Soliloquy In Shakespeare's Hamlet-To Be Or Not To Be

Question 2: Shakespeare's Hamlet has a famous speech called "To be or not to be". Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, and the central character of the play delivered this speech. Hamlet suspected his uncle, Claudius for the death of his father. However, the ghost of his father confirmed that his brother (Claudius) is the man behind his murder. Hamlet promises his father's ghost that he would murder his brother and forgets about it.

He requested a slightly modified tragedy, which would depict the death of his father. He wanted to confirm whether Claudius is really guilty. Ophelia approached Hamlet in private, with Claudius and Polonius hidden behind a tapestry. When Hamlet behaved cruelly to Ophelia, they decided that heartbreak was not the reason.

In the play, it is very easy for the audience to notice the contrasting mentalities between Hamlet and his foils. Throughout the play, the audience witnesses Hamlet shy away from seeking revenge on his father’s murderer, and instead talks himself out of proceeding with his deed. Laertes is completely different in regards to taking revenge. He hears the news of his father’s death and immediately returns from France to avenge the murder of his father.

Hamlet’s first soliloquy occurs in Act 1, scene ii. Before giving this monologue, Hamlet is faced with the difficult truth of his dad being murdered in cold blood. The soliloquy reveals Hamlet’s true feelings about his new “father” that his mother has married. Some thematic issues revealed in Hamlet’s soliloquy are religion and reprisal. After giving the monologue, the reader learns about Hamlet’s hatred towards Claudius.

At one point in the play, the Friar decides to turn a simple plan into something complicated that results in both Romeo and Juliet dying. When Juliet demands Friar give her a solution for her problem, he responds: “A thing like death to chide away this shame, / That cop’st with death himself to scape from it” (4.1.74-75). The friar could have taken the situation of Juliet wanting to die by telling her that death is not the solution and to talk with her parents and tell the truth. Instead, the Friar decided to take this simple situation and made it complicated by telling Juliet she needs to fake her own death. Then, when Romeo and the Nurse are concerned about Romeo and Juliet’s Marriage, the Friar thinks he can fix the situation by saying: “To blaze your marriage, reconcile your friends, / Beg pardon of the Prince, and call thee back” (3.3.151-152).

Unlike Oedipus, after realizing the accuracy of his prophecy, instead of avoiding all possible negative actions, Macbeth devises a plan with the help of his wife to murder Duncan in order to fulfil the dark prophecy. However Macbeth’s weak character becomes provoked by a disappearing dagger, which he hallucinates before the murder of Duncan. The further Macbeth travels the path of corruption, the further he travels from reality, and illusions become his truth. Macbeth acts upon his illusions and as he hears the Lady Macbeth’s bell he questions whether Duncan will go to heaven or to hell, a choice Macbeth lost (Shakespeare 2.1.75-77). Throughout the play Shakespeare illuminates Macbeth’s escape from reality.

This quote is significant due to Hamlet’s slight distrust of the ghost, and the use of the play to revile the truth of Claudius’ malevolent decision. Hamlet asks the only person he trust Horatio to help him watch over Claudius’, in order to finally determine his guilt. With the help of Horatio, Hamlet can continue on with the revenge plot and rightfully go through with the plan. That is representative to the theme of revenge because Hamlet will use the play to avenge his father’s sick murder. The motif of play and actors are relevant in this quote, because Hamlet has the actors play out a similar death of his father.

[d]oth my name lodge? Tell me, that I may sack / [t]he hateful mansion" (3.3.115-117) at Friar Lawrence’s cell after the Prince declares banishment. Instead of taking an emotional break to relieve himself of tension, he turns to his dagger to commit suicide. Luckily, Friar Lawrence is there to discuss the consequences of suicide and guide Romeo through his negative emotional state. This is not the only instance where Romeo faces despair; in Act Five he also feels despair when Balthasar brings him the unfortunate news.

Before Hamlet kills him, he wants to make sure that Claudius is truly guilty. Hamlet invites players to the castle to perform a play, but Hamlet makes some changes, so that he can watch Claudius’s reactions. As the players arrive, Hamlet turns to his old friend Guildenstern and says “my uncle-father and aunt-mother are deceived… I am but mad north-north west. When the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw” (II, 2, 385-389).

In act 2 Hamlet is told by his father’s ghost about the murder. Hamlet sets forth on war path against Claudius to avenge his father. By the time the soliloquy comes about, Hamlet believes he is being lazy for nothing has happened yet. So, in the soliloquy, he starts beating himself up about it. If only he realize that he had truly made everyone believe he was crazy, allowing him more access and chances to achieve his revenge.