Hamlet: Act Two, scene two

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Hamlet: Act Two, scene two

The second soliloquy is divided into three parts:

  • Hamlet’s feelings of cowardice and worthlessness for not fulfilling his own promise after witnessing a scene from the Player that is filled with passion and emotions ( 560-587).
  • Hamlet then comes to realize that he must take action upon Claudius and with an explosion of anger, plans to do so (588-594).
  • Hamlet plans to test Claudius to see if he is really guilty by adding a scene like the murder of his father into the play (595-617).

Section 1

1.         In his soliloquy, Hamlet conveys a tone of worthlessness. He is feeling useless and inept, because the Player has performed a scene with such passion and emotion. Seeing this, Hamlet finds it “monstrous (562)” that he has not yet fulfilled his commitment of avenging his father’s murder. The Player is engorged with emotions over a fictitious character, and Hamlet compares this to his own struggle to find the strength and courage to murder Claudius. This is seen in the lines “ but in a fiction, in a dream of passion, could force his soul to his own conceit…visage wanned, tears in his eyes…(563-566)” and “And all for nothing! For Hecuba!(568-569)”. Hamlet uses diction to compare himself with the Player, and portrays himself as a pitiful, weak, and miserable fool who “lacks gall(589)” to fulfill his commitment. This is shown in the line “a dull and muddy-mettled rascal(579)”.  Hamlet’s choice of words such as “like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause(580)” shows Hamlet’s feelings of uselessness for not being stirred to act upon the revenge he has promised his father’s ghost. While Hamlet sees Claudius as a villain, so too is he for being a coward and this is prevalent in the line “Am I a coward? Who calls me villain…”.

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2.         In Hamlet’s speech( I.ii.78-88), he explains how emotions such as “the dejected haviour of the visage(83)” and the passion to portray such grief is something that an actor would be inclined to have. He also goes on to say how his feelings are genuine, and that he possesses a true sense of passion that an actor could never feel. Similarly, in his soliloquy; Hamlet goes about explaining how professionally the actor acts out his emotions and yet, he does not have “the motive and the cue for passion” that Hamlet has. If he had felt the same way as Hamlet, his acting ...

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