Liz’s Blog

In this soliloquy, Hamlet is talking about whether or not he is going to kill himself.  He is in so much pain and has so much grief that he doesn’t know what to do. He says that because no one knows what to expect after death, they would rather live with the bad things that are happening to do them on earth than go to the unknown.   He keeps repeating “to die to sleep.” I picture him so confused and having no idea what to do.  I mean, his father was killed by his uncle who then married his mother.  Who could blame him for being crazy and confused?  I didn’t think there was an audience because this was a soliloquy and it’s Hamlet’s thoughts that he probably wouldn’t want very many people to hear.  I think he is saying all of this aloud for himself to hear it and maybe make it easier for him to make a decision.  However, like all plays there is an audience, so I guess the people watching the play could also be considered the audience.  I think the purpose of Hamlet’s speech is for us to get inside Hamlet’s head and to see what he is thinking.  Before this speech, I had no idea that he was considering suicide.  I think this kind of shows how he is going crazy, and not to say that he doesn’t have reason to be going crazy, but he is definitely talking about some crazy things.  I also think it is a way for him to make his decision and talk about it out loud.  I think one of the main appeals in this speech is the very first lines “To be or not to be–that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of torubles…” This is a Pathos appeal because it is very emotional and really makes the audience feel bad for Hamlet because he is thinking about committing suicide.  This shows how much pain he is in and how confused he is.  There is a lot of imagery in this.  ”The heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to…”  All of the imagery is used to create heartache and confusion.  It puts a overall sad tone to the soliloquy.  I kind of think he is going crazy, but I also think that I would be going crazy if I was in his position.  What he does to Ophelia right after he gives the speech really makes me think that he is going crazy.  I really feel bad for him because so much has happened to him.  I feel like if he really wanted to do something about it though he could, but he isn’t.  That all goes back to his tragic flaw though, which is indecisiveness.