Hamlet Character Essay
The Troubled Prince: An Analysis of Hamlet
“To be, or not to be: That is the question”(3.1.58). This is probably the most famous quote in all of Shakespearean literature and was uttered by the main character, Hamlet, of the play “Hamlet” written by Shakespeare. It demonstrates his instability and suicidal thoughts. Throughout the play he comes off as a very unpredictable and complex character. He makes many rash decisions, but at the same time often takes a lot of time to contemplate many of his choices. Through Hamlet’s language and voice, we can examine what type of character Shakespeare created. Hamlet acts differently towards people in contrast to his actual thoughts, which are projected through his soliloquies. Due to the insanity caused by his father’s death, Hamlet becomes a very complex and surprising character, which is apparent through Hamlet’s actions and words. The feelings presented by Hamlet in his soliloquies gives insight into his forever-troubled mind. A soliloquy is when a character in a play says out loud what they are thinking and nobody in the room can hear it. Throughout this story, the majority of the soliloquies were said by Hamlet, who used them to project his deep emotions and feelings that would have never been spoken to other characters. However, they also demonstrated his insanity. The first of these was near the beginning of the story. Hamlet’s father has just died and his uncle has just married his mother, there is much troubling him. Hamlet says, “O that this too too solid flesh would melt” in the first line of his first soliloquy (1.2.129). This immediately shows how dramatic a character Hamlet is and is an example of how he often uses figurative language to present his emotions. In the same soliloquy he says how his father love his mother so much he prevented the “winds of heaven” from blowing on her too hard (1.2.144). In his most famous soliloquy he begins with, “to be, or not to be” he ironically uses the most basic words to
“To be, or not to be: That is the question”(3.1.58). This is probably the most famous quote in all of Shakespearean literature and was uttered by the main character, Hamlet, of the play “Hamlet” written by Shakespeare. It demonstrates his instability and suicidal thoughts. Throughout the play he comes off as a very unpredictable and complex character. He makes many rash decisions, but at the same time often takes a lot of time to contemplate many of his choices. Through Hamlet’s language and voice, we can examine what type of character Shakespeare created. Hamlet acts differently towards people in contrast to his actual thoughts, which are projected through his soliloquies. Due to the insanity caused by his father’s death, Hamlet becomes a very complex and surprising character, which is apparent through Hamlet’s actions and words. The feelings presented by Hamlet in his soliloquies gives insight into his forever-troubled mind. A soliloquy is when a character in a play says out loud what they are thinking and nobody in the room can hear it. Throughout this story, the majority of the soliloquies were said by Hamlet, who used them to project his deep emotions and feelings that would have never been spoken to other characters. However, they also demonstrated his insanity. The first of these was near the beginning of the story. Hamlet’s father has just died and his uncle has just married his mother, there is much troubling him. Hamlet says, “O that this too too solid flesh would melt” in the first line of his first soliloquy (1.2.129). This immediately shows how dramatic a character Hamlet is and is an example of how he often uses figurative language to present his emotions. In the same soliloquy he says how his father love his mother so much he prevented the “winds of heaven” from blowing on her too hard (1.2.144). In his most famous soliloquy he begins with, “to be, or not to be” he ironically uses the most basic words to