Sunday, May 8, 2011

Hamlet's Soliloquy

The players (or actors) have arrived at the palace. Hamlet asks one them to make a speech about the fall of Troy, the death of King Priam, and the grief of his widow, Queen Hecuba. Hamlet is very moved by the the actor and, when he is alone, he releases the out pour of thought the performance has released.

In act II, scene II, Hamlet talks about being moved by the actor for being able to express passion of depth and emotion for historical figures he has no connection to, whereas, Hamlet, himself, cannot take action even in a personal matter, which haunts his every waking moment. Hamlet chastises his mother for not taking after the character of Hecuba, who, from his perspective, mourns her husband appropriately. Hamlet also expresses profound disappointment in himself, calling himself a "rogue," incapable of accomplish his obsession, being "pigeon-liverd," and "[lacking] gall" for his hesitation.

So, after venting his anger outloud, Hamlet decides to take it slow. He devises a plan to have the actors act out a play, closely resembling the murder of his father, and will carefully observe Claudius' reaction. If he shows any signs of discomfort or guilt, Hamlet will know of his guilt, which will give him extra incentive finally push forward to the next step in his revenge.

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