An Analysis of Soliloquy in Shakespear's Hamlet
Nirmala Dangi
Lecturer
Soliloquy
means nothing but talking to oneself, it is a sort of self analysis by the
introspective method of psychology, although it often refers to certain matters
outside the self and as such it helps to explain the incidents, the thoughts
and the secret springs in a play . During the Elizabethan times soliloquy was
regarded as an ordinary but convenient way of imparting information to the
audience as of developing the action of the play . Soliloquy owes its origin to
the chorus of the Greek tragic play, which again served as the instrument of
certain information in the form of gist or substance of the main them of a play
. We find soliloquies even in Milton's Samson Agonistes and in T . S . Eliot's
Murder in the Cathedral . The chorus in the Greek Tragedy was a connecting link
between the past and present, between the present and the future . The Greek
chorus originally consisted of several persons but the number was gradually reduced
until it came down to one who formed usually one of the main characters in the
play . This main characters used to deliver a speech informing the audience of
certain things which couldn't possibly be represented upon the stage . In the
modern drama the chores has been replaced by an actor who reads out a letter
loudly in order to provide information to the listener it is something like
also a talk on the telephone .
The
real function of a soliloquy is self analysis and self-revelation i . e . to
bring out the inner springs of any of the leading characters, particularly the
hero of a play .
It
is mostly the heroes and the villains who generally indulge in soliloquies in
the plays of Shakespeare and mostly in the tragedies because tragedies are deep
with the deeper emotions and the more secret springs of the human head &
the human heart . Shakespeare's soliloquies are intended, as we have already
said, chiefly to explain, to idealize, to inform, and also reveal which
otherwise cann't be revealed either through incident or through dialogue . For
illus traction of Shakespearean soliloquies we shall take up & analysis the
dramatic significance of some of the well-known soliloquies in Hamlet . In
Hamlet there are altogether nine soliloquies five of Hamlet himself and four of
Claudius .
The
first soliloquy: In it Hamlet expresses his bitter feelings against the
infidelity of his own mother in particular and against the whole race of
womanhood in general . Indirectly, he expresses his bitter feeling against the
treachery of a brother against another brother . These feelings make Hamlet a
cynic and a pessimist a hater of mankind, womanhood and life itself . This
soliloquy reveals at least some of the secret springs of Hamlet's character,
such as his sensitiveness,his morbid temperament, his haste in drawing
conclusions, and last of all, his habit of reflection at every step whenever
his mind or heart happens to be slightly disturbed by any incident or human
action, some critics believe that the first soliloquy of Hamlet is just like a shadow
of the coming tragedy of Hamlet's life and career .
Second
Soliloquy: In it we can find a clue to his seeming madness which has been taken
by certain scholars as real madness . When the Ghost discloses the real secrets
of the murder of Hamlet's fathers . Hamlet decides to bend all his energies to
the taking of revenge upon his father's murderer, and for this purpose he has
to put on the mask of madness in order to mislead the world just as . Claudius
looks cheerful, kind and friendly in spite of beings villain at heart . In this
soliloquy, Hamlet appears to be a man of action although . We find that all his
fiery and sentimental words gradually die into inaction and mere speculation
which become an obsession with Hamlet afterwards in the play .
Third
Soliloquy: In it we find Hamlet more determined for the action of revenge
against his father's murderer . According to certain critics this soliloquy has
a great dramatic importance because on the one hand it prepares Hamlet for action,
while on the other hand, it reveals the rational and cool headed mind of
Hamlet, because he wants to test the truth of the revelations made by the Ghost
by putting Claudius to the acid test of the mouse trap which Hamlet lays by
enacting a play within the play namely, 'The murder of the Gonzaga . ' This
soliloquy distinguishes Hamlet form characters in the play in mind, in heart,
in understanding, in judge met and even in the method of action .
