Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be” soliloquy is the most famous of all the soliloquies in the play because it is a turning point for Hamlet in the play. Suddenly the audience recognizes that Hamlet’s sanity is rapidly unraveling. The subject of this soliloquy is about suicide and essentially, Hamlet’s choice between life and death. Hamlet has gotten to point in the play where he can barely see a point to living anymore, an all time low for the once heroic character. Hamlet weighs the benefits to continuing life (“to be”), and those of ending his life furthermore (“not to be”). To live would involve the continual struggle against the anguish that life never stops delivering (“the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”) and Hamlet momentarily considers the peaceful sleep of death to be the superior option. But then Hamlet realizes that the reason why most would prefer life over death is because we do not know what happens after death. Most would prefer to continue life, even through the ups and downs, rather than risk the possibility that whatever awaits us after death is worse than our previous life on earth, or just the same. 2. Hamlet’s behaviour towards Ophelia and other women in Act 3, Scene 1 could be characterized as rude and insulting because he is expressing suppressed emotions of hatred towards his mother. Hamlet feels his mother has been unfaithful and incestuous when she married his uncle and because of this, begins to take his anger out on other women. Earlier in the play, Hamlet was so ashamed of his mother that he had pronounced a curse on all women; “Frailty, thy name is women!”(1.2.147), and this is why Hamlet acted the way he did towards Ophelia. Hamlet attacks Ophelia with many blunt put-downs, one of the them s... ... middle of paper ... ...xchange with Hamlet and is confused as to who she should trust and believe. I believe that the most logical turning point in the play can be regarded as the murder of Polonius in scene four. Earlier in the play Hamlet’s innocence made him unable to kill even someone he despised such as King Claudius. When Hamlet stabs Polonius from behind the curtain, he is not even aware of who he is killing. This scene displays a major turning point for Hamlet because it represents Hamlet’s loss of innocence. When Hamlet commits this blind act, it is evident that he has become so affected by the strain and guilt of his father’s murder that he is no longer bothered by any consequences that might accompany his actions. Hamlet is now losing his sanity more rapidly than ever, and is becoming obsessed and solely focused on revenge. This could be the beginning of a downfall for Hamlet.
He is so angry with his mother for marrying Claudius but instead of taking this anger out of her, he takes it out on Ophelia. Hamlet is suppose to love and care for Ophelia but instead he is so rude and cruel towards her. In act 3, scene , Hamlet declares “I have heard of your paintings too, well enough. God has given you one face and you make yourselves another. You jig and amble, and you lisp, you nickname God’s creatures and make your wantonness your ignorance. Go to, I’ll no more on ’t. It hath made me mad. I say, we will have no more marriages. Those that are married already, all but one, shall live. The rest shall keep as they are. To a nunnery, go.” In this line he is furiously declaring that all women, including Ophelia, are fools who take advantage of men’s feelings. He blames Ophelia for him going mad and tells her that they will no longer get married. Hamlet then mentions that everyone who is already married will stay married, except for one couple which is Gertrude and Claudius. Not only does this line show his displacement of his emotions but it also shows his jealousy of Claudius and Gertrude’s relationship. Hamlet is acting as if the anger he is exhibiting is because of Ophelia but in reality it is because of Gertrude. He is displacing all the anger and rage he feels about his mother onto Ophelia who really hasn’t done anything wrong. Ophelia is unfortunately blinded by her love for Hamlet and is quite submissive to his displacement of anger.
The life of Hamlet is without a doubt very interesting, he suffers from unfortunate events in his time that are often major blows to his ego. His father dies while he’s away at college, Hamlet is next in line to be king until his “uncle-father” steals it from him; but it is to be known his “uncle-father” would not have stolen it if his “aunt-mother” hadn’t allowed it. It’s very apparent from the beginning of the play that he is very well obsessed with his mother and her doings. He harasses, humiliates, and abuses her because she has done such an unforgivable act by marrying Claudius. His thoughts and feelings towards his mother are very strong and well known, he even describes the odd pair as “little more than kin and less than kind.” That’s not all with Hamlet; his mother remarrying is just the tip of the iceberg so deeply rooted in the ocean of his emotions. His relationship with Ophelia is twisted, Hamlet goes through episodes of
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act III scene 1, Hamlet’s soliloquy of “To be or not to be” is full of metaphors that bring the various themes of the play together. One of the primary themes of the play is Hamlet’s uncertainty of action and inability to decide how to cope with the problems he faces. In Hamlet’s soliloquy, Hamlet metaphorically discusses his indecisiveness about the importance of continuing his life and asks himself “whether ‘tis nobler of the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and, by opposing them, end them.” Hamlet wonders whether it is worth facing all his problems (“slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”) or to commit suicide (“and by opposing them, end them.”) Hamlet metaphorically comp...
