Literary Devices In Hamlet's Soliloquy

For any play to be a successful the audience must be able to feel a connection with it, they must feel like they are not just an audience, but perhaps characters in the play itself. One way of making connections between the audience and the play is through speeches that target the audience. In the Play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, there are many examples of this technique of targeting the audience. One example that is very effect in doing this if found in a speech given by Hamlet in act IV, Scene 4. This speech makes many connections with the audience of the Elizabethan era, relating to their social, cultural, and economic values and perspectives. By touching on these topics the speech given by

Throughout the play of Hamlet by William Shakespeare, sentence structure is used to bring emphasis to the central theme of how making the most important decisions often take the most time and thought. This can be seen in the sentences use of imagery, their use of alliteration, and also the use of repetition all throughout Hamlet’s Soliloquy. Repetition is often used for emphasis because if the listener is hearing the word or phrase more than once, then they are more likely to pay attention to what the performer is saying. And him absolutely, the repetition is used in lines 7-8 and 12-14 in order to emphasize him was pondering of death. With the phrases quote to die and quote and quote to sleep and bold repeated so close to one another, it

Soliloquies play an important role in Hamlet’s development as a character. Hamlet expresses himself with these soliloquies, along with sharing some of his personal struggles. Knowingly, he doubts himself and his beliefs, often wondering if he makes the right decision. The conflict almost certainly begins with himself, “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” (Shakespeare 67). He clearly wants to avenge his father but struggles internally with himself on how to go-about his actions. Hamlet wants to know if all the trouble he goes through, really worth the struggle.

Shakespeare's dramatic treatment of struggle is clear through Hamlet's inability to take action and carry out his duty to his father. Before avenging his father's death, Hamlet first puts on a play "to hold...the mirror up to nature," in an attempt to reinact the events of his fathers death and "catch the conscience of the king" to ensure that what the ghost has told him is true. While by arranging this play, Hamlet is in a sense taking some action by trying to ascertain the truth, Hamlet reproaches himself in a soliloquy for his lack of decisive action. Shakespeare's use of a soliloquy allows Hamlet to reveal his feelings and innermost thoughts to the audience and he admires one of the players' passion and emotion. Hamlet marvels at the

In William Shakespeare 's revenge tragedy play Hamlet, the prevailing themes of revenge, madness, and morality were recognized by the Elizabethan audience and appealed to them. The play 's central focus is on a young prince, Hamlet, who has gone through many challenges to avenge his father 's death. Prince Hamlet got his revenge on his deceitful uncle, Claudius, the same man who murdered his father and married Hamlet 's mother. From the original text of the play, a major scene in Act 4 shows where Hamlet decides that it 's time for vengeance, expressing it in a soliloquy. This scene would have appealed to the Elizabethan audience because they would observe Hamlet 's thoughts. In addition, the soliloquy would have expanded on the theme of revenge, and how it would affect the final scene. Finally, by emphasizing the theme of morality in his speech, it would have the audience to make connections towards their own consciousness. Shakespeare 's Hamlet successfully targets the Elizabethan audience in Hamlet 's speech from Act IV.

The soliloquies create an effect on the audience showing that Hamlet is depressed and confused. When he speaks, he sounds as if there is something important he is not saying, maybe something even he is unaware of, creating the sense that Hamlet's character, a philosopher, is extremely troubled at becoming a man of action.

Just before Hamlet gives his soliloquy, the actors are performing for Hamlet, Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern. After they all exit with the actors, Hamlet complains, this time about the actor, saying, “What would he do Had he the motive and the cue for passion That I have? He would drown the stage with tears and cleave the general ear with horrid speech” (2.2.536-538). Hamlet once again expresses his dreadful emotion, sharing that if only the actor had felt what he is feeling, that he would cry and curse. It also shows a sense of pride in Hamlet, that he is able to hold back his emotions so much.

Consistently, Hamlet reveals his innermost thoughts and devising of plans in order to lead up a decision. Hamlet includes the audience through soliloquies of the intricacy and complexity of each of his

Shakespeare’s employment of dramatic struggle and disillusionment through his character Hamlet, contributes to the continued engagement of modern audiences. The employment of the soliloquy demonstrates Shakespeare’s approach to the dramatic treatment of these emotions. The soliloquy brings a compensating intimacy, and becomes the means by which Shakespeare brings the audience not only to a knowledge of secret thoughts of characters, but into the closest emotional touch with them too. Through this, the audiences therefore gain a closer relationship with Hamlet, and are absorbed by him because they are able to resonate with his circumstances, as he is faced with enduring truths of the human condition. Through these, the struggle and

(Act 2, Sc ii, Li 557-561) G. COMMENT: Hamlet wants to see how his uncle with responded to Hamlets devilish ways. Additionally, Hamlet has asked the actors if he can include his own speech within the play, which will ultimately stop his uncle in his tracks. Concluding Statement: Both of the actions that are revealed in this soliloquy are two of the most important events in the play. III. CONCLUSION Closing Paragraph A. Restatement of thesis:

Hamlet’s soliloquy also advances the plot of the play and intrigues the audience. In the beginning of the speech Hamlet beings to panic and doubt himself. Hamlet says to

Throughout the whole play, Hamlet is extremely deeply emotional when it comes to everything he says. Everything has some sort of intense impact with every word that he would speak. To convey this the soliloquy, “'Tis now the very witching time of night, When churchyards yawn, and hell

Hamlet, the main character of William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, is one of the most complex characters ever created. His intricacy can be seen in the amount of soliloquies he speaks throughout the play. Each one of Hamlet’s soliloquies reveals his innermost thoughts and gives the reader or audience insight as to what he is feeling at that time. Hamlet’s quartet of soliloquies illustrates how Hamlet is initially indecisive, but eventually makes a decision to take revenge against his uncle.

The play Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most psychological plays. There is a lot that goes into understanding the characters and the reasoning for their actions. The soliloquies in Hamlet are crucial to understanding the meaning of this play. There are so many soliloquies that once you can decipher what they are saying, you can find the deeper meaning and reason for the play. Hamlet is depressed throughout the whole play, always dressed in black, sulking around the castle. He is mourning the death of his father. “That Shakespeare was profoundly influenced by such a play in the structural part of Hamlet there can be no doubt, and modern students find the explanation of many difficulties, inconsistencies, and discrepancies.” (Carroll) The most popular soliloquy in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, maybe even the most

William Shakespeare uses the literary technique of the soliloquy to allow the audience to see deeper into his characters’ thoughts in his play, Hamlet. This technique helps to reveal Hamlet’s true character, expressing emotions that the audience cannot see through his interactions with other characters. Through Hamlet’s soliloquies, one may notice that his reluctance to take actions that involve death can be attributed to his fear of the unknown and his uncertainty in regards to afterlife.