The
Fourth soliloquy: It is the most famous soliloquy of Hamlet because it in the
most philosophic of all his soliloquies, from this soliloquy the critics have
drawn the conclusion that Hamlet is by nature speculative, and hence, he can
never be a man of action . The speculative nature of Hamlet is the real cause
of his tragedy . This soliloquy also confirms the ingrained habit of Hamlet's
mind, namely, his pessimism, his cynicism, his morbidity, and even the
beginning of his insanity although Hamlet is not really mad, but then, one who
continually puts on the mask of madness in very likely to go really mad, And
besides, pessimism, cynicism, extreme idealism, dreaminess-all are symptoms of
some kind of insanity . But this peculiar nature of Hamlet is a dramatic necessity
because otherwise the play would have ended just where it began or just after
the Ghost had revealed the secrets of the murder of Hamlet's father .
The
fifth Soliloquy: It doesn't throw any newer light on the character of Hamlet it
is more or less like the third soliloquy because in both the soliloquies Hamlet
is spurred to action by external examples in the one case, the rehearsal of the
play, while in the other case, the marching of Norwegian army against Poland . In
the fifth soliloquy Hamlet distinguishes between a man and a beast, and he
discovers himself to be no better than a beast because he has delayed unduly
the action of his revenge against the murderer if his father . This last soliloquy
is a dramatic necessity for delaying the action of revenge after which
everything is hastened to the catastrophe .
There
are altogether four soliloquies of Claudius in Hamlet, three of which are quite
short . These soliloquies help to reveal the nature of Claudius, to explain the
various states of mind, also to hasten the dramatic action of the play . In the
first soliloquy, Claudius feels guilty at heart because he has been hiding his
real character of rather his crime of murder under the most of sweetness &
friendliness . Claudius feels the pinch of his conscience he regrets but he
again prepares himself for other murderous acts Hence, The words he speaks in
this soliloquy become really meaningless .
The
second soliloquy of Claudius in the longest . This soliloquy reflects clearly
the sincere repentance of the guilty soul but then, Claudius in afraid only of
the penalties in other world and not in this world . His words show that he is
a complete villain because he knows that in this world one can escape the
penalties of crimes if one possesses money . Influence & brain . He is
therefore not a afraid of man but of God to whom he prays for pardon, but then
he does not feel his heart chastened by prayers, which means that he fails to
secure pardon form God . On the other hand we notice that while Claudius in
praying to God for forgiveness Hamlet wants to kill him but he hesitates to
kill because Hamlet believers that by killing Claudius while he is praying he
would be sending him straight to hearken . That is how this soliloquy helps to
delay the action of revenge & also to bring out the inner nature of Claudius,
namely, that inspire of his repentance he dons not improve his character
because immediately next to his prayers he caprices with Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern in order to send ways Hamlet to England for his execution .
The
third soliloquy's reveals Claudius further that he is a treacherous creature,
because in this soliloquy he actually conspires with Rosen crantz and Guilder
stern to pack off Hamlet in order to get him executed . Further in this
soliloquy Claudius reveals his shrewdness because he discovers that Hamlet's
madness is not genuine but feigned . This soliloquy helps to hasten the
aromatic action and also to complicate it further in order to hasten the crisis
of the play . In the fourth or the last soliloquy Claudius feels unduly secure
about his own safety, although we know that too much of security is mortal's
chiefest enemy, because it makes one unguarded and thus brings about his rain
or destruction just as we find in the play how Hamlet returns from England
without being executed & succeeds in killing g Claudius the murderess of
his father one thus fulfilling the low of retribution of justice .
Actually,
In Hamlet Shakespeare makes a splendid views of this dramatic device if we were
to remove the soliloquies from his tragic plays they weald be self poorer . We
wouldn't be able to get a keen insight into the character of Hamlet &
other's There soliloquies are the essential and really very significant part of
the play the play night present lesser problems before us in their absence but
it would cease to be tragedy . We will perhaps not like it, then, The
soliloquies in the play are neither superfluous nor isolated They are inter
connected and are very anti mutely linked with one & other They serve the
purpose of unlocking the heart & mind of Hamlet .
Reference
1.
Bradley and by A . H Tolman 'The views
about Hamlet and other Tessays (Boston & Newyork, 1904
2.
W . F Trench- Shakespear's Hamlet .
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