Hamlet Group

Question:

larac0290
larac0290
Student
High School - 11th Grade

What is the meaning of Hamlet's soliloquy in act 1, scene 1? What dramatic purposes does it present?

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Posted by larac0290 on Wednesday July 9, 2008 at 1:57 PM and tagged with act i, dramatic purpose, hamlet, soliloquy.

Answers:


  1. gbeatty Teacher
    College - Freshman

    eNotes Editor

    Hamlet's soliloquy in Act I, scene 2 is about how much he wants to die. He's crying out with the pain of his existence, and wishes that he could kill himself. Hamlet also describes the reasons he feels this way, which provides much of the dramatic purpose of the speech. He feels this way because of the sight before him: his mother married to his uncle, the brother of his father, who had died only recently. He sees Claudius as inferior in all ways to his dead father, and is doubly sickened because his mother hangs on Claudius so strongly.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/hamlet-text/act-i-scene-ii?start=2

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    Posted by gbeatty on Wednesday July 9, 2008 at 3:31 PM


  2. brandih

    eNotes Editor

    Hamlet does not have a soliloquy in Act I, scene 1, but you might want to check out the free Shakespeare Quotes section link below for more information.  The link should take you directly to Hamlet quotes.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/shakespeare-quotes/hamlet-quotes

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    Posted by brandih on Friday July 11, 2008 at 2:13 PM