Comprehension and interpretation  - Hamlet soliloquy

·         How does hamlet describes life?

He describes it as the cause of all pains and tribulations; Hamlet sees life in a negative way but at the same time he’s scared about the only alternative.

·         How does he describe death?

He describes it as the only chance to put end to suffering.

·         What is troubling Hamlet at the idea of dying?

Hamlet is scared by the uncertainty of what may happen after death because “no traveller return” from that “undiscover’d country”. He’s also hold back by his conscience that “makes coward of us all”.

·         Life is described as inescapable torment. What exactly are the torments of life?

These torments are:  “scorns of time”, “oppressor’s wrong”, “proud man contumely”, “pangs of despised love”, “laws delay”, “the insolence of office” and “the spurns that patient merit of th’ unworthy”.

·         Why do we choose go on living, according to Hamlet? Choose a quotation to illustrate this point.

“Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, and thus the native hue of resolution is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, and enterprise of great pitch and moment with this regard their currents turn awry and lose the name of action”

·         What conclusions does Hamlet reach?

He understand that conscience and thought lead men to inaction and make them cowards.

·         What is Hamlet’s mood in this soliloquy?

Hamlet’s reflective, pessimistic and dejected.

·         Critics do not agree on the interpretation of the line “to be or not to be”, chose an interpretation.

Hamlet may be considering his personal situation and a more general one at the same time. This complexity is what Shakespeare often achieves by creating multiple levels of meaning.

·         Choose one of the interpretations and write a short commentary on this soliloquy

With “to be or not to be”  Hamlet is weighing the benefits versus disadvantages of ending his life, but he  also recognizes that suicide is a crime in God’s eyes and this could  make his afterlife worse than his present situation. When Hamlet thinks to have the solution, he stops and wonders something, counteracting his previous hypothesis   (“To sleep: perchance to dream:—ay there’s the rub;  For in that sleep of death what dreams may come”) . Then Hamlet goes on to list many sufferings men face during  life. By the end of this soliloquy, he finally realizes  that men always choose life over death because of their inability to know the afterlife and for their fear of the unknown.

·         Find examples of repetitions and antitheses. What is their effect?

Repetitions: “to sleep”, “to die”, “us”, “we”, “thus”  are used to slow down and creating a reflecting tone, reinforcing the meaning.

Antitheses: “to be or not to be”, “to suffer the sling and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles” are used to underline the work of mind and Hamlet’s indecision.