S - Who is the speaker? Be specific! What do we know about him?
The speaker is Hamlet and we know that he often overthinks his plans, then regrets not acting upon those plans.
Question 2 (5 points)
O - Occasion. What is the occasion of this speech? When are they speaking? What is happening at the time? What specifically are they responding to? (Refer to your paraphrase for help with this). I am looking for at least 4 sentences for full credit.
Hamlet says this speech before he is going to be ship off to England. Hamlet has just seen Fortinbras ' army ready to fight and die for a piece a land that is worthless. After seeing Fortinbras ' accomplishment, even though quite small, he has become angry at himself. Hamlet thinks of himself as cowardly and unproductive after seeing the army getting ready for war, which is when he reveals this speech.
Question 3 (5 points)
A - Audience. Who is the intended audience? To whom is the speaker talking? How do you know?
Hamlet is speaking to himself. I know this because Hamlet is talking about how he has done nothing to get closer to his revenge and no one around him would know what he means by that.
Question 4 (5 points)
P - What is the purpose of this speech? Why did Shakespeare include it in this play? Be specific! I am looking for at least 5 sentences.
Hamlet is having an internal battle within himself, which is what the speech is representing. Hamlet is telling himself how he has the will and power to do what he wants to do, yet
Act 1, Scene 1: “Let us impart what we have seen tonight Unto young Hamlet, for, upon my life, This spirit, dumb to us, will speak to him” (Crowther 16). I think this quote really sets up things for the next act, and the rest of the play. The ghost would not talk to them, so they decided to tell Hamlet about the ghost because they felt it would talk to him. This sets up Hamlet to discover the ghost who is his late father, and learn about his murder. Act 1, Scene 2: “Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief, That can denote me truly” (Crowther 24).
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet struggles to cope with his late father’s death and his mother’s quick marriage. In Act 1, Scene 2, King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, and Hamlet are all introduced. Hamlet has just finished publicly speaking with his mom and the new king, and after he is interrupted by his good friend Horatio, who reveal the secret about King Hamlet’s ghost. Hamlet’s soliloquy is particularly crucial because it serves as his initial characterization, revealing the causes of his anguish. Hamlet’s grief is apparent to the audience, as he begins lamenting about the uselessness of life.
Hamlet says that he can act like he is crazy when he wants to, and then be perfectly fine when he so chooses. When he says this quote he is talking about the wind but that is a symbol for how he is choosing to act, so he uses this to communicate with people that he wants to know when he will be acting crazy. Acquaintance's of Hamlet believe that he Is crazy because of how great he is acting. Polonius is telling Gertrude how he believes that Hamlet is crazy and he wants her to take action about it.
In Act 2, Scene 2, a theatrical troupe arrives at the castle to perform a speech from Aeneid. Impressed with the player’s performance, Hamlet asks that the player act out a short speech he has written for the next day. Once alone, Hamlet undergoes an introspection that sheds light to his cowardly disposition. The soliloquy is divided into three sections: problem, cause, and resolution. Through his initial self-condemnation for being passive, Hamlet realizes the essence of his internal struggle and devises a plan to take action without having to go against his true nature.
Although these men are not fighting for a great reason, when “honor’s at the stake” (4.4.59), they fight to their “imminent death” (4.4.63). This shows how Hamlet should act since his justification for seeking revenge is far greater than this army’s reasons for going to battle. Since these soldiers “go to their graves like beds” (4.4.65), Hamlet acknowledges that he must take action and have his “thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth” (4.4.69). In this soliloquy, Hamlet realizes that it is necessary to take action now. For too long, he has worried about the aftermath of murdering his uncle, but now he has been motivated by Fortinbras’ army willing to die for a worthless cause.
Although he wants to avenge his father’s death, he also does not see the act of killing as moral. As a result, his revenge no longer becomes a desire, but rather a burden that continues to stay with him until he is relieved of it at death. To relieve himself of his frustration. However, Hamlet is reminded several times to carry out his duty. For example, after seeing Prince Fortinbras’ army conquer land in Poland, he expresses, “When honour 's at the stake.
After this quote was said, we feel less bitter towards Fortinbras as he pays tribute the Hamlet and we develop sympathy for Hamlet because of his heroic actions. Furthermore, this quote advances Hamlet’s character because Hamlet is finally honored for what he has done and is also seen as a hero. This moment in the
Gertrude asks, “O me, what hast thou done?” (Act 3, scene 4) and Hamlet replies, “Nay, I know not. Is it the king?” (Act 3, scene 4). Hamlet’s response shows his reckless behavior where he acts without thinking.
The deeply subtle music underscores the calculated nature of Hamlet’s speech. While Hamlet experience emotion to some degree, his soliloquy serves primarily as an exploration of thought. Lastly, the presence of Claudius and Polonius, who do not appear in the other two versions, provides a reminder that Hamlet has enemies and a purpose, which prevent him from merely ending his own life. In Laurence Olivier’s version of the speech, the imagery focus on turmoil and emotion. The darkness, the fog, and the crashing waves outdoors create a sense of chaos, further emphasized by the initially uproarious music.
Throughout Hamlet, Prince Hamlet is faced against many situations that question his mental stability and ability to make decisions. His indecisiveness comes from the way he reacts to the situations he is put in and the way his mind presents these situations to him. The most important indecisive moments are Hamlet’s suicidal thoughts, his father’s ghost, and his vengeance to Claudius. When Hamlet is told by a ghost that has a resemblance of his father that Claudius had killed him, he vows to take vengeance and revenge his father’s death.
Hamlet says that actors cannot keep secrets. They tell everything they know without thinking it over. Hamlet cannot be an actor because he is secretive. He is witty enough to know what to tell and what to keep to himself. In the past scene, he made Horatio swear to keep his secret.
Through the analysis of the soliloquy and the rest of the play, a reasonable conclusion can be made as to why Hamlet might consider himself a coward. The main reasons he might consider himself a coward are his inability to act and his excessive contemplation and
Hamlet’s hesitant nature is well presented in the play. For one, Hamlet cannot bring forth the strength to end his own life; his indecision of whether or not to commit suicide plagues him for more than half the play.
Since the monologue caused Hamlet to think about his situation, he begins to criticize himself and as an insane person, he quickly turns his sadness into anger against Claudius. “A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause, And can say nothing! … Bloody, bawdy villain! Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain! O, vengeance!”
Due to himself being too idealistic and restrained, he does not take decisive actions even after using the planned play to test the Claudius's conscience that could possibly expose himself and left himself in unfavorable circumstances. Hamlet’s inability to act is caused by his overanalysis of the situations that further render him from not carrying out actions in response. If Hamlet is not indecisive, he would not be uncertain about the evidence regarding to his uncle’s crime, he would not be delaying his revenge, he would not be having emotional breakdowns and become a tragic figure. Hamlet’s personality ‘borns’ and develops under his royal position and the growing