Hamlet Soliloqies
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Authors use various literary elements to give insight into the mental
state of their characters. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses soliloquies to develop Hamlets characterization. Hamlets purpose, his feelings towards King Claudius and his mother Gertrude, and his prolonged grief, is cunningly displayed to the audience through his soliloquies.
Hamlets first soliloquy in Act I, scene II, is a passionate passage that strongly contrasts Hamlets true feelings to the ones that he openly shares with his Uncle and Mother. This soliloquy reveals Hamlets distress and the reasons for his despair in an expression of anger, disgust, and grief through which he explains how everything in his life seems pointless and miserable. Hamlets insanity is questioned for the first time early on in the play during this first soliloquy. He mourns the death of his father, is shocked by his mothers marriage to his uncle, and also feels extremely disappointed in his inability to hold any power over the situation.
The soliloquy opens up with Hamlet grieving his fathers death so much that he too wishes to die. He feels as if he is a dishonored person stating that “O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into dew” (I.ii.133-134). He is so miserable about his current situation that he wishes he could melt away and become lifeless. He seems to hope that if he was to die, then he would become cleansed and pure, such as dew cleanses the earth each morning. Hamlet also realizes that committing suicide would be considered a sin in the eyes of the God who with his “canon gainst self slaughter!” (I.ii.136) would prevent him from reaching heaven. The thought of not reaching Heaven is something that plagues Hamlets inability to act out against his Uncle throughout the play. Shakespeare also uses metaphors for Gertrude, by stating that she is “an unweeded garden that grows to seed.” (I.ii.139), which is a reference to how Claudius corrupted Gertrude, who was once pure in Hamlets eyes, and brought her into his life of sin.
Saddened not only by his fathers death, Hamlet is also outraged about the quick marriage between Gertrude and Claudius. Hamlet retracts Gertrudes initial grief at the loss of her husband saying that she cried “unrighteous tears” (I.ii.159) and he is upset by images of his mothers affection towards his father, believing that her display of love was