Pag 153-154 Comprehension:

-How does Hamlet describe life?                                                                                                                                                    Hamlet describes life comparing it to a "sea of troubles". He has to face tribulation and difficulties.

-How does he describe death?                                                                                                                                                           He says that death avoids problems , it helps people to forget reality. In  other word, death gives people the possibility to live in an imaginary World.

-What is troubling Hamlet at the idea of dying?                                                                                                                                  He is afraid about the undiscovered county which death represent and by the dread of something after death .

-Life is described as inescapable torment. What exactly are the torments of life?                                                                             The exactly torment of life are the wrong of oppressors, the scorn of  proud men, the pains of love, the delay of law, the insolence of authority, unworthy people.

-Why do we choose to go on living, according to Hamlet? Choose two quotations to illustrate this point.                                        We choose to go on because we don't know if there is something after death. Hamlet explains this in line 11 "in that sleep of death what dreams may come" and underlines it in line 23 "the dread of something after death"

-What conclusion does Hamlet reach?                                                                                                                                                He concludes saying we all are cowards, and we don't act as we should

-What is Hamlet's mood in this soliloquy?                                                                                                                                             In this soliloquy Hamlet has desperate thoughts, he is disposed to die. He has suicidal thoughts. He feels surrounded by a "sea of troubles"; he is discouraged and he expresses his confusion about life.

Interpretation:

-Choose one of the interpretations and write a short commentary.                                                                                                  On my opinion the best interpretation is the one which affirms that Hamlet may be considering his personal situation and a more general one at the same time. Using the infinitive "to be" at the beginning of this soliloquy Shakespeare reaches a general level. He never uses the pronoun "I". Even though Hamlet speaks of his own desperation and his incapacity of acting, he may also refer to the lack of action and courage of man in general. Not only his life is not worth living but no life, it seems, it is.

-Find examples of repetition and antitheses. What is their effect?                                                                                                      The antitheses between "to be" and not to be  and to sleep and not to sleep and to live- to die emphasize the opposition between  existing and not existing. The repetition of the verb to die evidences the troubled mental state of the character.

-This moment in the play creates practical staging problems.                                                                                                           Claudius and Polonius say they withdraw,  maybe just by the side of the stage, while Ophelia walks reading a book.  Hamlet is being watched and maybe he is aware of it from the start: that's why he acts in a strange way when he speaks with Ophelia.

Study skills 12                                                                                                                                                                                  How to Write a Commentary on an Extract from a Play :

There is no light on the stage. On the back we notice Claudius and Polonius hiding from the sight. On one side, in a dark place Ophelia reads a book. In the middle of the stage stands Hamlet.  Just a few second before Claudius, Polonius and Ophelia were plotting  against Hamlet. Hamlet begins his famous soliloquy about existence, revealing to the audience and to the hidden characters, his troubled mind. Through his speech, Hamlet involves the audience: he makes you understand his feelings and his pains. He makes you feel his suffering when he speaks of the "sea of troubles" he has to face. He really transmits you his own sensations.