Essay Sample on Hamlet Soliloquy Analysis

Introduction

The soliloquies used in the play Hamlet have different meanings and they were motivated by different events that took place just before the soliloquy. The play is among the best plays in the world and this can be attributed to the way it was written and the skills that the author used to pass the messages in it. The soliloquy to be analyzed in this part is from Act II, Scene II "O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!" Just before this soliloquy, an actor from a visiting troupe had performed a speech about the Trojan queen Hecuba. The actor had attracted so much attention and emotion that Hamlet felt he had failed. He was sad with himself for being too soft when fighting for justice for the death of his father. The theme of this soliloquy was the depression that Hamlet was having as a result of the death of his father. Hamlet had a feeling that's if he had the passion and courage of the man who had done the speech, then he would achieve more for himself and his father. He had his father's death ghost that was crying for justice and he felt the need to undertake the role of revenging and acting to satisfy the ghost and his soul. The soliloquy was triggered by the actor who made him think about the death of his father and it led to next part where Hamlet blamed himself for lacking confidence and courage to act and he called himself 'an ass' for being a failure.

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The modern translation of the soliloquy is that Hamlet sees himself as a slave of himself because he feels he does not have the adequate pus to do what he wanted. He felt unworthy and unfit to undertake the roles he wanted to undertake in his life. The connection between the actor and the feeling that Hamlet got is that the actor intrigued emotions and Hamlet was already emotional about his father's death. Later on, he remembered that when people watch a play that has a storyline that resembles their own life circumstances, they are "struck so to the soul" and they end up confessing their crime. The translation shows that Hamlet was moved by the speech and he connected it to the circumstances he was going through. He wants to use this idea to get the confession and guilt of the king, Claudius. The old English used in the soliloquy portrays Hamlet as a rogue and peasant slave. In the modern translation, this means helpless and unable to act as expected. Most of the information that surrounded this act and scene is about the death of Hamlet's father and the feelings and thoughts that Hamlet had about Claudius. They show sorrow and grief and the spirit of vendetta that Hamlet was fighting with.

Lessons from the Soliloquy

The speech reveals several things about Hamlet and they can be related to the way Hamlet is portrayed in the play. The first thing we learn about Hamlet is that he has the urge to revenge for the death of his father. He is sad that he has not yet acted to find out more about the death and he feels haunted by the ghost of his father's death. Hamlet is disturbed and he feels overwhelmed by the fact that he has not acted as he feels he needs to. The other revelation is that he is weak and not as courageous as the actor who performed just before the soliloquy. The speech shows that inside his mind, he reveals his weakness and lack of courage to undertake the roles he needs to undertake in his life. His position and responsibilities rely on his courage and willingness to undertake an action to fight for what he believes in. However, he has not taken action and he can be seen as a coward. The other revelation is that Hamlet loved his father and he is ready to do anything possible to fight for justice. He is bitter for his failure to take action and this reveals his attachment to his father.

It also shows they had a strong connection with the father before his death. He calls himself a "dull and mud-mettled rascal" who keeps procrastinating his avenge for his father's death. Therefore, the soliloquy shows that he did not believe in himself and he is a procrastinator who postpones the duties he has to do. The other revelation is that he is cautious and slow to act. He was not sure that the ghost that had spoken to him was that of his father and he wanted to use the play to find out if Claudius was responsible for the death of his father. The challenges facing Hamlet are mainly related to his failure to act fast and his procrastination to revenge. The last revelation is that Hamlet is undergoing self-conflict and inner torment. He has not performed what his father would have expected of him and he feels like a failure. The revelation about his self-conflict can also be seen in the words he uses to refer to himself and how he feels about the failures surrounding his life.

Actions Expected

After the soliloquy, one of the expected actions is that Hamlet will take action against Claudius. The speech shows that he feels pain and he is ready to act to defend what he believes is right. In this context, it is likely that he will use all the resources he has to test the innocence of Claudius. The first step is that he will get people to perform a play that re-enacts his father's murder and then observe the way Claudius reacts. The intentions of revenge will not be solved unless Hamlet achieves his targets. The other expectation is that there will be corrosion between him and Claudius if there is an indication that he is behind the death of King Hamlet. Claudius is also expected to defend his innocence and blame Hamlet for claiming that he is behind the death. The future of the two is expected to have many social challenges as they strive to win the argument. Hamlet is also expected to please the ghost of his father by taking action to revenge for his dead father and this will end the self-conflict in him. However, it is not clear from the soliloquy if Hamlet will act immediately or the weakness of procrastination will fail him again. The play is written in a way that the readers can relate the actions of the actors and their past and how they plan to act in future.