Soliloquies make us understand the true feelings that someone is feeling. It unlocks the secret of the mind. What are soliloquies? “ A literary or dramatic form of discourse in which a character talks to himself or reveals his thoughts in the form of a monologue without addressing a listener”. Specific soliloquies illustrate what really goes on in Hamlet’s mind, and also other characters in the play.

Hamlet is a very complicating character, and the only way we can actually understand him is through his soliloquies. “O, that this too solid flesh would melt, thaw and resolve itself into a dew…”(page 31), in this soliloquy, its like he’s saying that he wants to melt inside earth like water into the ground. Hamlet expresses here his feelings towards his mother marrying his uncle, two months after the death of his father. “How weary stale, flat and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of the world “(page 31). This quote shows the attitude Hamlet uses towards life, he is saying that the world is stale, it has no taste left. Hamlet is showing his pessimistic side in him in this soliloquy.

When the ghost of Hamlet’s father reveals to Hamlet who killed him, Hamlet becomes more complicating, he becomes furious. “…That one may smile and be a villain atleast I’m sure it may be so in Denmark” (page 69) in this soliloquy Hamlet shows his feelings towards Claudius, that Claudius is smiling to show that he is nice when he isn’t. In this soliloquy we also understand more about Hamlets character that he tends to be sarcastic and a bit hysterical. Another soliloquy that shows us Hamlets feelings is the one after Hamlet finds out that Rosencrants and Guildenstern were trying to spy on him for Claudius. “What a rogue and peasant slave I am…am i a coward?…but i am a pigeon livered and lack gall” (page 125)

Hamlet shows here his anger that he has to himself for not taking yet revenge against his father’s killer. He’s basically saying in this quote that he has no courage. Therefore this soliloquy reveals to the readers that deep inside Hamlet isn’t courageous. “ Why what an ass am I.. the son of the dear murdered prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, must like a whore unpack my heart with words. At the end of this soliloquy, Hamlet reveals his plan to reenact the killing of his father to see Claudius’s reaction.

The most important soliloquy in the play (act 3 scene 1) reveals to the reader’s Hamlets true fears of life and death. “ To be or not to be, that is the question…” Hamlet is contemplating suicide, he thinks aloud about the human condition. He also talks about all the awful things that happen to human beings. In this soliloquy we understand that Hamlet is having trouble getting along with his problems

He thinks that by sleeping permanently, as in dying will make his problems go away

He is also worrying that the after life might be bad. Hamlet shows in this soliloquy his worries about “dreaming”, because when you’re dead you can’t wake up from a nightmare. “ To die, to sleep, no more and by a sleep to say we end the heartache…to die to sleep perchance to dream…for in the sleep of death what dreams may come”













Hamlet is not the only character that uses soliloquies in the play; in Act 3 scene 3, Claudius expresses his feelings on what he did. It is the first time through out the whole play that the readers get to understand Claudius’s true feelings, and admits out loud that he murdered his brother. “My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent…”, even though Claudius feels guilty for what he did, he doesn’t regret marrying the queen and ofcourse becoming king. “I am still obsessed of those effects for which I did the murder, my crown mine own ambition and my queen … may one be pardoned and retain the offense?…”

In conclusion, from the examples that i gave we can finally conclude that a soliloquy does actually unlock the secrets of the mind. It reveals to the readers what actually goes on in the character's mind, his true feelings and emotions.