The play uses a semantic field of religion. For example in soliloquy 1 “Winds of heaven” “Hercules” etc as well as in soliloquy 7 “Bestial oblivion” “Whose spirit with divine ambition puff’d”. This shows that there is a strong concept of religion in the play and is often expressed through soliloquies as religion means a lot to Hamlet which is the reason he didn’t kill himself at the time of soliloquy 1 (as he didn’t want to go to hell).
Hamlet is a procrastinator. This is shown throughout the play when he decides to put actions, that he sworn he would do. For example in soliloquy 6 he makes excuses for himself not killing Claudius, “To take him in the purging of his soul, when he his fit and season’d for his passage? No.” This is showing that he is not a man of action and will not take action unless he has thought everything through.
Hamlet is often angry at his mother. For example in soliloquy 5 he expresses how he will treat his mother, “I will speak daggers to her, but use none.” This is showing that he is infuriated still about his mother’s quick re-marriage to Claudius and is even more furious as he believes that his mother could have had a part to play in his father’s death.
Shakespeare uses a lot of metaphors and alliteration in the soliloquies in this play. An example is of metaphors and similes are found in soliloquy 6, “full of bread” and “damned and black as hell”. An example of alliteration is also found in soliloquy 6, “horrid hent.” These descriptive forms of writing are used a lot in the play’s soliloquies.
Another form of descriptive writing used in the play is personification. Soliloquy 5 uses personification, “when church yards yawn; and hell its self breathes out”. This form of writing give non-living objects characteristics of humans i.e. yawning and breathing.
Hamlet at times does not believe in himself, and compares himself to Fortinbras in soliloquy 7, “led by a delicate and tender prince who’s sprit with divine ambition puff’d” here he is looking up to Fortinbras as he is leading his men to possible death over such small land yet Hamlet cannot kill the murderer of his father, “How stand I then that have a father kill’d; and a mother stain’d”. This shows Hamlet is self-conscious and feels unworthy, as he cannot commit the act he swore to do.
In total there are 7 soliloquies in Hamlet. Soliloquies are important as they express to the audience or reader what the character is feeling without the other characters “hearing” (even with some characters on the set they never actually hear the soliloquy). Every soliloquy tells the audience what state of mind Hamlet is in which is important as he is always fluctuating between moods, from depressive to confidant.
