Parallel Structure Of Hamlet's First Soliloquy

Hamlet starts the soliloquy with a question of “To be, or not to be.” The question uses parallel structure and repetition with the phrase “to be,” which emphasizes the impact of the answer to this question on Hamlet’s future. Hamlet then employs war imagery in order to highlight the consequences of choosing each path. In order to illuminate the suffering he undergoes by “being,” he uses the words “slings” and “arrows,” which provide an image of Hamlet being bombarded by pain from all sides. Meanwhile, he uses the word “arms” to describe what action he would have to take to conquer the “sea of troubles” that he faces in his daily life. The use of the word “sea” emphasizes the amount of pain he is feeling and would have to combat, as a sea is

Next, Hamlet makes it clear what he means when he says “not to be,” as he uses the phrases “To die” and “to sleep,” which means that he is determining if he would rather be living or dead. He also repeats the word “sleep” within the same sentence, which seems to be an attempt to show the benefits of sleep, as it would put an “end” to his “heartache.” Hamlet also uses hyperbole in the phrase “thousand natural shocks,” as his use of the number one thousand demonstrates that suffering in life is rampant and difficult to endure. Finally, in this section, he appears to reach a conclusion about ending his suffering, as he says that sleep through death is “devoutly to be wished.” The adverb “devoutly” illuminates his dedication to the idea, as its religious connotation suggests that he is almost worshipping the benefits of death and

However, his interjection of “perchance to dream” marks a shift in the tone in the soliloquy, as Hamlet now begins to doubt and question himself. This becomes clear through the word “rub,” as its meaning of “obstacle” shows that sleep through death has its pitfalls. Furthermore, by enclosing the phrase “perchance to dream” in dashes and then using the word “rub” shortly after these dashes, dreams during death are made into a barrier both on the page (due to the dashes) and in Hamlet’s mind. Hamlet then begins explaining the dangers of the “sleep of death,” as the use of the word “pause” contributes to the new doubt he is feeling about whether death is superior to living. In addition, the phrase “mortal coil” illuminates that the dreams during death may be worse than suffering during life, as it is suggested that the turmoil of the mortal world is nothing compared to the turmoil of dreams during death. This section then concludes by Hamlet’s determining that there is a “respect” for death that is held by man, which leads them to choose the “calamity” of life instead of death. The use of the strong word “calamity” emphasizes that although life is brutal, the dreams during death may even be a step above a