http://www.ed.psu.edu/englishpds/09-10/Wramble/Domain_C_files/Hamlet%20Act%20II%20Soliloquy,%20Translation%20copy.pdfRead and annotate this soliloquy from Hamlet. How does Shakespeare use literary devices for development of both character and character values to achieve his purpose?
This soliloquy shows how important that literary device can be when establishing a character or even a plot line. Since Hamlet was not talking to someone in a conversation, it developed his thoughts about himself while directing the audience to consider the possible outcome of the situation. Shakespeare used rhetorical devices to create a soliloquy that showed us what Hamlet thinks about getting revenge on his uncle.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Hamlet is in the play a lot, his feelings have never been deeply considered by many characters. The other characters seem to just shake off his feelings and tell him to move on. The first rhetorical device when discovering Hamlet's thoughts is an allusion to the Tragedy of Hebuca. Hamlet uses this play to show that an actor can fake an act better than he can do it in real life. It also related to him and Laertes leaving their families. Shakespeare uses drama to emphasize this point. Next, rhetorical questions were used to question his thoughts and find the answers to his problems. He has the ideas but just needs to do go through with it.
After contemplating the play, he uses more rhetorical questions to ask himself who thinks that he is bad. The answer is nobody and he want to change that. Hamlet has the passion to get revenge on his uncle but not the will, and he does not want to seem weak. Shakespeare uses personification when talking about murder speaking and then Hamlet comes up with the idea that the people in the play would be better at getting revenge than him. He will have them do it because they could have his passion and their will while Hamlet watches. This would be the way to go because the ghost might be the devil tempting him at his weakest moment.
All of these devices contribute to this important point in the play. He is trying to find out the best way to revenge his uncle with the ghost tempting him. We learn how unsure Hamlet is about the whole situation and recap a little bit of everything that is going on that he must consider.
I like to think that Hamlet does have the will to get revenge on his uncle, and I think he has since the beginning of the play. I think it is pretty clear that Hamlet despises his uncle for sort of "replacing" King Hamlet. He is angry because his mother got over his father's death very quickly, and moved on just as quickly with his Uncle Claudius. And this was before he even found out that it was his uncle who took his father's life. So when the ghost reveals that it was indeed King Claudius who killed Hamlet's father, Hamlet became enraged. He suspected something strange about his uncle in the beginning, and his suspicions were only confirmed after speaking with the ghost. But I think the will to rid the kingdom of his uncle was there since his father's death.
DeleteThrough this soliloquy, Hamlet shows the audience who he really is and this is the pivotal moment where he develops his character. One thing Hamlet uses repeatedly is rhetorical questions. He asks these questions that make the audience think about the obvious answers to them. Hamlet is also very descriptive throughout. He talks about himself in great depth, but he also talks about the king very descriptively. Shakespeare also uses alliterations to break up the rhythm of the soliloquy. He does this in phrases such as “muddy-mettled rascal” and “bloody, bawdy villain”.
ReplyDeleteWhen speaking, Hamlet also employs pathos. While reading it, you could feel the emotion in Hamlet’s tone. I really liked this part of Act II, because Hamlet finally loses it and goes on a rant. This probably isn't a good thing, but even in real life, I find it amusing when someone hits their breaking point. After everything Hamlet went through in Act I, he finally had enough and had his rant, which defined his character up to this point. Through these subtle rhetorical devices, Shakespeare is able to show the audience who he really is inside.
A rant is the perfect description of this soliloquy. He is very emotional and just recaps on all of his feelings by letting it out by himself. I never realized the alliterations in this writing but when you read it out loud, it really helps to break up the piece and listen to what he is saying about himself and the king. Unlike you, I do not like it when people hit their breaking points. Although it is cool to just watch all the anger leave them, I always feel bad because I realize how much is going on that they have to deal with.
DeleteAbbey, I agree that the rhetorical questions are one of Shakespeare's strongest devices that he used to get us into Hamlet's mind. I believe that by asking these questions, we can see the way that Hamlet's mind works and how he feels about himself. I think that he is kind of whiny, but he also does show signs of being a little bit confused about his life.
DeleteI agree, Abbey, the passage heavily relies on pathos. It is essential to the development of events because it shows how desperate Hamlet is for revenge. Hamlet using rhetorical questions almost reminds me of an insane man in an asylum rocking back and forth while talking to himself. Maybe Hamlet needs to check into one before he bites off more than he can chew.
DeleteIn this soliloquy, Hamlet is essentially having a meltdown because he thinks that he can do no good. He believes that he is a low-life with not hope and no future, but in reality he is just whiny. Hamlet is in fear of what everyone else thinks of him and what his father would think of him if he was alive, but he doesn't think that he is in control of his own future.
