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In total, there are 7 soliloquies in Hamlet. Soliloquies help reveal his personality and state of mind. This analysis presents all of Hamlets seven soliloquies in order with explanations.
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is among William Shakespeares most famous works. The play is centered around the titular character, who discovers treachery upon his return home and swears revenge, claiming his life along with those of the offenders. Therefore, Hamlets seven soliloquies are an essential feature of the work, as they illustrate his character and motivations and serve as pivotal moments in which critical decisions are made. All monologues are unified in their dark tone, but they represent the progression of Hamlets character as he gathers the resolve to oppose Claudius and realizes that his vengeance must be violent. The soliloquies advance the story by showing Hamlets doubts and weaknesses as well as how he overcomes them.
The First Monologue
As Hamlet returns home for his fathers funeral, he finds the situation dramatically different from his expectations, and not for the better. Only a month has passed since the old Kings death, but his mother is already married to the princes uncle. Hamlet has a low opinion of the man, calling him My fathers brother, but no more like my father / Than I to Hercules ( The Tragedy of Hamlet ). However, his primary issue lies with his mothers behavior, who did not mourn for long before remarrying. At this point, Hamlet does not suspect anything is amiss regarding the Kings death and simply grieves for his father, whom he greatly admires. He concludes by lamenting his powerlessness in affecting his mothers poor decisions.
The Second Monologue
Hamlets second soliloquy occurs immediately after his conversation with his fathers ghost. The prince is enraged by the revelation, swearing revenge on the spot and denouncing his other aspirations. He does not doubt the spirits words, most likely because of his already low estimation of his mother and uncle. Hamlets love for his father takes precedence, and with youthful hot-headedness, he invokes heaven and hell in an oath of vengeance. It is possible that Hamlet was harboring suspicions due to his mothers behavior. The ghosts appearance, which looks exactly like the late King, thus provides him a symbol to concentrate his disquiet. It would be possible to explain the apparition as a hallucination that appeared due to the princes mental state without others awareness of it.
The Third Monologue
During the third instance of self-reflection, Hamlet has had time to calm down and look at his situation again. He decides to test the ghosts words and arranges a play reminiscent of the supposed murder to be played before Claudius. The encounter with the player makes him reminisce on his supposed cold-heartedness. The actor can fake spectacular displays of emotion, Yet I, / A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak, / Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause, / And can say nothing ( The Tragedy of Hamlet ). He wonders whether he is a coward because he did not immediately confront his uncle and kill him. Recovering from his lapse, the prince declares his plan to observe Claudiuss reaction to the play and use it to confirm the truth.
The Fourth Monologue
While Hamlet makes his preparations, he affects a madness-stricken persona. The double existence takes a toll on him, and he begins contemplating suicide once again. In this famous passage, the prince reflects on death as a desirable end to the struggles of existence. He wonders: For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, [&] When he himself might his quietus make / With a bare bodkin? ( The Tragedy of Hamlet ). Hamlet answers that humans fear that death may not be the end of existence, worrying that the unknown beyond may be worse than their current hardships. He concludes that Thus conscience does make cowards of us all ( The Tragedy of Hamlet ). Hamlet chooses to live on, perhaps because he sees his fathers fate and does not wish to share it.
The Fifth Monologue
The princes mother calls upon him for a private conversation as other castle inhabitants grow more concerned about his behavior. Convinced by Claudiuss evil, the protagonist asks for some time to prepare. He bears her little more goodwill than he does his uncle, but the ghost requests that Hamlet does not try to harm Gertrude, and he intends to honor the late Kings will. However, as the prince puts it, now could I drink hot blood, / And do such bitter business as the day / Would quake to look on ( The Tragedy of Hamlet ). He uses the time spent alone to calm down and resolves to condemn his mother with words instead of acting on his impulses, though the situation turns to bloodshed.
The Sixth Monologue
On his way to Gertrudes chamber, Hamlet notices Claudius, who is absorbed in prayer and presents an excellent target for the princes sword. He is tempted to enact his revenge there and then, but the religious significance of the act causes him to reconsider. As Hamlet says, A villain kills my father; and for that, / I, his sole son, do this same villain send / To heaven. ( The Tragedy of Hamlet ). In the protagonists mind, the traitor deserves an ignoble end that denies salvation to the man. The scene is ironic, as Claudius does not believe his prayer is genuine. This soliloquy serves to display Hamlets somewhat idealistic conceptions and his transition from rage and instability to a more passive attitude.
The Seventh Monologue
Hamlets final instance of self-reflection occurs after his exile to England when he encounters Prince Fortinbrass army. Numerous men go to die for a worthless patch of land, yet Hamlet cannot exact righteous revenge with all the time and opportunities he has had. He describes his thoughts on the act as but one part wisdom / And ever three parts coward ( The Tragedy of Hamlet ). As seen in the soliloquies before this one, Hamlet tends to wait and reflect instead of acting, always finding some reason to delay Claudiuss death. The prince denounces this trait and vows that, from that point, his thoughts will exclusively be violent, spurring on the lethal finale.
Conclusion
Hamlets monologues are primarily meant to expose his character and state of mind. Most of them also serve as pivotal points for the story, where he makes decisions that affect the entirety of the plot from that point onward. The prince ponders on the hardships of existence, contemplates death, both his own and that of his uncle, and berates himself for cowardice. His mood oscillates, beginning with violence, then becoming calmer and darker, and finally flaring up again in the final monologue. They reveal Hamlet as a reflective thinker who spends more time in reflection than in action. At the same time, he is idealistic and sometimes impulsive, and at times, he has to keep his anger in check consciously. The contradictory nature of Hamlets character lends depth to himself and the conflict of his story.
Work Cited
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. MIT, Web.
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