Re-read Hamlet’s first soliloquy and answer the questions
that follow.
SOLILOQUY
O, that this too too solid flesh would melt (1.2.131-61).
O, that this too
too solid
flesh would melt
Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!
Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd
His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! God!
How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable, (135)
Seem to me all the uses of this world!
Fie on't! ah fie! 'tis an unweeded garden,
That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature
Possess it merely. That it should come to this!
But two months dead: nay, not so much, not two: (140)
So excellent a king; that was, to this,
Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother
That he might not beteem the winds of heaven
Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth!
Must I remember? why, she would hang on him, (145)
As if increase of appetite had grown
By what it fed on: and yet, within a month --
Let me not think on't -- Frailty, thy name is woman! --
A little month, or ere those shoes were old
With which she follow'd my poor father's body, (150)
Like Niobe, all tears: -- why she, even she --
O, God! a beast, that wants discourse of reason,
Would have mourn'd longer--married with my uncle,
My father's brother, but no more like my father
Than I to Hercules: within a month: (155)
Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears
Had left the flushing in her galled eyes,
She married. O, most wicked speed, to post
With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!
It is not nor it cannot come to good: (160)
But break, my heart; for I must hold my tongue.
Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!
Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd
His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! God!
How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable, (135)
Seem to me all the uses of this world!
Fie on't! ah fie! 'tis an unweeded garden,
That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature
Possess it merely. That it should come to this!
But two months dead: nay, not so much, not two: (140)
So excellent a king; that was, to this,
Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother
That he might not beteem the winds of heaven
Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth!
Must I remember? why, she would hang on him, (145)
As if increase of appetite had grown
By what it fed on: and yet, within a month --
Let me not think on't -- Frailty, thy name is woman! --
A little month, or ere those shoes were old
With which she follow'd my poor father's body, (150)
Like Niobe, all tears: -- why she, even she --
O, God! a beast, that wants discourse of reason,
Would have mourn'd longer--married with my uncle,
My father's brother, but no more like my father
Than I to Hercules: within a month: (155)
Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears
Had left the flushing in her galled eyes,
She married. O, most wicked speed, to post
With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!
It is not nor it cannot come to good: (160)
But break, my heart; for I must hold my tongue.
NOTES
too too ] The duplication of "too" intensifies
Hamlet's feelings of regret. Repetition of this kind was a popular literary
device in the Renaissance.
solid ] Many scholars ask whether Shakespeare intended
"solid" to be actually "sallied", a form of the word
"sullied". The second quarto of Hamlet
contains "sallied", but the First Folio prints it as
"solid". Modern editors have been quite divided on the issue. Editors
of The Arden Shakespeare have chosen
to use "sullied", while editors of The New Cambridge Shakespeare have decided upon "solid".
The reasoning for the use of "solid" is fairly evident, as it
logically corresponds to "would melt" (131). However, there are good
arguments to support the claim that Shakespeare did mean "sullied".
With "sullied" we have the "suggestion of contamination"
(Jenkins 437), which is apparent throughout the soliloquy. Some critics stress
"sullied" as the "contrast to 'self-slaughter' the resolving of
the baser element into the higher, whereby Hamlet might return from melancholy
to normal health, or, if to become dew is to die, then from 'misery' to
'felicity'. But there is surely no thought here of being restored to health or
happiness, only of being free of the 'flesh' whether through its own deliquescence
or through suicide." (Jenkns 187).
canon ] divine law; the Church regards "suicide" or
"self-slaughter" forbidden by the Sixth Commandment, "Thou shalt
not kill".
flat ] Spiritless.
unweeded garden ] A well-tended garden was symbolic of harmony
and normalcy.
in nature/Possess it merely ] Although Hamlet accepts weeds as
a natural part of the garden (and more generally a natural part of life), he
feels that the weeds have grown out of control and now possess nature entirely
(merely = entirely).
Hyperion ] {hy-peer'-ee-uhn} One of the Titans and the father
of Helios, the sun-god.
Satyr ] {say'-tur} A grotesque creature, half-man and
half-goat, symbolic of sexual promiscuity. Hamlet's reference to his dead
father as Hyperion and to his uncle Claudius as a satyr illustrates Hamlet's
contempt for Claudius. His father is godlike while his uncle is bestial.
beteem ] Permit. In anguish, Hamlet remembers the way his
father would treat Gertrude with such gentleness and care. His father would not
permit the wind to "visit her face too roughly".
ere ] Before.
