ipl-logo

Hamlet Rhetorical Analysis

715 Words3 Pages

“Pain is inevitable suffering is optional”
-Buddha
Pain and suffering are evident in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, yet Hamlet experiences of pain transformed him…...Yet his suffering accumulates in his soliloquy in Act 3 scene 1, where he contemplates suicide. Through this metaphor, Shakespeare conveys his message of how humans can inflict their own suffering, which leads to their downfall. To convey this message, he utilizes rhetorical questions, paradoxes and metaphors of sleep. The array of rhetorical questions begins in the first line with “to be or not to be” and then dives into another question “whether tis nobler in mind to suffer...(quote)”( lines 65-68). Here, he ponders whether he should remain stagnant and suffer or avenge …show more content…

Uniquely, he juxtaposes the traditional function of sleep in lines 9 and lines 10, which further creates chaos. For instance, in line... Hamlet recites, “To die to sleep- no more and by a sleep to say we end the heartache and thousand natural shocks”). Here, sleep allows the mind to discharge from day and rest. Yet in lines 73-75,” Ay, there’s the rub, for in that sleep of death what dreams may come, sleep now has more negative connotation; sleep provides humans with naive idealism and optimism for a new day. The problems that vanish in night while person rests, can still haunt them in their new day. Hamlet feels this sentiment, which causes him great discomfort. However, soon after this, Hamlet delivers, Hamlet believes that sleep provides humans with a false sense stability because problems slept off at night, will haunt them in the day. Sleep cannot end human suffering. The only true force in ending one’s suffering is themselves, yet Hamlet fails to realize this; instead he continues on his plan to avenge through petty schemes and ultimately killing innocent man, Polonius. In doing so, he causes more suffering unto himself, which lead him to his

Show More
Related
582 Words | 3 Pages

Hamlet from Hamlet asserts, “To die, to sleep-- No more--and by a sleep to say we end The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to. ‘Tis a consummation.” (Act 3, Sc 1) Hamlet believes that death is the only way out. Death is to be embraced because it is the only way to escape the pain from this world. Death was an eye opener in a different way to Hamlet.

Read More
665 Words | 3 Pages

He starts of using diction that is heavy to show why it is easier for him to choose death, only thinking of himself. He then compares death and sleep to share why it is easier to kill himself. “Thus conscience makes cowards of us all”. This alliteration emphasis Hamlets disappointment in himself. All of this goes together to create vivid diction that leads readers into Hamlet's mind.

Read More
282 Words | 2 Pages

To die- to sleep- No more; and by a sleep to say we end the heartache. ”(ACT III scene i) In this quote we see Hamlet debate his own life and consider whether dying would be better than to

Read More
1766 Words | 8 Pages

The echo of the phrase “to die, to sleep” (line 6 and 10) suggests his inability to properly justify to himself that death and sleep are one and the same, thus alluding to his inner turmoil. Rather than using repetition to bolster Hamlet’s certainty and commitment to this particular interpretation of dying, Shakespeare does quite the opposite by making Hamlet appear over-analytical and unsure of himself. Similarly, Hamlet lists multiple examples of his suffering in sequential order, including “the pangs of dispirz’d love” and “the insolence of office,” which serve to illustrate his additional efforts to justify his desire of death (lines 17-20). Hamlet currently suffers under the corrupt authority of his uncle Claudius’s reign and believes his love interest, Ophelia, does not reciprocate his feelings, because she decided to distance herself from him after being advised to do

Read More
716 Words | 3 Pages

This speech echoes the soliloquy of Act 1, however, he now questions how someone should deal with the struggles of life. “Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them,” (63-67). Hamlet questions what we are to do in the face of strife before we finally sleep for eternity and end our troubles. “Hamlet’s famous ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy questions the righteousness of life over death in moral terms, much of the speech’s emphasis is on the subject of death—even if in the end he is determined to live and see his revenge through,” (Smith). Despite his questioning over how to proceed, he ultimately comes to one pivotal conclusion, “He observes that such thinking turns people into cowards, and action into inaction,” (Applebee).

