Shakespeares Use of Soliloquy To See Characters Thoughts...

William Shakespeare uses the literary technique of the soliloquy to allow the audience to see deeper into his characters’ thoughts in his play, Hamlet. This technique helps to reveal Hamlet’s true character, expressing emotions that the audience cannot see through his interactions with other characters. Through Hamlet’s soliloquies, one may notice that his reluctance to take actions that involve death can be attributed to his fear of the unknown and his uncertainty in regards to afterlife. Even though Hamlet seems ardent in his intentions of avenging his father’s death during his encounter with the Ghost, by the second act, Hamlet begins to doubt that the ghost was actually his father. While giving his soliloquy after he has seen†¦show more content†¦Hamlet’s lack of knowledge of the afterlife, along with his inability to wrap his mind around a solid belief of what it entails, leads his fear of the afterlife to go beyond his doubt in the Ghost and result in him deciding against suicide. In what is possibly his most famous soliloquy beginning â€Å"To be, or not to be: that is the question,† (3.1.68) Hamlet’s question is referring to life. He is debating whether or not he should commit suicide. Despite his pain and suffering, Hamlet does not carry out his suicide as a result of not knowing what the afterlife will entail. The ghost had referred to purgatory as a prison, which naturally does not make it appeal to Hamlet. However , he is not even certain of the ghost’s existence, so the ghosts description of purgatory is not necessarily a reliable account. Hamlet is unsure of what will happen in the afterlife and is not comfortable with the fact that he cannot guarantee it will cause him to be happier than he is on earth. He is aware of his lack of knowledge in regards to the after life and since he cannot guarantee what it will entail, his fear of it prevents him from entering it before his time has come. This is shown when he states that the fact that one cannot predict what the afterlife involves â€Å"makes us rather bear those ills we have than fly to others that we know not of?† (3.1.81-81) Since Hamlet is unsureShow MoreRelatedUse of Soliloquies in Hamlet Essay941 Words   |  4 PagesA soliloquy is a speech in a play that is meant to be heard by the audience but not the other characters on the stage. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the use of soliloquies allows the audie nce to know what the characters are feeling and what their pure motives are. They are also able to hear the characters’ thoughts directly. 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