More handpicked essays just for you.
Elizabethan era Shakespeare's style of writing
Elizabethan era Shakespeare's style of writing
Shakespeare language techniques
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Hamlet’s most famous soliloquy “to be or not to be” can be argued to be the most famous soliloquy in the history of theater, and has left a massive footprint within literature for hundreds of years. Even if people are unfamiliar with the play “Hamlet”, they still have probably heard of the famous “to be or not to be” line. Hamlet is portrayed to be a very confused man when it comes to emotion and feelings. He is always unsure of himself throughout this play, and due to his strange personality, he has a hard time staying realistic. He often times contemplates extreme ideas. He also battles with the illness of depression. The main message behind this particular soliloquy is his contemplation to end his own life or to continue living. Hamlet would also be extremely satisfied if he could revenge his father’s death. He has a pattern for being uncertain about his personal decisions. What about this sequence of lines makes it so recognizable and famous?
With this particular soliloquy, Shakespeare touches on a very real topic which is life. The deeper meaning of it touches on the subject of the worthiness of life. In essence, this is Hamlet’s contemplation of committing suicide. Due to the common pattern with Hamlet throughout this play, he is wavering heavily between two major extremes in this case, and that is life and death. "Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them" (pg.56-60) This is Hamlet’s train of thought while he's weighing out the positives and negatives of his personal situation. This quotation is stating that he is wondering if life is worth living with all of the suffering and hardships that come with it. He t...
... middle of paper ...
...n sadness and depression, which would cause an internal battle with his thoughts and reality. Nothing in life seems to satisfy Hamlet in this soliloquy which causes him to over think many scenarios. This over thinking is what ultimately kills his happiness. I believe that Shakespeare captured the emotion and feeling behind the character Hamlet by utilizing imagery which makes the reader connect with the Hamlet on a whole different level. This allows a vivid view of the words since he constantly uses the imagery to relate it to outside stories or scenarios. It also gives it a timeless feel due to the internal thought within Hamlet’s mind. It also allows people to relate to Hamlets similar thoughts because it is questioning the idea of life, something we all know. This is why this specific soliloquy has left such a huge footprint on literature for hundreds of years.
People all around the world are familiar with the “To be or not to be” speech. Although some might not realize it is a speech by Hamlet, they do realize how powerful those lines are. Those lines show the mark of a great philosopher, and this is precisely what Hamlet is. Because Hamlet is such a fantastic philosopher at the start of the play, it leads him to what some believe is his downfall. The fact that perhaps he thinks too much on the people and incidents surrounding him is really what pulls him down. He spends an excessive amount of his day thinking about every aspect of every event.
roughout Hamlet's soliloquy in Act II scene ii, he expresses his true inner conflict. Since he found out the truth about his father's death, Hamlets only goal has been to get revenge on Claudius, but he feels that he has done nothing. Hamlet judges himself harshly which we see in the first line when he says, “O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” (II, ii. I 520). In self-conflict, Hamlet degrades himself for being too hesitant in pursuing his plot of revenge. He feels he isn't the man that he or his father would want him to be, and thus is useless. Shakespeare's primary goal of Hamlet's speech is to reveal Hamlet's true feelings. To show this, Shakespeare creates a foil, the actor, of Hamlet that embodies everything that Hamlet is not. “Could force his soul so to his own conceit / That from her working all his visage wann'd, / Tears in his eyes, distraction in's aspect, / A broken voice, and his whole function suiting / With forms to his conceit?
Hamlet Soliloquy Act 1, Scene 2. The play opens with the two guards witnessing the ghost of the late king one night on the castle wall in Elsinore. The king at present is the brother of the late king, we find out that king Claudius has married his brother’s wife and thus is having an incestuous relationship with her, and her love. We also learn that Claudius has plans to stop.
The soliloquies expressed by many characters throughout the play, signify a critical point within the plot or change of tone. For example, Hamlet’s monologue in (II.ii.563-622), he is justifying his actions, reaffirming himself that what he is planning to do to seek revenge for his father’s death, is the best thing to do. In this speech, Hamlet states, “Is it not monstrous that this player here,/ But in a fiction, in a dream of passion,/ Could force his soul so to his own conceit/That, from her working, all his visage wanned.(II.ii.565-568)” These lines can be inferred as Hamlet is questioning his own state of mind and validity of his plan. Hamlet is questioning how can a player, who acts out false emotions, can truly “catch the conscience of the King”(II.ii.622). However, he believes that the creativity exuded from the soul(II.ii,568), can effectively allow a player to perform as if they are real emotions. Hamlet’s only concern is seeking revenge for his father’s death done at the hands of his uncle, Claudius, who now has the throne. The plot of the play to parallel to the real death of King Hamlet, allowing Hamlet to make Claudius feel uncomfortable and guilty(II.ii.578). Also, in this monologue, Hamlet states that the ghost of his father may have actua...