Read More
1765 Words | 8 Pages

When applied correctly, soliloquies successfully allow the reader to experience characters in their most vulnerable state: within their own minds. Hamlet is no exception to this principle, as Shakespeare’s mastery of rhetoric in establishing the main character’s inner conflict provides depth and rawness to his complex character. In this well-known soliloquy, Shakespeare employs logos to acknowledge that death can be both a relief and nightmare due to natural human emotions; accordingly, Hamlet personifies a severe case of teenage depression by simultaneously wishing for an end to suffering yet remaining hesitant to act on his own thoughts due to his fear of the unknown.         Throughout this passage, Hamlet attempts to rationalize ending his life over continuing to endure the painful reality of his existence. The parallelism in this particular soliloquy serves several rhetorical purposes, including the development of an implicit contrast between Hamlet’s mental state and the actual organization of his thoughts.

Read More
690 Words | 3 Pages

In this excerpt, Shakespeare speaks through the voice of a King who seeks to find some comfort in his sleep, yet is unable to do so. The speaker uses an accusatory pleading tone to ask for his sleep and beseech nature for respite. Shakespeare employs many literary devices such as personification, apostrophe, alliteration, and juxtaposition throughout this piece to cement this idea. To begin with, Shakespeare’s personification of sleep as a “soft nurse” at the beginning of the excerpt serves to enforce the speaker’s belief that something or someone seeks to take his rest from him. By making sleep a person it ceases to be some mere presence, but rather something he can face on a human level and whom he can bend to his will as it it were one of his subjects.

Read More
757 Words | 4 Pages

The metaphor “The pangs of despised love, the law’s of delay” () describes the pain of unreciprocated love and the law not acting in one's favour. Hamlet feels no love from the world or his mother and his wish of suicide is looked down upon by the law. Hamlet wonders if he should be scared of death “no traveller has returned” (), how is one supposed to know what the afterlife is like if no one can tell them what it's like. He continues to bear the evils of earth because there are no answers of the

Read More
1902 Words | 8 Pages

Upon creating his plan to expose Claudius’s guilt, Hamlet contemplates “to be or not to be,” ultimately allowing him to understand one’s fear of death when in actuality, everyone must eventually endure it(57). Though he contemplates suicide in Act I, the discovery of humanity’s fear of

Read More
814 Words | 4 Pages

To die, to sleep— No more—and by a sleep to say we end. (3.3.57- 64) In this quote, Hamlet is walking alone while Polonius and Claudius watched secretly. Hamlet discusses whether it is better to live or die. He asks if it is better to put up with all the terrible things of life or to die.

Read More
1526 Words | 7 Pages

Hamlets most famous soliloquy, “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 troubles, And, by opposing, end them? To die, to sleep— No more—and by a sleep to say we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to—’tis a consummation devoutly to be wished! To die, to sleep.” (3.1.3) (source 6), reveals to the reader that Hamlet truly experiences moments of self-doubt

Read More
873 Words | 4 Pages

This quote reveals how all these things have affected Hamlet psychologically and emotionally. The death of King Hamlet has led the play toward more death themes, making this the most tragedy

Read More
840 Words | 4 Pages

Suicide is the ultimate defense against life’s trouble as it offers a peaceful sleep, but what dreams may interrupt that sleep? Shakespeare’s Hamlet is discussing about suicide as well as death. Even though death offer peace, but the afterlife which is unknown makes people cowardly to commit suicide. Suicide is a motif that appears frequently throughout Shakespeare 's Hamlet. Hamlet and Ophelia are the two characters in Hamlet who are involved with suicide, although Hamlet only contemplates it, but Ophelia actually commits suicide in Act 4.Throughout the novel, the act of suicide is treat religiously, morally and aesthetically.

Read More
523 Words | 3 Pages

Death is depicted as a simple slumber after the long and hard tarnishes brought by life; Death is presented as an eternal retirement from living, not only that but, with this death “we end the heart-ache” of life. The idea of a peaceful slumber sanctions this thought of a tempting escape from the agonizing pains of existence; the connection to sleep softens the tone brought by the ideas of death, instead of fearing, shakespeare eludes the reader to believe that death is simply a peaceful end to an exhausting life. However, Shakespeare not only gratifies death and compares it to life, but he also scornes the very principles of life, making it out to be a painful waste of time; Shakespeare mortifies life when he relates the idea of living

Read More
1156 Words | 5 Pages

When Hamlet encounters his Father death, he becomes obsessed with death itself. He begins to wonder if suicide is the answer to end his suffering. In the play, hamlet says “O, that this too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew”(I.ii.133-138).

Read More

More about Hamlet Rhetorical Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document