ReplyDeleteShakespeare uses a good deal of imagery to get his points of letting us know the real Hamlet's personality. For example, when Hamlet states "Tweaks me by the nose? Gives me the lie i' th' throat As deep as to the lungs? Who does me this?" It shows you his voice.
When we are writing our college essays, we are often told that we need to use our own voice. Without it, our audience cannot truly know who we are and what our personality is like. The same thing applies to what Shakespeare was trying to do with Hamlet. He is using the literary devices to give him his own voice, which is essential for a soliloquy. A soliloquy is basically the character going on a rant to himself, so an unabridged set of thoughts that come out for only the character and his audience to know. I think that Shakespeare did a really good job in the way that he used his writing skills to make Hamlet almost come off the page. The best characters are usually the ones that can be visualized and felt.
I do not think that Hamlet is whining. He is not complaining but instead thinking out loud to figure out what he has to do to get enough courage. He is not yet confident because he is nervous that the ghost might not be his father but the devil. I did like what you said about the college essays, though. Listening to how Hamlet felt makes readers appreciate his struggles and understand him better as we follow his story.
DeleteI like how you pointend out Hamlet going on a nice rant. Sometimes I believe it is necessary to let it all out. I also like how you posted out the use of imagery, along withis the many examples of peculiar language choice. I belive that adds to the exotic flare of the play. One thing I do not agree with you though is about his whiny attitude. Is he angry? Yes. Whiny? Umm...no. he actually has a very legitimate gripe with everything that is happening. And thus I believe it is all just anger, no whininess involved.
DeleteI do think Hamlet was whiny. Although he may have been divulging a plan and thinking critically, he did not sound that way. He put his feelings into it and those feelings are not good ones, which justifies him being whiny. Obviously most people would be whiny if their uncle married their father's widow. If Hamlet was thinking and not being whiny, it would have been a lot more of a rant filled with logos instead of pathos.
DeleteShakespeare uses this soliloquy to let Hamlet express his true feelings about everything that has been happening to him and his family. After all the events that occurred in Act I, I feel Hamlet reached his boiling point, and he just needed to let it all out. Of course, even though he is angry at the world and basically off on some crazy rant, he does not forget to use his most favorite rhetorical devices.
ReplyDeletePretty much scattered all over this soliloquy are rhetorical questions. This gets the audience involved so they can start thinking about being Hamlet. And Hamlet asks these because he already knows the answer, but sometimes it feels nice to ask the question anyway. Another fun rhetorical device that is utilized by Shakespeare is personification. Hamlet talks about murder having no tongue, yet still being able to speak. Personification is pretty much giving something human qualities. So while it would be extremely difficult for a human to talk without a tongue, I still think he still is giving murder an almost "super human" quality. The imagery throughout the play is also prevalent. He uses strange phrases such as, "Plucks off my beard and blows it in my face?" and also, "Gives me the lie i' th' throat As deep as to the lungs?" and, "But I am pigeon-livered and lack gall To make oppression bitter, or ere this." These strange phrases get some rather vivid images to stream through my brain. I can only imagine what audiences back in the day would've thought of these phrases, because they would've actually known what all the words mean.
Shakespeare is a master at utilizing the English language to get his point across. He is after all, recognized for providing over 1700 new words to the English language. But his use of rhetorical devices is also top notch. This makes his audience feel a variety of emotions throughout his plays. He is about as good as anyone of incorporating logos and pathos into his plays. With these tools in his literary toolbox, it is no wonder some people consider him to be the greatest playwright of all time. That is, if he even wrote them.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare_authorship_question
Literary devices are a bit different than rhetorical devices, but the switch is hard to make since it was driven into for a solid year. Baby steps. We will talk about the differences tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of the day.
ReplyDeleteShakespeare uses his soliloquy in act II of Hamlet to show the audience how troubled inside Hamlet is. Hamlet is conflicted between his urges to avenge his father's death and his feelings of being a failure. So prey much instead of getting actual revenge, Hamlet finds it more productive to sit around and whine about life like the audience is actually full of therapists.
ReplyDeleteHamlet uses hyperbole when he says Hecuba "would drown the stage with tears." This hyperbole is used to show how Hecuba would act, then there is a contradiction showing how Hamlet himself would act. Hamlet is convincing the audience that he is indeed inadequate to deal with the situation at hand, yet others are able to handle their situations in a better way.
This reveals that Hamlet is really not a man to act, but rather just mope around and talk about his plans. At the end, hamlet decides to show his uncle a play, but there was a painful amount of complaining about his life before that, which makes me wonder if he is mentally stable enough to pull any of it off.
