HAMLET’S CHARACTER CHANGE
In the play Hamlet written by William Shakespeare, the author describes the drastic change in the character of Hamlet through a series of soliloquies. These soliloquies range from the first one all through to the seventh soliloquy. Hamlet’s character is seen to evolve from that of a young man who helpless and lives in fear to that of a young, bold, determined and confident young man. His boldness is evident when he acquires self-realization and he is able to express his inner thoughts and feelings.
In the first soliloquy, Hamlet is seen as an intelligent young man by the audience because he is able to make his own opinion. His thoughts tell the audience that he is not only sad and angered by the sudden death of his father but also the quick remarriage of his mother to his uncle, Claudius, who wants to take the throne of his father. He says it is not good and it will never be good. He lets the audience know that he can differentiate between the good and evil. Afterward, he compares himself to Hercules saying that his uncle is the same as his father but he is to Hercules. In scene five, he meets the ghost of his father and it reveals to him that he was killed by his Claudius something that upsets Hamlet. He manifests to the audience that he’s courageous when he swears to avenge the death of his father leaving them wondering how he’s going to accomplish his mission.
In contrast to his character in the first soliloquy, Hamlet’s character drastically changes to that of a coward when he hides his toughs and feeling to Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. He pretends to them that he’s not mad something which is clearly seen by the audience. Moreover, he takes a cowardly move when he doubts the truth told by the ghost of his father and tries to convince himself that it was the devil. Hamlet is also depressed because a lot of bad incidences have been happening within a short time like the death of his father, his mother’s remarriage and to make matters worse the court cannot allow the mourning of his father to be of a longer duration since he was the king. He goes further and refers the world as an unweeded garden meaning that it was full of bad things and people because of his mother’s disloyalty to his late father. The anger and depression within his heart make him call himself dirty names like whore, ass, slave and rogue.
In the third act, depression has engulfed him due to much suffering. He even goes to the extent of thinking of committing suicide. This is seen when he compares death to sleep because it leads to dreams. However, Hamlet is afraid of death and towards the end of the act, he says that may his sins be remembered which causes a lot of suspense to the audience. This phrase means that he has gained courage and he’s determined to avenge the death of his father.
In the next soliloquy, Hamlet’s character has taken a U-turn and he is seen as fearless. He makes ill comments to Claudius and Ophelia in order to see his uncle’s reaction to prove that he’s guilty or not. He figures out the truth and he’s not afraid of her mother and reveals that he will speak daggers to her but he will not use them. He wishes to have the hearth of Nero portraying his intentions.
In the second last soliloquy, Hamlet’s character has changed completely and he’s very confident and determined to kill Claudius. He walks in only to find his uncle in prayer and he thinks that it is the right time to kill him. He thinks deeply and believes that if he kills him at that moment he would go to heaven and his soul was dark and needed to go to hell.
Eventually, in the last soliloquy, Hamlet is convinced and inspired by Fortinbras and his army and kills his uncle to avenge the death of his father before his death.