Niobe ] {ny'-oh-bee} Symbolic of a mother's grief. Niobe, Queen
of Thebes, boasted that her fourteen children were more lovely than Diana and
Apollo, the children of Latona (Leto). Because of her arrogance, Niobe's
children were slain by Latona's children, and Zeus turned Niobe to stone - yet
still her tears flowed from the rock.
a beast, that wants discourse of reason ] Hamlet believes that
even a creature incapable of speech would have mourned longer than Gertrude
mourned for Hamlet's father (here wants=lacks). "The faculty of reason was
traditionally recognized as the crucial difference between man and the beasts.
This lends further significance to the Hyperion-Satyr comparison above. It was through
his reason that man could perceive the relation of cause and effect and thus
connect past with future, whereas the beast, precisely because it lacks reason,
must live largely in the present moment. Hence the axiom that its mourning
would be brief." (Jenkins 438).
Hercules ] {hur'-kyoo-leez} A Greek hero renowned for his
super-human tasks. Having a father so strong and noble intensifies Hamlet’s
feelings of inadequacy.
unrighteous tears ] See commentary below.
flushing ] Flushing refers to
the redness in Gertrude's eyes from crying. She did not wait until the redness
disappeared from her eyes before she married Claudius.
galled eyes ] Irritated and inflamed eyes.
dexterity ] One could take "dexterity" in this
context to mean either speed or nimbleness.
incestuous ] Even though Claudius and Gertrude are related only
through marriage, the union between a woman and her husband's brother, even if
the brother was deceased, was considered incest (see Leviticus 16:20), and was
explicitly forbidden by the Catholic and Anglican religions.
But break, my heart ] Hamlet's heart is heavy because he must
keep his anguish to himself. "The heart was thought to be kept in place by
ligaments or tendons (the heart-strings) which might snap under the pressure of
great emotion" (Edwards 91).
RESPONDING TO SHAKESPEARE’S/HAMLET’S RHETORIC
1.
Word choice in
context. If you were hired as the editor of a new edition of Hamlet would you choose “solid” or
“sullied”? Write a focused paragraph defending your answer.
2.
Analyzing
Imagery. Write a paragraph answering the following questions. How does the
imagery in the soliloquy convey Hamlet’s attitude toward the world? Don’t just
answer the questions create a cohesive paragraph (or paragraphs).
3.
Analysis and
Evaluation. Write a paragraph (or paragraphs) answering the following
questions. What is Hamlet’s attitude toward his own life? Why does he feel this
way? Cite and explain textual evidence to support your answers. Also, given his
circumstances is his attitude justified? Why or why not? If not what do you
think his attitude should be? Dig below the surface. Have empathy. Put yourself
in his shoes. Don’t just answer the questions address them in a cohesive
paragraph (or paragraphs).
4.
Analysis and
Evaluation. How does Hamlet feel about his mother? Why? In your paragraph, cite
and explain at least two quotations from the speech to support your answer. Also,
given what you know from the play is his attitude justified? Why or why not? If
not what do you think his attitude should be? Dig below the surface. Have
empathy. Put yourself in his shoes. Don’t just answer the questions address
them in a cohesive paragraph (or paragraphs).
5.
Analysis and
Evaluation. In a paragraph write about Hamlet’s attitudes towards his
father and Claudius. In the paragraph you should explain the two
contrasts Hamlet uses to show that his father (King Hamlet) is superior to King
Claudius. (The notes will help you with these contrasts. Hint: Allusions help
to reveal Hamlet’s attitude.) Also, given what you know from the play is his
attitude justified? Why or why not? If not what do you think his attitude
should be? Dig below the surface. Have empathy. Put yourself in his shoes.
Don’t just answer the questions address them in a cohesive paragraph (or paragraphs).
Respond in the comment box. Use your first name and last initial. Number your answers appropriately. You may need to break your response into two or more comment posts.
Respond in the comment box. Use your first name and last initial. Number your answers appropriately. You may need to break your response into two or more comment posts.
