Hamlet

Throughout the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the main character, Hamlet, goes through many changes as a character. In the seven soliloquies of Hamlet we see his thoughts on the pointlessness of existence, his thoughts of committing suicide, and his thoughts on death, suffering, and action. All of the soliloquies in Hamlet show us how Hamlet’s character changes and develops over the course of the play and how Hamlet becomes a stronger character then he was at the beginning of the play. Act 1, Scene 2, lines 129 to 159 presents us with Hamlet’s first soliloquy. In this soliloquy Hamlet addresses the audience and tells us how pointless life has become to him. He says in lines 132-134, “O God, God! How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world!” This soliloquy is where Hamlet first mentions his thoughts on suicide saying in lines131-132, “Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon 'gainst self-slaughter!” Hamlet is saying how he wishes that God had not made a law against suicide and all though that is what he wants to do he will not because of God’s law. This soliloquy near the beginning of the play shows how weak Hamlet was at first and how he was not thinking clearly. Hamlet’s third soliloquy, lines 508-567, in Act 2, Scene 2, takes place after Hamlet has met with the players about preforming a play for King Claudius and Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude. After observing one of the actors become very emotional while playing a character, Hamlet goes into a rant about how disappointed his is with himself. The ghost of Hamlet’s father came to him and told him to avenge his death by killing King Claudius. After seeing the actor’s performance Hamlet is almost disgusted with himself and his lack of actions towards his father’s revenge. He says in lines 525-530, “Yet I, A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause, And can say nothing—no, not for a king, Upon whose property and most dear