Soliloquies are widely used in the play, as Hamlet cannot freely express his emotions and share the thoughts that are rooted in his inner drama. Therefore, soliloquies have become unique masterpieces, as the great playwright designed them to represent the painful evolution of all the struggles that took place in Hamlet’s soul throughout the play. Despite the wide use of exquisite vocabulary and literary devices, it is still not hard for modern readers to realize the scope of the drama.
The ability to read between the lines is beneficial for those who are determined to fully enjoy all the themes and meanings that Shakespeare covers in one of his most famous plays. According to Wilson (2021), the prominent playwright advances Aristotle’s idea of tragic necessity – a causal relationship between a character’s hamartia (fault or error) and the catastrophe at the end of the play. In the second soliloquy, Hamlet is determined to motivate himself to finally start revenge. The prince chooses self-condemnation as a means to convince himself that he should overcome fears and that the murder of his uncle is predetermined.
Nevertheless, despite all the attempts to make the passions drive his actions, Hamlet finally decides not to surrender to what may actually be “the devil”. Having admitted that his current state, characterized by “weakness and melancholy”, may influence his decision, the protagonist chooses to “catch the conscience of the king” by staging a play. Therefore, despite all the drama and challenging environment, Hamlet manages to think rationally and gives up his original attempts to work himself into a frenzy.
It is hard to realize all the factors behind Hamlet’s actions. Nevertheless, his thoughts provide a substantial body of evidence that it was not simply long-desired revenge. At times, numerous processes that could even contradict each other finally made Hamlet act reckless. Shakespeare’s abundant use of soliloquies provides a unique opportunity to realize the plethora of emotions and social bonds that collectively had an enormous impact on the young man’s fate.
References
Wilson, J. (2021). The meaning of death in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews, 34(4), 282–286. Web.