Hamlet - Rouge and Peasant Slave Solo Analysis Essay

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In one of Hamlet's most well known soliloquies, "Rouge and peasant slave", the character Hamlet first introduces his extreme internal conflict. The soliloquy takes place after the ghost of his father has presented him with the order of avenging his murder by killing his own uncle, the same uncle who inherited the throne and wedded his very own mother. However, Hamlet still remains uncertain about holding the ghost credible, so he devised a plan. He asks actors to perform a murderous play, which he describes to them. The plot of the play mirrors the story the ghost had told him. His plan is that when the king sees the play, he will know someone is on to him, and under extreme stress, eventually reveal his mis-doings. The soliloquy
And he is unable to say a word to anyone, not even the King who killed his own father and married his own mother. This coward theme is carried on further when Hamlet calls himself "pigeon livered". It was known at that time period that the pigeon, or the dove, had no gall and therefore it had no place to seek revenge or feel resentment. This extreme depression and self-torture does nothing but intensify the uncertainty and complete the idea that Hamlet is becoming less and less mentally stable. However, the whole tone is then changed into anger. It is now when Hamlet finishes fabricating the idea of confronting the king through theatre. Before Hamlet asked himself if he were coward. Now he states that "I, the son of a dear father murdered, prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, must like a whore unpack my heart with words, and fall a-cursing like a very drab". This quotation is one of the most pivotal within the speech. It shows that he truly accepts what the ghost tells him as credible. Because he calls himself the "son of a dear father murdered" he conveys his strong conviction that the death was not accidental. He then gives reasoning to his revenge, stating that it must be an act of God, "heaven or hell", that the ghost of his father came to him with such demands. By finding support in religion, Hamlet solidifies the idea that what he plans on doing is morally correct and plausible within society. Clearly, this soliloquy captures the inner