Hamlet Monolog Analysis

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Hamlet’s monolog is one governed by rationality. It is a meditation on life and death, being alive and not being, over the disadvantages of existence and the act of suicide. Hamlet compares life with death. He sees life as missing the power, humans as being exposed to the blows of life and outrageous fortune. The only way to dodge the blows will be to stop existing. The death is thus a desirable state. Nevertheless, it is also seen as a journey to the unknown, to a place for which there is no map and from where no one has returned. Hamlet associates death with a dream, a pause of life that puts a brake and changes direction. He acknowledges that we do not have any control over our dreams. He questions the dreams that may come in the sleep of death, the one that puts an end to our suffering. Killing oneself is perceived by Hamlet as a way of escaping, yet he fears that the consequences of suicide will make death more unbearable than life. He believes that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages of living, but he is also aware that suicide is considered, religious wise, a mortal sin. Hamlet speech can be seen as universal, as he refers to all of us – the use of the pronoun “we”. …show more content…
He questions the existence itself, tormented by a life he did not desire for himself, or others.

The gravedigger scenes represent the comic part of the tragedy before the denouement. It functions as a “comic relief” and it is in strong connection with the previous meditation on suicide in “To be or not to be” soliloquy. The main theme of the scene is still death but in a different perspective. The gravedigger function as the designated Clown, as he speaks his mind not being afraid of losing his head. He raises the question of morality and justice, through the issue of inequality. In the light of his soliloquy scene, Hamlet seems to be focusing on social hierarchy and disregarding the meaning of Ophelia’s act of suicide. He is a prince, and he will continue to be so until his death. Although he questioned everyone’s position and acts, even life, and death, he does not question his position in rapport to others. Hitherto, he responds with sarcasm and surprise at the fact that the gravedigger has an opinion. (5.1.129-134) Yet, in this scene, Hamlet is reaching one of his final stages of evolution before his death. By looking at Yorick’s skull, an existential angst disappears in Hamlet. This is his memento mori moment, through the solidification of death, which he ceases to fear any longer. It is known of Shakespeare to operate on symbolic uses of nature in his plays. In this particular scene, the setting operates on two levels. First, it functions as a psychological insight into the mind of the character that lost everything. Nature it is used to underline the King’s development throughout the play. Second, it functions as a metaphor for the political situation. The state is in chaos, in disorder. The natural order of things has been disturbed and now the storm has settled. Yet, it is important to mention that the storm marks the start towards the denouement, as everything settles down after storms and people go back to how things were. In regards to the King Lear’s line, this comes as a conclusion drawn from his situation. It shows introspection and analysis, thinking over what was done. The meaning of the line is that, although he has

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