I liked how you pointed out the hyperbole used by Shakespeare/Hamlet because a part of me feels like the whole soliloquy was a hyperbole. Hamlet is being incredibly dramatic because of all that has happened with his father and his uncle, and it does seems as though he is being incredibly whiny. I think he makes allusions and imagery to overdramatize the events that have taken place instead of getting up and doing something about it. Personally, I think Hamlet needs to find someone to talk to so he can move on and start taking action to appease his restlessness.
DeleteLauren, whenever I wrote my blog, I addressed Hamlet's soliloquy as portraying him as a whiny little crap bag. But, I think the term conflicted is a little bit better of a way to describe him. He is scared I think more than anything and he does not know quite yet what he wants to do because he is concerned with his honor and dishonoring his father.
DeleteHamlet's whining can be attributed in part to his cowardice. He is afraid to act, and so the only thing left for him to do is complain. This is frustrating for the audience, but it is simply a matter of his character. He is unable to act at all, but wishes he could. I like how you pointed out Hamlet's mental stability. The fact that he is talking with ghosts is one reason for concern, and his constant despair is another. He may not be able to carry through his revenge at all due to his instability.
DeleteYes Hamlet is troubled inside. But he is justified in being upset. It appears some kind of royal scandal is underway, and he's kind of angry about that. But I also don't believe he's whining. I think he is just very angry and he feels the world is falling in on him. So instead of whininess, I think it's just extreme anger. I also don't believe it's particularly bad to just sit around. Afterall, having a plan is critical, and if he just acts on his emotions, bad things are guaranteed to happen.
DeleteIn his soliloquy, Shakespeare utilizes a variety of literary devices for the purpose of development. These devices not only aid in the development of Hamlet's character, but they also help paint an accurate picture of the way in which Hamlet is feeling.
ReplyDeleteOne literary device that is used is the tone that is extended throughout the soliloquy. For the most part, Hamlet's tone could be described as dramatic and exasperated or even distressed. He is deeply troubled because he feels as though he has no hope for the future. He is mourning the death of his father, and he despises his uncle. Essentially, all of these things are causing him to breakdown, and this is evident when analyzing the tone of this soliloquy. Another literary device is expressed through the allusion to Hecuba. Hamlet is upset because he feels as though an actor is capable of portraying certain emotions, even when no real emotional connection is present. He says that an actor has no grounds for for feeling this way, as the tragedy of Hecuba (among other examples) has no real meaning to him. He claims that if the actor truly experienced the emotions that Hamlet himself was feeling, he would "drown the stage with tears." A final literary device that I found was imagery. Shakespeare is known for his metaphorical language and vivid imagery, and this soliloquy does not stray from that. Hamlet states "Who calls me “villain”? Breaks my pate across? Plucks off my beard and blows it in my face? Tweaks me by the nose? Gives me the lie i' th' throat As deep as to the lungs? Who does me this?" Through his use of imagery, Shakespeare gives vivid examples of Hamlet's disposition that allow the reader to better relate with his feelings towards his situation.
Through the use of literary devices, Shakespeare is able to emphasize the anguish that Hamlet is feeling during this time in the play. He expresses Hamlet's tone, alludes to the tragedy of Hecuba, and includes a great deal of imagery to help the reader relate to Hamlet in a better way.
KRAUS, I agree that there is some stunning imagery in this soliloquy. Another instance that struck me was when Hamlet was speaking about the devil. He states that "The spirit that I have seen May be the devil, and the devil hath power T' assume a pleasing shape." This imagery illustrates Hamlet's doubt of the spirit's good intentions. It also shows that he believes the ghost may be evil. However, he does not discount its words, but now needs proof before he acts. The way Shakespeare presents Hamlet's emotions is realistic and easy for the audience to relate to. This use of imagery is the perfect way to create this reaction.
DeleteShakespeare uses several literary devices to further Hamlet's character in this soliloquy. He uses allusion, tone, and rhetorical questions to express Hamlet's feelings to the reader. Hamlet proclaims nearly five line of rhetorical questions as he struggles with his character. He has come to the conclusion that he is a coward, and knows that if someone gave him the abuse he is suggesting, he would not do anything about it. Shakespeare also uses allusion. He refers to Hecuba, queen of Troy, as a way to show that Hamlet's uncle's grief was a farce. This distresses Hamlet because his own grief is so deep and consuming, a stark contrast to his uncle's shallowness. The tone of this soliloquy is also used to help develop Hamlet's character. The soliloquy is full of despair at Hamlet's cowardice, and confusion as to how he should pursue his revenge. This shows Hamlet's humanity. He wishes he could be brave, but understands that he is not.
ReplyDeleteHamlet's character comes to a pivotal point here. After suppressing his true feelings for so long, he is finally able to express who he is. I believe that this is critical for his development throughout the rest of the play. So far, Hamlet has been a weak character and never really expressed his emotions. This outburst makes him more relatable and realistic.
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