Act 3 Scene 1 Flashcards
What happened in Act 3 Scene 1?
This soliloquy has a different tone compared to his previous angst-ridden speech at the end of Act 2. Hamlet is presented as more philosophical as he dispassionately considers the nature of life, death and human existence
How is Hamlet presented via Shakespeare’s use of parallel phrasing, ‘to be, or not to be, that is the question’. You might also consider why this is written in iambic pentameter?
-Hamlet is debating whether or not to exist and the structure presents Hamlet as balenced.
-He is also debating life and death as he will deal with death if he commits regicide
By using the metaphor ‘sea of troubles’, what does Shakespeare suggest about how Hamlet sees life? Is this similar or different to the way that he describes life as facing ‘the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’?
-He views life as an endless struggle of troubles and debates if he should carry on.
-he has a nihilistic view on life
Why does the eponymous hero refer to death as ‘The undiscover’d country’?
Hamlet perhaps shows a humanist mindset as he claims death is undiscovered. Hamlet is attempting to rationalise death.
What does the protagonist suggest about thought and rationality when he suggests that ‘the native hue of resolution is sicklied over with the pale cast of thought’
Colour imagery suggesting Hamlet’s overthinking is causing his inaction. He makes a referance to his own hamartia
What critics can be associated with this scene?
-‘The single characteristic of Hamlet’s character is by no means hesitation but the strong conflux of contending forces’ (Swinbourne)
-‘Hamlet is a tragedy of thought’ (Bradley)
What AO3 can be connected to this scene?
The rennaisance and humanism - it was a period of rebirth of questioning and curiosity.
-man is the measure of all things’. This contrasts the medieval era which studies religious doctarine.
