Marcellus in Act I states that “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” and this sets the tone of the play as well as the struggles of Hamlet. Hamlet is wrecked by feelings of uncertainty over his father’s death and his mother’s incestous marraige to his uncle Claudius. Although Hamlet wants to avenge his father’s death and restore honor to the royal house, he struggles with his innate goodness and morality. He knows he has nothing to go on except the ghost’s words and looks for proof that his father was indeed murdered. Hamlet struggles between the conflicting emotions of filial loyalty and love towards his father, bloody revenge on his uncle without proof as well as hatred towards his mother for having entered into an incestous union soon after his father’s death. He is uncertain about his motives as well as his father’s death. Throughout the play Hamlet’s actions are governed by his feelings of revenge and uncertainty. The many soliloquies that Shakespeare employs in the play serve to inform the audience about Hamlet’s confused state of mind as well as his desire to restore honor. Hamlet’s struggle is thus philosophical and moral where he cannot act against his conscience and without proof.
His father’s death pushes Hamlet into a lonely and melancholic state where he does not trust anyone. Rather than take any decisive action, Hamlet doubts his own motives for revenge. As much as he wants to avenge his father’s death, he cannot do so without questioning his motives. In the soliloquy in Act III, Shakespeare brings out the confused state of Hamlet. Hamlet is suicidal but cannot kill himself as that would mean that he can no longer avenge his father’s death (although by dying does not have to see his uncle reign over the kingdom and stay in an incestous relationship with his mother). He also cannot kill himself as his religion considers it a sin and he does not know what awaits him in the afterlife.
This soliloquy presents the struggles within Hamlet. His uncertainty stems from his inability to understand his mother’s actions. In Hamlet’s eyes, his father was infallible, a great ruler and a loving husband. He cannot accept or understand the marriage between his uncle and his mother and decides that by killing Claudius he could not only restore honor to the family as well as the kingdom but also bring certainty to his life. But his indecisive nature as well as his philosophical and moral leanings would not let him achieve it.
Shakespeare uses soliloquies to further define the character of Hamlet. The soliloquies help the audience discern the true character of Hamlet. Hamlet is not just a prince who feels cheated out of his kingdom or an emotional son but a moral being who knows his flaws and is tormented by them. He also constantly struggles between rational thought and emotional decision making. The soliloquies not only influence the plot but also shed light on Hamlet’s struggle.
After his meeting with the ghost and his depression over his inaction and inability to seek revenge, Hamlet decides to stage a play mirroring the recent events to gauge the reaction of his uncle and get proof of the murder. Hamlet gets another chance to kill Claudius when he is confessing. But in spite of all his plans and chances, Hamlet keeps postponing his action. The struggle that Hamlet goes through in the play is of his own doing. He constantly questions his motives and wrestles with the conflicting emotions he goes through. To restore honor to his father, family and nation, he knows he needs to avenge his father’s death but cannot do so without any solid proof. He also struggles to be certain about his father’s murder as well as his mother’s intentions. Thus since his father’s death and the appearance of his ghost, Hamlet’s life becomes one long struggle. Although Hamlet does not confront his uncle directly, his actions are quite obvious to make Claudius suspicious of his actions and behaviors. Shakespeare casts Hamlet as a lonely, suspicious, melancholic and philosophical hero who is a product of his own doubts, indecisiveness and loyalty. Hamlet’s struggle to restore honor and certainty are a result of his desire for a bloody revenge that is pitted against a philosophical and moral mind that seeks concrete proof for his actions.
Shakespeare uses soliloquies and asides in the play (more often that any of his other plays) to show that audience the complex nature of Hamlet and his struggles.Through soliloquies and asides Shakespeare shows that Hamlet struggles hard to not let his emotions take over rational thought. Even though the love and loyalty that Hamlet has for his father threatens to trump over his innate goodness, Hamlet procrastinates the inevitable. Thus Hamlet struggles mostly within himself and less against his adversaries in the play. He needs to overcome himself and his doubts to take any action against his uncle Claudius. Hamlet’s struggle to restore honor and certainty only leads to tragedy ashe either alienates or kills those closest to him. Hamlet eventually gets what he wants, he proves the king to be guilty but the cost is high as he loses his mother as well as his life in the process. Hamlet’s struggle for honor and certainty reveals the struggle of a good yet tortured soul.
Wroks Cited
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
Opensourceshakespeare.org. N.d Web. 10 Jan 2017.
