Hamlet, a character known for his intellect rather than initiative, lacks the gall to take action. The post-mortem request of the king therefore catalyzes Hamlet’s decision to act. The ghost initiates Hamlet’s actions by providing evidence to justify revenge, fodder for action. Hamlet’s true identity can now shine, but only because the barrier impeding his action has been breached. Responding to the Ghost’s demand for revenge, Hamlet speaks, “Yea, from the table of my memory / I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records, / All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past,” (I. v. 98-100). Hamlet is willing to completely erase his knowledge, to purge his mind, and to begin this task with a blank slate. He continues, vowing, “thy commandment all alone shall live / Within the book and volume of my brain, / unmixed with baser matter,” (I. v. 102-104). By pledging this resolution, Hamlet shows his willingness to devote his entire existence to taking revenge. He will allow nothing to distract him, nothing to adulterate his will power, and nothing to deter him until he takes revenge. Hamlet makes one final vow in the second soliloquy, addressing his uncle, King Claudius, “So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word: / It is ‘Adieu, adieu, remember me,’/ I have sworn’t,” (I. v. 110-112). Adieu in french means good-bye, and with these simple yet unsympathetic words, Hamlet pledges that he will kill his uncle. This absolute determination to achieve revenge fuels Hamlet’s ultimate success.
Throughout the second soliloquy, Hamlet carefully chooses passionate words that demonstrate his charged emotions. After digesting the information from the ghost, Hamlet unleashes a vicious verbal assault on the family members that he suspects of evil. He shouts, “O most pernicious woman!” (I. v. 105), referring to Gertrude, his mother. The hate-filled Hamlet denounces his mother as destructive, even deadly! He cannot assume his own mother innocent, let alone comprehend that she was perhaps a victim of the situation herself. He continues this assault on his uncle Claudius, “O villain, villain, smiling, damnèd villain!” (I. v. 106). Hamlet concludes from the ghost’s story that Claudius unlawfully assumes the position of King after killing Hamlet’s father, committing murder and incest in the process. By condemning his family, Hamlet can remove himself, emotionally, from the chaos by eliminating the familial attachment to his mother and uncle. By viewing them as deadly and villainous, Hamlet can extract revenge without heeding a moral conscience telling him to forgive his own family. He quickly eliminates any factor that could derail his pursuit for revenge. By alienating his family, Hamlet shows his filial duty to avenge his father’s murder, and thus his zealous determination to succeed.
In his second soliloquy, Hamlet demonstrates two traits that exclusively allow him to succeed in taking revenge. Both by making pledges that show his resolve and strong will and by abolishing his emotional attachment to his family, Hamlet evidences his boundless determination to avenge for his father’s murder.
