Discussion Topic

Anagnorisis in Hamlet and its depiction in Prince Hamlet's soliloquies

Summary:

Anagnorisis in Hamlet is depicted through Prince Hamlet's soliloquies where he realizes the truth about his father's murder and his own hesitations. These moments of self-awareness and revelation, particularly in the "To be, or not to be" soliloquy, highlight his internal struggle and the gradual recognition of his role in avenging his father's death.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

When does Anagnorisis occur in Hamlet?

The anagnorosis in Hamlet actually occurs before the sword fighting scene. The entire play is a study of Hamlet's psychology and his ability or lack thereof to act in furtherance of the ghost's commands for revenge. Hamlet spends the entire play trying to prove that the words of the ghost are true and that his uncle Claudius did in fact kill his own brother, King Hamlet, in order to gain the throne. He is trying to find the right time and right place to fulfill the revenge and kill Claudius, but feels that "all occasions do inform against me."  He is very frustrated by all of the circumstances that keep him from it, especially the command of the King to have Hamlet sent to England.

Once Hamlet returns though, it is as if he is a new man. He relates to Horatio that he has come to a...

Unlock
This Answer Now

Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.

Get 48 Hours Free Access

realization: "there is a divinity that shapes our ends, rough hew them how we will." This means that God or fate have a strong influence on the events of his life and that all he can do is "shape" his life. He has been trying too hard to control everything -- and it just doesn't work that way. He tells Horatio later that he now understands that he has to be ready mentally and emotionally ready for anything -- it isall he can do. As he says, "if it (death) be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now... the readiness is all."  Considered together, these two quotes are Hamlet's anagnorosis: he recognizes that he can't control anything but his own reactions, but that knowledge frees him to finally take action and fulfill his father's final request.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What examples of anagnorisis are shown in Prince Hamlet's soliloquies in Hamlet?

In act 3, scenes 2 and 3, Prince Hamlet puts on a play for the court in which actors perform a scene where a queen assures her husband, the king, that she would never remarry, even if he were to die. In the next scene in the play, the king's own brother murders the king by pouring poison into his ear. This is exactly how Hamlet believes his uncle Claudius (now King Claudius) has recently murdered his father, King Hamlet. He wants to watch Claudius's reaction to this performance to see if he shows guilt. Claudius stands up from his seat and leaves the room in haste upon witnessing a re-enactment of the murder. Hamlet realizes he is guilty. This is the anagnorisis, the point at which Prince Hamlet discovers the horrible truth of his situation.

A previous anagnorisis occurs in act 1, scene 2, when Prince Hamlet rehearses recent events and realizes that his mother must not have loved her husband, his father, as much as she had pretended if she was able to remarry within a month. He ironically remarks that they used the food from the funeral to furnish the wedding. His mother must be selfish, dishonest, and conniving, he concludes. If that is true, then everyone must be false, and the world is hardly worth living in. This horrible realization leads him to the contemplation of suicide.

Anagnorisis is the moment in a story when the protagonist realizes the truth of their predicament or the truth about some other character's real identity.

Approved by eNotes Editorial