From the beginning, Hamlet is set up for tragedy. The death of his father leaves a void in Hamlet's life. In Act 1 Scene 2, Hamlet says, "How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable / Seem to me all the uses of this world!" Hamlet has lost his purpose in life and
In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet the king of Denmark is murdered by his brother, Claudius, and as a ghost tells his son, Hamlet the prince of Denmark, to avenge him by killing his brother. The price Hamlet does agree to his late father’s wishes, and undertakes the responsibility of killing his uncle, Claudius. However even after swearing to his late father, and former king that he would avenge him; Hamlet for the bulk of the play takes almost no action against Claudius. Prince Hamlet in nature is a man of thought throughout the entirety of the play; even while playing mad that is obvious, and although this does seem to keep him alive, it is that same trait that also keeps him from fulfilling his father’s wish for vengeance
Hamlet views his existing life in a negative manner, and he sees that the only way to escape his misery is to take his own life. A thought of self-slaughter is enough to devalue one’s life, and throughout the entirety of the play it is the only way Hamlet values his own life. To live or not to live, that is Hamlet’s only question, while the value of his own life is not in
Essentially, it all comes back to consequences. If Hamlet takes his life to escape his troubles, he could end up with worse predicaments in the afterlife. However, killing Claudius could very easily end his own life as well. The true irony lies in the multiple deaths Hamlet will unintentionally cause, which includes his beloved Ophelia. This speech connects to many of the play’s themes: including suicide, love, truth, teen angst, the debate between thought and action, natural order, inevitability, and so forth. The soliloquy is crucial. Here it reveals the quality of Hamlet’s mind, his passionate nature struggling relentlessly to escape his misery. And although, there is much up for debate, the reader is reassured that Hamlet has not departed from Christianity. There can be no doubt of his conviction in heaven and hell.
Hamlet’s first soliloquy takes place in Act 1 scene 2. In his first soliloquy Hamlet lets out all of his inner feelings revealing his true self for the first time. Hamlet’s true self is full of distaste, anger, revenge, and is very much different from the artificial persona that he pretends to be anytime else. Overall, Hamlet’s first soliloquy serves to highlight and reveal Hamlet’s melancholy as well as his reasons for feeling such anguish. This revelation in Hamlet’s persona lays the groundwork for establishing the many themes in the play--suicide, revenge, incest, madness, corruption, and mortality.
During the first act of William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, Shakespeare uses metaphors, imagery, and allusion in Hamlet’s first soliloquy to express his internal thoughts on the corruption of the state and family. Hamlet’s internal ideas are significant to the tragedy as they are the driving and opposing forces for his avenging duties; in this case providing a driving cause for revenge, but also a second-thought due to moral issues.
This famous soliloquy offers a dark and deep contemplation of the nature of life and death. Hamlet’s contemplative, philosophical, and angry tones demonstrate the emotions all people feel throughout their lifetimes.
Hamlet asked a the question whether living through his troubles was worth it. In William Shakespeare 's Hamlet soliloquy, Hamlet opened the text with a question: “to be, or not to be?” (Shakespeare). I believe that Hamlet was asking whether it would be better to kill himself or to continue along with the problems he had. Hamlet was dealing with the murder of his father that may have been committed by his stepfather. His views showed to be in favor of committing suicide and that it would be a quick and easy way to end all his problems. As Hamlet wonders his thoughts about suicide, he came upon the
Hamlet although he believes that suffering must be endured or battled, he also understands that suffering is optional and that suffering is caused from pain and all pain can be relieved. At times Hamlet no longer sees the point of bearing the huge burden of suffering as he does, but rather to end the burden through suicide. These thoughts are however based or can be linked back to Hamlet’s emotion and how his negative emotions overcome his logical thinking. We see however Hamlet’s ability to think logically and understand the reasoning behind suffering and the preciousness of his life. At this point in the play Hamlet no longer doubts his meaning in life, this is quite pivotal because this then allows him the confidence and power to seek revenge on Claudius.
In this soliloquy, Shakespeare strikes a chord with a fundamental human concern: the validity and worthiness of life. Would it not be easier for us to simply enter a never-ending sleep when we find ourselves facing the daunting problems of life than to "suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune"? However, it is perhaps because we do not know what this endless sleep entails that humans usually opt against suicide. "For in that sleep of death what dreams may come / When we have shuffled off this mortal coil / Must give us pause. " Shakespeare seems to understand this dilemma through his character Hamlet, and thus the phrase "To be, or not to be" has been immortalized; indeed, it has pervaded our culture to such a remarkable extent that it has been referenced countless times in movies, television, and the media.
One of the most famous quotes from William Shakespeare's works is "to be or not to be, that is the question." This quote was taken from Hamlet and was spoken by Hamlet. The quote can be interpreted in many ways, but Hamlet was speaking of his own philosophy. Hamlet makes frequent remarks regarding his philosophy of life, whether it be love, loyalty, family, etc. Further, Hamlet's philosophy can help explain the demise of the characters in the play.