In Hamlet’s first Soliloquy how does Shakespeare use imagery

In Hamlet’s first soliloquy it is painfully obvious that he is suffering great mental anguish. In all parts of his speech, excepting his descriptions of his parents’ relationship, Hamlet is disturbingly pessimistic. He even opens with notions of suicide saying ‘that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter!’ He continues to describe why he feels this way using a list of unfavourable adjectives. Hamlet is clearly suffering from what would be diagnosed as depression with his main symptom the inability to see any good in any worldly activities, preferring to describe them as ‘weary, stale, flat and unprofitable.’

Hamlet uses the image of an ‘unweeded garden’ to describe his perceptions of contemporary Denmark. This shows how bleak everything seems to him and how he feels it is evil that is currently triumphing over goodness and justice. This also gives insight into his hatred of Claudius which spurs his disgust at his mother’s remarriage. Hamlet describes the garden (Denmark) as overgrown with things ‘rank and gross in nature’ which can be under

stood to include Claudius taking over as monarch and thus bringing evil to power. Such a description of Claudius helps confirm Hamlet’s angry state of mind and brings the inclusion of hatred to the myriad of emotions he is feeling.

Hamlet is thrown into confusion by the ‘wicked speed to post’ with which his mother marries Claudius. He is confident that his perception of his parents as happily married is not wrong and doesn’t understand his mother’s recovery from her husband’s death. He describes his father’s love for Gertrude as so great ‘that he might not beteem the winds of heaven visit her face too roughly’ and bears reference to an ever increasing appetite in expressing his observations of her feelings towards the late king. Hamlet’s speech becomes more fluent here with fewer lines interrupted by ends of sentences. This shows that he is talking of something he is sure about and would suggest he is not disturbed by it however Hamlet also presents evidence to the contrary. He twice says that he doesn’t want to remember, saying ‘must I remember’ and ’let me not think on it.’ This confirms Hamlet’s depression as even a positive memory can cause him anguish possibly by magnifying the misery of his life at present.

Hamlet uses exaggeration in his speech conveying the idea that he is feeling the extremes of emotion. Shakespeare’s use of exclamation marks to mark emphatic speech also show Hamlet’s strong emotions. Hamlet likens his father’s goodness to that of a Hyperion a great embellishment considering that in Greek mythology the Titan Hyperion was father of the sun, moon and dawn embodying and radiating goodness. After such praise and the description of him as ‘so excellent a king’ it is obvious that Hamlet held his father in h

Some topics in this essay:
Soliloquy Shakespeare, Hercules Grecian, Titan Hyperion, Overall Hamlet, father’s goodness, mother’s remarriage, bears reference, hamlet image, hamlet feels, hamlet describes, hamlet’s soliloquy, father hamlet,