Iambic Pentameter Diction

Diction in the “To be or not to be” Monologue This monologue perfectly gives the reader insight into Hamlet’s inner dialogue at this point of the play because of the diction and writing style of this soliloquy. The traditional iambic pentameter usually used by Shakespeare is not used here, the majority of lines do not have the expected ten syllables, but rather eleven, or eight, or even twelve. Almost half of the lines in this soliloquy do not follow the established iambic pentameter diction, and the five most famous beginning lines completely ignore the iambic pentameter, using instead This dramatic variation is meant to emphasize the instability of Hamlet’s mind at this moment: he has gone so far from his former sanity that he can’t even follow the basic rules of the universe he is living in.

“...Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country from whose bourn
No traveler returns, puzzles the will …show more content…
The use of this type of pentameter is very ironic in the context: Hamlet is talking about very formal and serious issues, such as life being so hard that death, “the undiscovered country” seems like a favorable option. In the last line of the passage, with the amphibrach, Hamlet reaches the conclusion for himself that currently death seems more positive and exciting than the dreary life he is being forced to live. He describes death as something to “fly” and implies that it is unknown and the next great adventure in life. However, as previously stated, this is a very ironic statement because of the amphibrach: they are most commonly used in limericks, humorous poems, and children’s books. Very rarely is the amphibrach used to talk about