Hamlet Soliloquy Presentation

Horatio:'Twere to consider too curiously, to consider so.

Hamlet:No, faith, not a jot; but to follow him thither with

modesty enough, and likelihood to lead it: as

thus: Alexander died, Alexander was buried,

Alexander returneth into dust; the dust is earth; of

earth we make loam; and why of that loam, whereto he

was converted, might they not stop a beer-barrel?

Imperious Caesar, dead and turn'd to clay,

Might stop a hole to keep the wind away:

O, that that earth, which kept the world in awe,

Should patch a wall to expel the winter flaw!

But soft! but soft! aside: here comes the king.

Horatio, tell me something.

Translation

Original

Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow

of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath

borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how

abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims at

it.

Poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, he was very funny; he carried me on his back a thousand times; and now it is terrible he has turned into this! It makes my stomach turn

Translation

Original

I don't know how many times I've kissed your lips. Where are your taunts? Your running around playfully? Your songs? Your funny acts that made everyone laugh? There's no one left you can make smile. Are you sad about this? Now go to your lady's chamber and tell her that even if she puts an inch of make-up on, she'll still only end up looking like you. That will make her laugh

Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know

not how oft. Where be your gibes now? your

gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment,

that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one

now, to mock your own grinning? quite chap-fallen?

Now get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let

her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must

come; make her laugh at that.

HORATIO: If you were thinking that you thought to much

HAMLET: No, not at all you weren't. Just follow the logic step by step: Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returned to dust, the dust is dirt, and dirt makes mud we use to stop up holes. So why can’t someone plug a beer barrel with the dirt that used to be Alexander? The great emperor Caesar, dead and turned to clay, might plug up a hole to keep the wind away. Oh, to think that the same body that once ruled the world could now patch up a

wall! But quiet, be quiet a minute, here comes the king.

Horatio, tell me something

HORATIO: What do you need to tell me, my lord?

HAMLET: Do you think Alexander the Great looked like this

when he was buried?

HORATIO: Just like that

HAMLET: And smelled like this, Wow!

HORATIO: Just that bad, my lord

HAMLET: How low can we fall, Horatio. Isn’t it possible to

imagine that the noble ashes of Alexander the

Great could end up plugging a hole?

(Hamlet continues) Prithee, Horatio, tell me one thing.

Horatio:What's that, my lord?

Hamlet:Dost thou think Alexander looked o' this fashion i' the earth?

Horatio:E'en so.

Hamlet:And smelt so? Pah!

Horatio:E'en so, my lord.

Hamlet:To what base uses we may return, Horatio! Why may not imagination trace the noble dust of Alexander,

till he find it stopping a bung-hole?

So What Does That Mean??

More on Hamlet's Growth and Change

What does this tell us about Hamlet?

Hamlet's Maturity Throughout The Play

Characterization

Other Qualities of Hamlet Seen

• This scene shows he might have put less value on religion influencing his decision
• Hamlet is often very contemplative on the afterlife, but here he seems to ignore that; he says that death is simply returning to ash, and seems to imply there is nothing beyond this
• This could mean that he is done contemplating whether his actions will matter for going to Hell or Heaven (for him and Claudius), but now is only interested in finally taking action after being indecisive for so long

• Shows Hamlet's sense of pain and self pity
• The encounter with the skull of Yorick, a man he presumably knew had been dead, leads him to become very saddened and introspective
• Although he is no longer considering suicide, the ultimate decision that everyone just ends up as dust is a very dark philosophy
• Shows how the pain Hamlet experiences throughout his life led him to put less value on his lfe

• Shows us his introspective and intelligent nature
• Simply by looking at a skull it evokes strong emotions and he begins to explore the finality of death
• He is very inquiring
• Asks questions to Horatio to try to evoke responses
• He considers the outcomes of great men like Alexander the Great and Ceaser
• He also has very complete thoughts
• Example: Going through the process of Alexander the Greats transition from death to what he might have become

• This soliloquy shows us how Hamlet has grown throughout the play
• In the first soliloquy (to be or not to be), Hamlet contemplates suicide. He cannot decide whether living his life is truly even as bad as death
• This first soliloquy can be read to show Hamlet's immaturity at this point. He is seemingly unsure of what he should to, and is very indecisive
• Rather, at this soliloquy, Hamlet seems much more certain
• He seems very accepting of what he has established death is about
• This leads him to be confident in his choice he makes to ultimately try to kill Claudius
• Hamlet is still very contemplative here as he is in the rest of the play, but he is no longer complaining in an immature way as he did early on. He is now accepting of what has come and what he feels he must to
• Throughout the play, Hamlet contemplates death a lot. He is finally now face to face with death (literally) and is now left to ultimately make his decision on what he thinks about it

Literary Devices Used

In this scene Shakespeare uses a heavy dose of imagery to help us visualize what it happening. He vividly explains Alexander the Greats burial; how he looked and how he smelled adding to the imagery of what it is like at the graveyard.

