Chosen 3:
Soliloquy 3 - Actors Soliloquy 4 - To Be Or Not To Be Soliloquy 6 - Claudius’s Beliefs
Soliloquy 3 - Actors (I.v.92-109)
Hamlet asks a group of actors to spontaneously perform a scene from Aeneid. Despite their lack of preparation and real connection with the characters involved, they manage to portray such convincing emotion to the point where Hamlet begins to question his own.
Hamlet’s realization encapsulates the destructive yet motivational influence of jealousy and inferiority. When seeing someone achieve success in our personal areas of weakness, we may feel inclined to berate ourselves and feel resentment towards them, much like how Hamlet’s anger was portrayed in the soliloquy. However, such feelings can act as inspiration to diminish that gap and improve our situation.
Hamlet is frustrated with his lack of drive to get revenge on Claudius, as he is only able to express a mere fraction of the enthusiasm the actors had when performing their artificial scenario. Eventfully, those same feelings prompted him to escalate his plan, having the actors re-enact Claudius' crime to expose his guilt.
Soliloquy 4 - To Be or Not to Be (III.i.57-89)
Claudius and Gertrude arrange for Hamlet to meet with Ophelia to learn more about his motives by eavesdropping into their conversation. However, prior to Ophelia’s entrance, Hamlet partakes in his iconic soliloquy regarding life and death.
Seeing as similar thoughts have been consuming my mind at night for the past week, it’s safe to say that Hamlet’s soliloquy explores the personal introspection humans undergo when faced with burdens and obstacles in life. While asking himself about the reason why people are willing to persevere through such trivial times if death makes such efforts meaningless, he comes to realize that the aftermath of death is far more scarier. Instead than commiting suicide, humans would much rather prefer to endure the tangible circumstances dealt in life, all with a means to postpone diving into the eerie unknown that inevitably awaits the end of our lives.
The soliloquy vividly encompasses the mental insanity that accompanies Hamlet’s inability to decide on whether he wants to kill Claudius, shaking him all the way down to his fear of death. Consequently, this insightful reflection marks the ignition of his plan for ruthless revenge.
Soliloquy 6 - Claudius' Soliloquy (III.iii.36-74)
After asking Polonius to eavesdrop on Hamlet’s conversation with Gertrude, Claudius begins to spend time by himself, reflecting on his guilt. His choice to pray prevents Hamlet from killing him on the spot to get revenge.
Claudius' soliloquy illustrates the indissoluble selfishness inherent in human nature. A person may be content with their actions, no matter how immoral the act or burdensome the guilt, as long as it promotes their personal wellbeing. This explains why people fail to reconcile for their wrongdoings, as human nature prioritizes our internal values over the ones upheld by their society.
In contrast to Hamlet’s virtuous indecision, it is evident that Claudius has chosen to not truly apologize for his actions, as he prefers to maintain his newfound status. He continues to seek for forgiveness despite not deserving any, showing that his guilt has not undermined his selfishness.