In the third soliloquy, Hamlet admits to the audience he is a coward;

The soliloquies divide into three pairs and one "commentary" which refers to each sentiment in the pairs, as follows:

1 & 2 are constructed round the ideas of memory of the past

3 & 4 are the present situation and his conscience

5 & 6 are his future intentions to kill and extract the vengeance.

7 draw threads from all the others

"Rogue & peasant slave" is present tense, powerful language. In Phyrrus speech, it has a broken line "Did nothing".... which illustrates the idea of hiatus (pause) and inaction, an important theme in the play as a whole. The actor's reaction & tears are compared by Hamlet to his own inaction.

Hamlet says, "I am alone" (Note also the broken line in "For nothing...For Hecuba", which echoes the one in the player's speech) The sense here is of strong disgust with himself at his use of words, rather than action. Note also the ending, which reintroduces the idea of acting and action in "the play's the thing..."

William Shakespeare found that imagery was a useful tool to give his works greater impact and hidden meaning. In Hamlet, Shakespeare used imagery to present ideas about the atmosphere, Hamlet's character, and the major theme of the play. He used imagery of decay to give the reader a feel of the changing atmosphere. He used imagery of disease to hint how some of the different characters perceived Hamlet as he put on his "antic disposition". And finally, he used imagery of poison to emphasize the main theme of the play; everybody receives rightful retribution in the end.

 Early in Hamlet, Shakespeare's first use of imagery was of decay. Marcellus says, "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" (I; iv; 90), to Horatio after Hamlet leaves to talk with the ghost of his father. The imagery of decay used here gives the reader a background understanding of a few things.

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