The audience becomes aware of Hamlet’s trickery and his quick witted mind from early on in the play, as is shown in his conversation with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in I.ii where he figures out that the two were sent to be spies on him and Hamlet also knew right away that they were sent by his Uncle. Hamlet’s skills also show in I.v, right after conversing with the ghost, when he speaks to Horatio and Marcellus and tell them not to let on that they might know something about Hamlet if he ends up acting odd, a plan already formulating in his fast paced mind. If the fast thinking mind that Hamlet has is taken into consideration, it makes more sense to believe that Hamlet is at least suspicious that he is never truly alone anymore. Since he was also called forth by Claudius, it would seem highly unlikely that he would even think that he is alone or for him to expect that there would be no one in the place that he was called to.
Another indication that presents the idea that Hamlet suspects that he is not alone while he performs his soliloquy is the way he presents and speaks his words. As seen in I.ii during Hamlet’s first soliloquy, Hamlet seems to speak with more emotion, and the many comparisons that he uses, he says as though they were a thought that just entered into his head and so he goes with it. During his “to be or not to be” soliloquy, it seems appears to be more thought out, and there seems to be less wandering with his thoughts as it flows more compared to his other soliloquies which often had sudden stops to quickly speak of something else and then lead back to where he leaves off. Throughout his soliloquy, Hamlet also speaks in a much more calm manner, as though he is in complete control of his emotions, but by his past soliloquies and his later confrontation with his mother, Hamlet is still emotionally unstable and when he speaks about a matter, he speaks with more passion and force, but as he contemplates life and death, he is uncharacteristically calm and passive, as though he is ready to simply accept and watch whatever fate will fall upon him and others. If he was actually ready to accept any sort of fate for him and anyone, then would he have tried so hard in his conversation with Ophelia to send her away and tell her “get thee to a nunnery”(III.i.121)? Would he also have tried to make his mother see her wrongdoings and try to be so forceful in trying to make her repent for her sins?
If Hamlet really thought that he was alone, chances are that he would not have even voiced such thoughts out loud in the open space where just anyone could be wandering around and could happen upon his supposed to be private and personal thoughts. Even though the same thing could be said about any character ever giving a soliloquy, in Hamlet’s case, he only ever presented a soliloquy once everyone had left him alone, and with naught but himself and his own thoughts, and Hamlet would rejoice and be relieved to finally achieve being alone when he is left alone (II.ii.543).
Hamlet having suspicions about not being alone, causes me to believe that this soliloquy is to showcase more confusion as to whether or not he is going crazy and to cause more confusion to Claudius, so that it becomes impossible to know what in the world Hamlet is really thinking. Maybe Hamlet’s goal is even to drive Claudius into a corner to be unable to decipher the trickster mind that is Hamlet, and cause him to go slightly nuts.
RE: Rachel Labonte
As always your points are wonderful and I agree fully with your view. The remark on Hamlet’s punctuation is something certainly worth noting, and I commend you on even thinking about such a small detail. The point you made about Hamlet actually directing his speech to Claudius is also very genius! It is an interesting and unique idea that I have never encountered, or even came close to thinking about. As Jessie pointed out, it certainly comes close to the idea of the movie Inception, and the idea of planting a thought in someone’s mind, and slowly trying to take control in that method.
I am also reminded of the novel Fahrenheit 451, where the constant buzzing of messages become implanted into the brain with constant reminders and thoughts.
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