In our soliloquy we just cutoff the part involving the gravediggers by one line but they are an important part to this section, and add to the style of writing in Shakespeare. This time in the book is not the happiest. We are around a lot of death. However Shakespeare seems to add some irony to the situation. The gravediggers are around death the whole day however they seem to add some humor in the situation. " It was the very day that young Hamlet was born, he that is mad and sent into England." During this time when going through the graves, and very soon finding Yoricks skull, the gravedigger seems to add some humor because he said that right in Hamlets face.

• Additionally, Shakespeare shows his impressive writing skills by using very strong symbolism
• The skull symbolizes Hamlet looking face to face with death, something he has contemplated the entire play, and something which is one of the themes of the play
• As this is the end of the play, the time for Hamlet to finally make a decision about his views on the matter. The time for contemplating is over, and it is now time for action

Also when talking about Alexander, Hamlet refers to him as "dust" or dirt. This could be a metaphor for how everyone becomes one when they die, everyone is part of the earth and on the same level no matter who you were before. It's what you do in this life that matters because it wont change what happens in the next life. Alexander went from being a great leader to plugging "bung-holes."

Builds Up Suspense

This is an iconic scene in Hamlet. So what does it accomplish?

• This scene is key to the plot of the story, because it sets the stage for the climax, where the majority of the characters die
• Hamlet's soliloquy focuses on death, and specifically stresses that everyone is equal when they die, whether you are a jester or Alexander the Great
• This realization Hamlet has, shows that he is questioning whether avenging his father is worth it, as they will all end up in the same place once they die
• As Hamlet is about to attempt to kill Claudius, this is what is in his mind.

Disclaimer*

*This is not a traditional soliloquy, as it is not just Hamlet speaking, although it is mainly him, and it accomplishes the same purpose

Context

• Act V Scene I
• Hamlet and Horatio enter the graveyard as two men are digging Ophelia's grave
• Hamlet is curious about the Skulls being taken out to make room for the grave, and picks up one
• The gravedigger says that this is Yorick's, King Hamlet's old jester...

Horatio:'Twere to consider too curiously, to consider so.

Hamlet:No, faith, not a jot; but to follow him thither with

modesty enough, and likelihood to lead it: as

thus: Alexander died, Alexander was buried,

Alexander returneth into dust; the dust is earth; of

earth we make loam; and why of that loam, whereto he

was converted, might they not stop a beer-barrel?

Imperious Caesar, dead and turn'd to clay,

Might stop a hole to keep the wind away:

O, that that earth, which kept the world in awe,

Should patch a wall to expel the winter flaw!

But soft! but soft! aside: here comes the king.

Hamlet: Let me see.

*Takes the skull

Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow

of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath

borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how

abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims at

it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know

not how oft. Where be your gibes now? your

gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment,

that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one

now, to mock your own grinning? quite chap-fallen?

Now get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let

her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must

come; make her laugh at that. Prithee, Horatio, tell

me one thing.

Horatio:What's that, my lord?

Hamlet:Dost thou think Alexander looked o' this fashion i' the earth?

Horatio:E'en so.

Hamlet:And smelt so? Pah!

Horatio:E'en so, my lord.

Hamlet:To what base uses we may return, Horatio! Why may not imagination trace the noble dust of Alexander,

till he find it stopping a bung-hole?

• This is an important part of the play because it reinforces character traits Hamlet possesses throughout the play
• Shows his introspective nature, his thoroughness, and his intelligence
• However, this also shows how Hamlet has grown and changed throughout the play
• Much less indecisive
• Changes his outlook on afterlife and legacy
• This also demonstrates Shakespeare's impressive writing skills through his use of imagery, metaphors, alusions and symbolism

So what? Why is this an important section of the play?

Hamlet Soliloquy Presentation

Sammy and Jonny

The End!