Peter Wenzel declares, “the most important evidence against the thesis of Hamlet’s insanity, however, is again to be found in the comments of other character’s and in this case of Hamlet himself”. Wenzel suggests through his declaration that the reader should look scrupulously at the lines of each character, especially Hamlet, to verify his sanity. When Wenzel says “in this case of Hamlet himself”, he is implying that one should focus on Hamlet’s soliloquies to understand his real thoughts and emotions. Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be” speech, truly explains all that Hamlet is feeling throughout the play. Hamlet frantically expresses, “To be or not to be; that is the question: / 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? To die: to sleep” ( ). These famous lines are the most important lines in the entire play because there is much debate on Hamlet’s sanity during his confession. In these lines, Hamlet is contemplating suicide. One could argue that he is insane for wanting to kill himself, however understanding his past helps show he is sane. Up to this point in the play, Hamlet has dealt with family problems. His father dies, and his mother remarries his uncle. He still grieves the loss of his father, and he cannot believe his mother has moved on
Hamlet's classsic "To be or not to be..."(Hamlet, prince of Denmark, 3.1.57) speech really shows who he is. Obviously Hamlet is horribly depressed. We have already seen several examples of this, but this speech gives us a clear picture of his sadness. More importantly however, his speech shows his weakness and indecisiveness. Hamlet is consistently melancholy, but he never really acts on it; he just kind of wallows around, full of self-pity and loathing. Finally, it gives us Hamlet's reason for not committing suicide. Throughout the play he seems to wish for death and here we find out why he doesn't bring it on himself. This also gives us a window into his personality. This speech provides us with a clear understanding of Hamlet and his motivations.
The play states, “Ophelia: Good my lord,/ How does your Honor for this many a day?... Hamlet: To a nunnery, go.” ( Act3, Scene 1, Lines 99-162). This is where Hamlet calls Ophelia a liar and a cheat, he also mocks her dad by calling him a fool, and this is when he says he never loved her but he says it in the meanest way possible. His reasoning for calling Ophelia a liar and a cheat is because he is taking out his problems on her. Which is also why he says he does not love her anymore because he feels love does not exist due to what is happening to his mother. Although this may be his way to vent out his anger, it is wrong to do this to naive little Ophelia. A person who is not a jerk, would find a healthy way to release their anger, but since Hamlet is a jerk, he will take his anger out at someone else.
Hamlet treats Ophelia like property and because he does not care for her. This is proven because he insults Ophelia, uses her to get his revenge on Claudius and uses her as a way to get attention. To begin with, Hamlet abuses Ophelia by accusing her of having impure motives. To him she “jig[s]… amble and …lisp” (3.1.145) to seduce other men. He also accuses her of being deceitful because she changes the “one face [that]…God hath given” to her by putting on cosmetics. Hamlet verbally abuses Ophelia because he believes that she is worthless. Hamlet is not concerned about the effect that these insult have on Ophelia’s psyche. In addition to verbally abusing Ophelia, Hamlet uses Ophelia as a pawn. Hamlet uses Ophelia as a way to get to Claudius by also physically abusing her. Ophelia description of Hamlet’s abuse exhibits Hamlet’s unruly behaviour towards her: “He took me by the wrist and held me hard; then goes he to the length of all his arm” (2.1.88-89). Hamlet physically abuses Ophelia because he knows that Ophelia will report it to her father who in turn will tell Claudius. By doing this, Claudius will think Hamlet is insane and will then lower his guard and will not suspect that Hamlet intents to kill him. Hamlet does not stop to consider what kind mental toll will take on Ophelia, all he cares about is to finishing what his father asked of him. It is apparent
Hamlet shows much anger and disrespect to the women in his life. Ophelia’s believing her father’s words breaks Hamlets heart, being the reason for his treatment towards not just her but his mother. Ophelia
In this reading, as Showalter describes it: "Hamlet's disgust at the feminine passivity in himself is translated into violent revulsion against women and into his brutal behaviour towards Ophelia." Certainly there is a tradition of seeing Hamlet as rather “feminine” and a number of female actors have taken on the role, believing that they could more fully explore this side of his nature. It is also true that Hamlet berates himself for behaving in a too feminine manner asking why he is unable to act but must instead, "like a whore, unpack my heart with
In William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, the main character has just recently lost his father and suspects, after a visitation from his father’s ghost, that he was murdered. In Act 3 of the play, also known as the climax, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is pent up with anger regarding the suspicious nature of his father’s passing. As an outlet to release his anger he is not respectful to the women whom he interacts with. Two main characters receive of this disrespect and they are Ophelia and Queen Gertrude. They alone bear the brunt of Hamlet’s anger by receiving derogatory comments and snarky remarks. One example of this is when Hamlet is talking to Ophelia before the plays begins. He says, “Lady, shall I lie in your lap?” (III.ii.119). The double
Hamlet’s psychological influence demonstrates his dread of both death and life. In Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, “To be or not to be” (3.1.64), he refers the “be” to life and further asks “whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” (3.1.65.66). By this, Hamlet is asking himself the question of whether to live or die.
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
"To be, or not to be, that is the question."(Hamlet) This is the question that plagues Hamlet through the entire play. Should I live or should I die, should I take revenge for my father's death? These are all issues that Hamlet battles within himself. Hamlet's indecision is followed by inaction. The reason for this struggle with indecision can be based on many factors or on a combination of a few.
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.
"To be or not to be" is Hamlet's most famous quotation. Hamlet is the protagonist of Shakespeare's. His father, king Hamlet, killed by his own brother, Claudius, then Claudius marries king Hamlet's wife, Gertrude, and won the kingship. Prince Hamlet, who suffers from Oedipal Complex, falling in love with his own mother and considering father as a rival to his love, can't make his mind whether to kill his uncle and take his father's revenge or not. And ask this question from himself, because on one hand he knows that if he kills Claudius, his companions will kill him, on the other hand his father's ghost appears to him and asks him to kill Claudius.