Four Soliloquies In The Play example essay topic

Hamlet Essay After reading Hamlet, I have realized that some of Shakespeare's original play must be abridged for our production. After careful analysis I have decided that of the four soliloquies in the play we should only include two of them. I have discovered that two of these soliloquies are not that important in understanding the meaning of the play. In order to see which two we should include or omit we have to summarize all four soliloquies. The first one, which begins "O that this too, too sullied flesh... ". , is an emotionally violent speech. Hamlet wishes he were dead, complains that suicide is a sin, and describes the world as useless and disgusting.

He then talks about his father, comparing him to Claudius. He calls Claudius a half-man half-beast creature. The second soliloquy, which begins "O what a rogue and pleasant slave am I... ". , Hamlet compares himself to a mythical character named Hecuba and wonders what the latter would do in his situation.

He then accuses himself of being a coward who can't even avenge his father's dead. He also calls himself an idiot before devising a plan to remedy the situation. "To be or not to be... ". (third soliloquy) is basically a debate on life and whether it is worth living. Hamlet here questions death and says that all men fear death.

Hamlet ends here by saying conscience makes cowards of us all for when we think of the consequences of an action we do not take it. And finally the fourth soliloquy which begins "How all occasions to inform against me... ". is an expression of Hamlet's shame and amazement that others can act when he himself can't. Hamlet here realizes that he can't escape from his destiny and has a sense of feeling of what is about to happen to him. After paraphrasing all four soliloquies a decision has to be made as to what to include. The two which should be included are the first and third ones.

The first one should be included because it allows the audience to hear Hamlet's innermost thoughts. This speech sets precedence for the rest of the play. In this speech Hamlet expresses his grievances toward the people he is supposed to love. It is an outpouring of a man in deep distress.

It not only puts Hamlet in confusion but the audience which has to decide if Hamlet is crazy or not as the play develops. The third soliloquy should also be included because it is the most famous speech in all of the English language. This is an important clue to Hamlet's character and the reasons for his delay. Hamlet is a man of thought, not of action he sees the many sides of an issue and ends up doing nothing. Hamlet's perspective here causes his death. The other two soliloquies which are important but can't be fitted in our production are the second and fourth soliloquies.

The second soliloquy is just a short speech on Hamlet's plan. Here he says he will have the players perform a play to see Claudius reactions. The audience will just figure out this by just seeing the little skit performed in the play. The final soliloquy should be omitted also because we see the same reasoning as in the third soliloquy.

Hamlet here just realizes his fate and destiny. There is no need to add this in our production since Hamlet already is considered a man of no action. So him being at peace with himself will have nothing to do with the play after he is being killed by Laertes. In conclusion, as you can see Mr. Nussbaum due to our limited budget and time limitations we can only add two of Hamlet's four soliloquies. The first and third should be added since they add precedence to the play while the second and fourth just are superfluous and can be omitted without changing meaning of the play.