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 The image of Claudius as a ‘smiling’ villain, and Hamlet’s point that ‘one may smile, and smile, and be a villain’, highlights the recurring idea of appearance against reality, marking similarities with the corrupt characters in The Revenger’s Tragedy whose ‘mask’ can only be perceived by ‘that eternal eye that sees through flesh and all’. These Machiavellian politics of spectacle and persona highlighted by Hamlet show Shakespeare’s critique of the Elizabethan aristocracy, who at the time wore extravagant clothing by law to protect the social order and their apparent elitism; one that does not match the reality of their sinful personalities, tainted by scheming and narcissistic ambition.
The somewhat idiosyncratic fluctuations of Hamlet’s emotions and intentions are epitomized at the end of his second soliloquy. After denouncing and erasing the ‘trivial fond records’ of education from his memory, Hamlet can’t help but return quite comically to his preoccupation as a scholar, as he notes down (whether literally or mentally) the Ghost’s final words as a sort of mnemonic to assist him in his task. The use of iambic pentameter in these words (‘Adieu, adieu, remember me’) – coupled with the use of repetition and consonance – give them an ambiguous tone that could be ominous as much as it is affectionate. The humour is certainly dark though, as there is something foreboding about the
Related Documents: Hamlet's Second Soliloquy Essay
The first soliloquy of Hamlet falls in the Act 1, Scene II and it is one based upon sadness and gloom. This soliloquy occurs after King Claudius and the Queen Gertrude urge Hamlet in the open court to cast off the deep melancholy attitude, which has taken possession of his mind as a consequence of his father’s death. The opening lines of this soliloquy show not only his youth and naïve mind but also reinforce the symbolism of his feelings. Claudius expresses to Hamlet that he has grieved for his…
(2) 30 November 2012 Language of a Soliloquy William Shakespeare is a man with whom most of the world is well acquainted. His intelligence and wit allowed him to pioneer some of the most common literary techniques used today. Shakespeare used a common structure to each of his plays. The plays consisted of five acts. In the first act, Shakespeare would introduce the setting and direct the audience’s attention to the source of the dramatic tension. The second act contains the majority of the plays…
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not to be” soliloquy was able to capture the loneliness and helplessness that Hamlet is feeling at this point in the play. Stemming from the betrayal from his friends and his rejection from Ophelia, Hamlet feels he is completely alone with no one to turn to. Olivier’s version captures this best, using symbolism to represent Hamlet’s options and feelings, voiceover to break up the soliloquy into out loud vs. narration to reflect Hamlet’s thoughts, and the use of setting to reflect Hamlet’s motivation…
the play. With these important characteristics applied by the director, the scene that best shows his works is Hamlet’s soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 1. The director Sung June Moon, appeals to the young audience by simplifying the soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 1. He does this by summarizing Hamlet’s speech into 12 lines. Some might think that shortening the speech will ruin the famous soliloquy, but the director keeps the most important lines and summarizes the other lines: To be? / Or not to be? / That…
Zikima Sawyer English 102:002 Professor Hayes November 11, 2011 Hamlet's Delay In William Shakespeare, Hamlet, the ghost speaks to Hamlet, claiming to be his father’s spirit. Hamlet is shocked at the revelation that his father has been murdered, and the ghost tells him that as he slept in his garden, a villain poured poison into his ear, the villain who now wears his crown, Claudius. The ghost urges Hamlet to seek revenge, telling him that Claudius has corrupted Denmark and Gertrude, taken…
was Gertrude stolen. Hence, the responder realises that Gertrude was not stolen from old Hamlet, as he is now dead, but from Hamlet himself. The world ‘stole’ in this context means that Hamlet feels that Claudius took one of Hamlet’s possessions and deprived him of it. Hamlet’s real ‘motive’ is also seen when he says “Mother you have my father much offended”. Both Hamlet and the responder are aware that the Ghost is concerned about the ‘the foul and most unnatural murder’ Claudius committed and not…
undeniable reality. The degree of Hamlet 's depression is set by his apathy and his melancholy itself is revealed through his tenacity. Throughout the play Hamlets actions are plagued by his overbearing depression. This depression in combination with Hamlet's mania is what makes up the instability in him. Psychologically, mania is described as a mood disorder characterized by euphoric states, extreme physical activity, excessive talkativeness, distractedness, and sometimes grandiosity. During…
Horatio then declares that the ghost must bring warning of a military attack to Denmark, recounting the story of the king’s conquest of lands belonging to Norway, saying that Fortinbras now seeks to reconquer the lands. The ghost appears for the second time and leaves at the first hint of dawn, however the ghost doesn’t respond to them. Horatio suggests that they tell Prince Hamlet, believing that the ghost would be willing to speak to his son. Act 1 Scene 2: The next morning, Claudius holds court…
demanding questions and lack of trust. Horatio is with Bernardo and Marcellus because they want Horatio to witness the appearance of the apparition (ghost) so that they will have someone else acknowledge its happening. Horatio is listed as Prince Hamlet's friend and confidant and Marcellus refers to Horatio as a "scholar" when the apparition first appears. 2. What is Horatio's initial response to the story of the apparition? What happens when the ghost appears for the first time (1.1.37.1)? Notice…
