Excellent review. Contrary to a popular opinion, I don't see Hamlet as much of a procrastinator. Lets see, Ghost telling him he speaks for his father and his uncle killed him. Note, Shakespeare is speaking through a rational (most people) ,trying to uphold morality, young (Age 16 some versions) prince about life; its contradictions, randomness and boundless complexity. And a little madness? Sure why not but you have a character who has attained such a heightened awareness..
Thank you for this analysis! It's a step in what I feel is the right direction, though I'm prepared to go a bit further in arguing that the speech isn't actually about suicide at all. If you have a chance to take a look, please let me know what you think! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-erp1nJx3jHA.html
The speaker here asks why Hamlet doesn't act to kill Claudius even as he answers the question: Hamlet fears that the ghost may be the devil appearing in a familiar form to deceive him. This is why he has to test the ghost's information with the play. Once he is convinced that Claudius is guilty, Hamlet tries to kill him at the first opportunity -- not when Claudius is praying, which Hamlet believes would send him to heaven, but when he catches (as he thinks) Claudius eavesdropping on him and his mother. He strikes without hesitation then, and it is only ill luck that he kills Polonius instead. Claudius realizes that Hamlet is hellbent on revenge, so he sends him off to England immediately, where he has confidence that the King of England will kill Hamlet for him.
I always read this soliloquy with a depressive and wonderous tone from Hamlet. I don't know if that's accurate to how it's usually represented in the play but I find it the most engaging for myself.
Hamlet has nothing to do with suicide. We're teaching kids that when life sucks the only way out is suicide. This is BS. He is contemplating leaving the kingdom and the fortune and fame of being a prince. While he's dying he sleeps to dream and numb the pain. He is contemplating WAKING UP. to die to sleep NO MORE
moving the speech to the beginning of the play (as in the 2015 version) was a genius move - it doesn't really work as a genuine soliloquy where it usually sits but it's too good a speech to throw away on being merely a ruse
well done , great presentation, I think Hamlet thinks too much but reaches no decisive resolution , I wonder whether his procrastination is due to his nobility not to do something wrong or due to his cowardice
Would anybody like to see my own personal production, based on an excerpt of "that famous soliloquy!" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lQluxlbpuKs.html
The. Way. This Actor. Delivers. The. Lines. He. Tends. To. Have. A. Streak. Of. Anger. In. His. Voice. !!! I. Always. Imagined. Hamlet. To. Be. Completely. Devoid. Of. Anger. During. This. Monologue. !!! I. Think. The. Dominating. State. Of. Mind. In. This. Monologue. Is. Melancholia. Not. Anger. !!!
I think Hamlet is terrified of death. He's not contemplating his suicide but rather going through the consequences of taking action or not taking action. To live, but feel dead because of the inability to avenge his father's death - or kill Claudius and be sentenced to death himself. To be a man, and die, or be nothing. But then again, it's just one way to see it. There's no easy explanation to it and that's what makes the monologue so brilliant.
Hamlet is realizing that we must put up with the suffering of the material world, and suicide should be left as a fantasy outlet: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ABYVY5WlJjA.html
You are making an assumption when you say that Hamlet "must" avenge his father's death. He is offered that possibility, and is challenged by this offer, and this is what he is contemplating.
In my view, this soliloquy describes all the reflections that any person has when contemplating suicide as a possible solution to end the suffering in life. To me, it's crystal clear. Every word and every sentence of the text refer to this very moment. It doesn't mean that Hamlet (like many other 'real' persons) is going to keep thinking on it, it's a moment within desperation, confusion and pain in which he considers an option that it is simply there to every human being. And it is an intimate reflection, asking questions to oneself, not shouting and spitting words to the audience in a fit of rage. Just my opinion.
To me it is equally crystal clear that the speech has nothing to do with suicide! If you have time, please take a look and tell me what you think: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-erp1nJx3jHA.html
this soliloquy has no exclamation points in it. it is somber, self-searching, dreamy, desperate, curious... actor, why are you screaming and doing it all so blandly? why do you not emphasize the playfulness of words? why do you not give enough weight to its sorrowful depths? why does it sound so obviously like a recital of memorized words intended for an audience, rather than a natural conversation with one's own soul?
Your analysis is very good. I think most people concentrate too much on the suicide theme. Whether Hamlet is contemplating it or not is interesting and as an audience we can add that to the meaning of the play. But it is not in the play. Suicide would be a sin and Hamlet makes it known he won’t kill himself because of this. At no point in the play does he attempt suicide. Or any other character for that matter. The story is about action vs thinking. Examples of both are throughout the play. Over planning and backing away from revenge such as the players performance. Also, not killing the king while he was praying. Another example is Claudius not killing Hamlet when he should have. He sends him off to England. He schemes with Laertes to poison Hamlet. As for quick action, Hamlet rashly stabs Polonius without thought. So, to act or not to act ... both courses lead to death. That is the genius of the play. But there is no suicide here.
I was thinking of it as, "to be" is to suffer the trials put onto us without taking part in the game, or to be awakened. "not to be" is to take arms and to ignore morality that thinkers are aware of.
Shreyas Bhatt Maybe. We can make guesses as to the intentions of Ophelia. She certainly could have committed suicide and it can’t be ruled out. It also sounds like the branch broke and she struggled to hang on. I’m merely saying that the “suicide” theme has become the popular narrative and that I disagree. I’m not saying we can’t talk about it. I love analyzing this play and look forward to hearing more from anyone. So if you can give me more than the sarcastic response I am willing to listen.
Hooray m I like that. Hamlet definitely struggles with whether he can kill Claudius morally. Can he be a murderer? What happens to him after he kills “a king”. Execution? Damnation? Perhaps he should bear the ills he has.
@@kevinmatthews7047 Hi! I'm very much with you on the idea that this is not a speech about suicide. Here's my take on it: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-erp1nJx3jHA.html If you have a chance to watch it, please let me know what you think!
@@dankiepoo5673 yes, he acts out of anger, rather than deep moral searching. Sadness , confliction, and anxiety are the emotions I felt when first reading it. The way I see it is : His contemplation of life is the basis for the whole play. The precarious position he is in fuels a multitude of emotions, thus giving the actor or director, many interpretations to choose from. This I think is reason, I always love seeing a new version or personal take on it. Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet is my favorite, And Mel Gibsons, my least, as far as film versions go
