Hamlet Help

[Fire0nIce228 1]

For my English class we have to read Shakespears play, Hamlet. In Act II Hamlet has a soliloquy and using textual evidence from the soliloquy, I need to list and describe with specific detail three different characteristics of Hamlet. The only thing I can come up with is that Hamlet takes everything to heart. He gets very upset at how he has acted so far concerning his fathers death, compared to how the player gets teary eyed over a ficticious woman. He is emotional, I guess that might be what I want to call it. I'm not sure, in any case its kinda crappy IMO. Here's the speech Hamlet gives, if any you guys can just give me some ideas pointing in the general direction of characteristics I'd appreciate it.

Now I am alone.

O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!

Is it not monstrous that this player here,

But in a fiction, in a dream of passion,

Could force his soul so to his own conceit

That from her working all his visage wann'd,

Tears in his eyes, distraction in's aspect,

A broken voice, and his whole function suiting

With forms to his conceit? and all for nothing!

For Hecuba!

What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba,

That he should weep for her? What would he do,

Had he the motive and the cue for passion

That I have? He would drown the stage with tears

And cleave the general ear with horrid speech,

Make mad the guilty and appal the free,

Confound the ignorant, and amaze indeed

The very faculties of eyes and ears. Yet I,

A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak,

Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,

And can say nothing; no, not for a king,

Upon whose property and most dear life

A damn'd defeat was made. Am I a coward?

Who calls me villain? breaks my pate across?

Plucks off my beard, and blows it in my face?

Tweaks me by the nose? gives me the lie i' the throat,

As deep as to the lungs? who does me this?

Ha!

'Swounds, I should take it: for it cannot be

But I am pigeon-liver'd and lack gall

To make oppression bitter, or ere this

I should have fatted all the region kites

With this slave's offal: bloody, bawdy villain!

Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!

O, vengeance!

Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave,

That I, the son of a dear father murder'd,

Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,

Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words,

And fall a-cursing, like a very drab,

A scullion!

Fie upon't! foh! About, my brain! I have heard

That guilty creatures sitting at a play

Have by the very cunning of the scene

Been struck so to the soul that presently

They have proclaim'd their malefactions;

For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak

With most miraculous organ. I'll have these players

Play something like the murder of my father

Before mine uncle: I'll observe his looks;

I'll tent him to the quick: if he but blench,

I know my course. The spirit that I have seen

May be the devil: and the devil hath power

To assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps

Out of my weakness and my melancholy,

As he is very potent with such spirits,

Abuses me to damn me: I'll have grounds

More relative than this: the play 's the thing

Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.

[Speed Demon 0]

Now I am alone.

O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!

Is it not monstrous that this player here,

But in a fiction, in a dream of passion,

Could force his soul so to his own conceit

That from her working all his visage wann'd,

Tears in his eyes, distraction in's aspect,

A broken voice, and his whole function suiting

With forms to his conceit? and all for nothing!

For Hecuba!

What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba,

That he should weep for her? What would he do,

Had he the motive and the cue for passion

That I have? He would drown the stage with tears

And cleave the general ear with horrid speech,

Make mad the guilty and appal the free,

Confound the ignorant, and amaze indeed

The very faculties of eyes and ears. Yet I,

A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak,

Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,

And can say nothing

Hamlet talks of how he can't believe that the actor can display such emotions over someone that didn't really matter to him and he feels guilty towards the fact that he can't express his feelings for the loss of his father.

Am I a coward?

Who calls me villain? breaks my pate across?

Plucks off my beard, and blows it in my face?

Tweaks me by the nose? gives me the lie i' the throat,

As deep as to the lungs? who does me this?

Ha!

'Swounds, I should take it: for it cannot be

But I am pigeon-liver'd and lack gall

Here Hamlet is criticizing himself because he has done nothing to avenge his father's death, calling himself a coward.

 

bloody, bawdy villain!

Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!

O, vengeance!

Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave,

That I, the son of a dear father murder'd,

Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,

Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words,

And fall a-cursing, like a very drab,

A scullion!

Fie upon't! foh! About, my brain! I have heard

That guilty creatures sitting at a play

Have by the very cunning of the scene

Been struck so to the soul that presently

They have proclaim'd their malefactions;

For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak

With most miraculous organ. I'll have these players

Play something like the murder of my father

Before mine uncle: I'll observe his looks;

I'll tent him to the quick: if he but blench,

I know my course. The spirit that I have seen

May be the devil: and the devil hath power

To assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps

Out of my weakness and my melancholy,

As he is very potent with such spirits,

Abuses me to damn me: I'll have grounds

More relative than this: the play 's the thing

Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.

This section can be viewed as one of the most important changes in the character of Hamlet in the entire play. Here we witness Hamlet retaliate against his guilt as he no longer wishes to act insane and mope around, whine and cry, and rather he will take action in avenging the death of his father. He will do so by adding his little piece to the play that the actors will be performing in front of the King Claudius. Hamlet's little additive to the play will help repreform the death of King Hamlet and if Claudius shows any noticeable body language that can be suggested as a reaction to the performance, than Hamlet will know that Claudius was the murder of his father.

[kosydar 0]

I just finished up an intense reading of Hamlet for class. I don't have time at the moment, but I'll go back and read this passage and see what notes I have for that section later tonight.

[Fire0nIce228 1]

Thanks Speed, and Kosy if you could I'd appreciate that. I have all night, its not due till 8th period tomorrow...

[all-star 0]

eighth period? how many do you have a day? we only have 4 classes a day.

[Fire0nIce228 1]

we have 8 periods, 9 counting lunch...(tis only highschool!)

[lee92 2]

we just finished the play today in class...some characteristics about hamlet are his fascination with death/suicide, he has to be the best at everything, is intelegent, is a procrastinator, has a negative outlook on life

[kosydar 0]

Nothing in my notes were worth mentioning. But I found this, read the analysis section, its pretty good and should help out.

http://cgi.sparknotes.com/hlite.rmpl?words...speare%2fhamlet