Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Hamlet's soliloquy (ln. 92-112)

Fielding- I'm not sure if you want us to translate this or interpret it, so I'm doing a little of both.

Hamlet calls on every force he can think of (other than man) to help him do what he has to do in order to seek revenge for his father. He also talks about how he will use every force and fiber of his being in order to seek out the revenge that the ghost of his father seeks. Hamlet speaks of how all of his previous learning will mean nothing compared to how he will throw himself into the task of avenging the murder. He blames his mother and calls her a villain. He also talks of the lies that take place in Denmark ("that one may smile...and be a villain" ln. 108). Hamlet swears an oath to himself that he will make his uncle pay for the death of his father.
It is suggested that Shakespeare puts in this speech to show the reader the beginnings of Hamlet's madness and how it starts. Because he makes this promise to himself, he is more likely to honor it than he would if he made it to anyone else. We may not all like to admit it, but all people have a basic selfishness that often makes us put ourselves before others. When Hamlet says, "Adieu, adieu, remember me" (ln. 111), it is like he knows how far lost he will get in his role of acting crazy. This line may also suggest that Hamlet is reminding himself not to forget the oath he has sworn to avenge his father. He knows he may go overboard, but at the same time, he is telling himself not to.

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