This is somewhat ironic, as further on the play he commits sins a lot worse than suicide. He then continues to say “how weary ... world,” showing the audience that he feels there is nothing good in his life anymore, and that there's no point to living. This could show a closeness between Hamlet and his deceased father, as now that his father is gone, he feels that there's nothing worth living for anymore. It could also show his deep sadness over his mothers betrayal, implying that without the trust & support of his family, there's nothing left for him.
Shakespeare uses strong imagery to convey Hamlets emotions. “'Tis an unweeded ... in nature,” is an example of a metaphor being used to show his dismay in the world. The idea of it being an “unweeded garden” implies that his world was once something beautiful, but has been completely ruined by the “weeds.” The worlds “rank,” shows a disgust and that he considers his life foul. The garden metaphor could also show how Hamlet views his mother – pure and untouched like a garden, before Claudius came and made it “rank and gross,” which would paint him as a sort of homewrecker, or a devil like figure, ruining the pure untouched “garden.” Shakespeare also uses strong repetition on the main point Hamlet is saying. It has been two months since Hamlets father died, and the repetition of the words “two months,” shows Hamlets dismay over his mothers rushed decision to marry Claudius, his uncle. The strong repetition conveys his point aswell as showing the audience his shock, disbelief and disgust.
Possibly due to the rushed nature of the marriage, Hamlet's frustration is almost entirely focused on his mother as opposed to Claudius, which could show how women were viewed at the time. “A beast ... mourned longer,” compares his mother to an animal, claiming an animal would have mourned for longer, and “unrighteous tears,” shows that Hamlet considers her tears to be fake, or that she wasn't worthy of crying over him. The line “frailty thy name is a woman,” shows the unfair treatment of women at the time as Hamlet stereotypes all women to be like his mother. Hamlet remembers the relationship between Gertrude and his father, claiming that “she followed [his] poor father's body,” which could mean she literally followed his fathers body to the funeral, or it could mean that when alive, she followed him – here the use of “poor,” implies that his father was unfortunate to have Gertrude as a wife, and he would be better off without her. Another interpretation of this line could be that she “followed” Hamlet's fathers body to beyond the grave, implying that his mother is now dead to him. Animal imagery is again used in likes 143-145. The idea of comparing Gertrude to an animal is again shown in the words “appetite had grown by what it fed.” The use of the word “it” as opposed to “she,” implies that he now considers her less than a human being, a beast. And the use of the word “fed,” conjured up pictures of animals feeding. The use of the word “fed,” could also show a dependency on Hamlets father from Gertrude, which would add to Hamlet's complete shock, as he would be wondering how Gertrude could go from utterly dependent on his father & then marry his brother within in month.
Shakespeare present also used comparisons to Greek mythology, highlighting that the play is definitely a tragedy by using throwbacks to some of the earlier Greek tragedy's such as that of Niobe. Hamlet contrasts Gertrude to Niobe, who had all her sons killed and mourned over it for eternity whereas Gertrude married her late husbands brother. This could also show the role of women in the 1600's society – Hamlet expects his mother to grieve about it for eternity, disregarding her as an actual human being with feelings other than grief. Hamlet slanders his mothers new relationship, considering it “incestuous,” and that it “cannot come to good.” The idea of Hamlet considering the relationship as incest again highlights the play as a tragedy, showing it as unnatural, going against the natural order of things. The words “with such ... sheets,” implies that he thinks their relationship is built purely on lust. However this does raise the Oedipus complex issue which is strongly featured in Hamlet, raising the question, why would Hamlet be thinking that of his mother?
Shakespeare shows Hamlet as somewhat resentful towards Claudius. “Hyperion to a satryr,” shows his opinion on his father and his uncle. He remembers his father as a sun-god, and an excellent king and comparing Claudius to a half human, half goat, showing that he considered his father infinitely superior. He also refuses to accept Claudius as a father figure, saying that “[he is] no more like my father than I to Hercules.”
The first soliloquy is a highly passionate and insightful speech in which the audience can connect with the protagonist. Shakespeare presents Hamlet as a tormented and depressive person with no one to talk to (“But break my heart, for I cannot hold my tongue”) which could all be a reason for his later actions in the play.