The Importance of the Soliloquies in Hamlet Essay

The Importance of the Soliloquies in Hamlet A soliloquy is a dramatic speech spoken by a character who is alone on stage, or believes themselves to be alone. This device allows a character in a play to speak directly to the audience about their motives, feelings and decisions. They reveal the characters innermost thoughts and traditionally contain no lies or deception as the character is revealing their true thoughts and emotions. Hamlet’s soliloquies give the impression of a man discovering himself as he speaks. The importance of the soliloquies in Hamlet are therefore crucial to the development of his character and of course the development of the play. Hamlet’s first soliloquy in Act 1†¦show more content†¦This could prove that Hamlet is frail but we must view Hamlet under ethical light; he is held up by Christian conscience which is why he decides against suicide as a cure for his desolation. Hamlet believes the world has deteriorated and become dreary and foul; it is solely occupied by ‘things rank and gross in nature’. Shakespeare’s powerful imagery displays Hamlet under pessimistic light; Hamlet is telling the audience that the world is corrupted and that he has lost his faith in the world. He believes this due to his mother having betrayed the model relationship of his parents by an in-stand and unethical marriage; ‘With such dexterity to incestuous sheets’. The use of caesura in the lines allows Shakespeare to breakdown Hamlet’s language and possibly his state of mind, and also suggests the intensity of emotion: ‘It is not, nor it cannot come to good But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue’ Act 1-2-158/159 The alliteration produces a controlled tone in this sentence; the Prince knows he must hold back his feelings and shows his morality to the audience as he suggests he will not speak badly about his mother. 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