Miguel Ortega
English 102
Dr. Wollstadt
Explication Paper
Identity Revealed In the second scene of the premiere act of Hamlet, Prince Hamlet gives a soliloquy between lines 129-159, as soon as he is left alone by Claudius and Gertrude. As he casts all of his thoughts and complaints about life, Hamlet seems to give out a lot of his own personality and deepest thoughts that he would not reveal to anyone else except for himself (and for the reader/audience is to deliberately know as well). In this speech it is obvious that Hamlet was holding in all of these thoughts until the right moment, when he's by himself, in when he could vomit them all out, just as he himself admits, "But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue" (1.2.159). Doing this so in his secret place, Hamlet allows to be honest with himself and therefore his words reflect Hamlet's true intentions, perspectives, thoughts, and ultimately his true colors- all which will later reflect in his actions throughout the rest of the play. The reader can even conclude that these lines foreshadow Hamlet's actions (or inactions) for the remainder of the play. In these lines, Hamlet's emotional state make him vulnerable, allowing his unrestrained words to reflect his true personality and motives. Hamlet begins his soliloquy boldly expressing that he wished he could die: "O, that this too too sullied flesh would melt,/Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!" (1.2.129-30). Furthermore, he wishes that God had not made suicide a sin so that he could do the act himself: "Or that the Everlasting had not fixed his canon 'gainst self-slaughter!" (1.2.131-2). It is immediately obvious that this passage is written in metrical form, making it a versed passage. Most of the lines in this soliloquy end with an exclamation point or a question mark. Hamlet's statements seem very direct and all seem to hover around the idea of hatred and repulse. It is evident that Hamlet's mood is an angry and vulnerable one and is probably speaking these lines in a rushed and desperate manner. Hamlet goes right away into expressing that the emotional pain he is going through influences him to have a death wish. It is obvious that Hamlet is depressed and wants to commit suicide but restrains himself as he ponders upon "God's canon". Here, the word "canon" is meant to have a duplicate meaning beyond its literal meaning. The way it is used next to "God", it meant to represent God's own law or fury. This line alone explicates Hamlet's belief in God; more further, it explains that Hamlet's faith follows that of Christian principles which prohibit the act of suicide and condemn those who do to an eternity in hell. This shows that although Hamlet is in a vulnerable state, he is still very aware of his reality and won't act foolishly against his knowledge. Further, Hamlet expresses to God directly how "weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable/ Seem to [him] all the uses of this world..." (1.2.134-5), giving Hamlet a complaintive attitude and revealing once again his expression of hatred towards his life and the world through the use of unconstructive and depraved words. Supplementary, Hamlet compares life to an unweedened garden/ That grows no seed" (1.2.135-6), with such illustrative comparison it is obvious that Hamlet has an exceptionally negative mindset. Another interpretation of these lines can be that Hamlet is just using God as an excuse to not kill himself. Perhaps he can't practice what he preaches because his person is not daring enough to take a life, let alone his own. Hamlet's first lines in this passage gives the audience a view of Hamlet's negative and death-focused mentality, (and possibly even a hesitant one). In the following lines, Hamlet now reflects his perspective of other people- more specifically, the people closest to him. First, Hamlet expresses compliments to his now deceased father, calling him an "Excellent king" (1.2.139) and even comparing him as "Hyperion", the Titan sun-god, in comparison to his repulsive uncle whom he compares to a "satyr", a mythological beast. It seems that his father is the only person whom he speaks positively about. He then transitions his focus to his mother, Gertrude, stating how much his father loved her, exaggerating that he loved her so much that he "might not beteem the winds of heaven/Visit her face too roughly" (1.2.141-2) (Here, the word "beteem" is meant to replace the word "allow"). Hamlet then speaks of the same love and care that Gertrude once had for the former king as well, but then questions her nonsense attitude of moving on so quickly after his death by marrying his own brother, saying that even a "...beast, that wants discourse reason,/ Would have mourned longer..." (1.2.150-1). In comparing her to less than a beast, it is obvious that Hamlet feels resentment towards his mother and is holding bitterness against her for moving on from his father so quickly, so much so that he generalizes all women as being weak: "Frailty is thy name, woman!" (1.2.146). Although he is bitter towards his mother, as he continues his speech, he makes it known that the core reason of his repulsion is Claudius himself (even though still oblivious that it is Claudius who is responsible for his tragic state to begin with). Hamlet introduces him with family ties, saying, "My father's brother, but no more like my father/ Than I to Hercules" (1.2.152-3). Once again, Hamlet expresses his repulsion by stating an exaggerated comparison, this time, he compares himself with a god to portray the distance between him and Claudius in his own mind. Hamlet does not explain any specific reasons of why he dislikes Claudius as a person per se, but that he just simply does. Since Hamlet is still oblivious of Claudius murdering his father, perhaps the sole reason that Hamlet hates Claudius is the abhorrent thought that he is sleeping with his mother, since in that time period it was considered incest for a woman to marry or have sexual relationship with her brother-in-law (and vice-versa), as he exclaims, "O, most wicked speed to post, with such dexterity and incestuous sheets!" (1.2.156-7) about his mother toward Claudius. It is evident that Hamlet feels most distant from those closest to him, and he that he considered to be most dearest to his heart is even more remote since he is deceased. From the written form of this passage it is palpable that Hamlet is expressing every line with a passionate and desperate manner. A lot of tension is backed up with the use of exclamation points and the various exaggerations and comparisons that Hamlet uses all throughout. Hamlet's case in this passage supports the theory that when one is in a vulnerable position, one will reveal their true thoughts and motives when they speak, even though it is just the audience who can see/hear his thoughts.

Citation
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Exploring Literature. Madden, Frank. Ed 4. New York: Pearson Education, 2009. 550-551.