Act 4 Scene 4 Analysis

This passage is in Act 4, Scene 4. The speaker, Hamlet, uses the interrogative to defend his reason for revenge. In the beginning of the soliloquy, he seems to question God for giving humans the capability to reason. For Hamlet, it is not reasonable to allow his uncle to get away with father’s death. The motives of which his father was killed were purely for Cladius’ own greedy ambitions.
The literary devices Hamlet uses in the passage show his motivation to avenge his father. “Examples gross as earth exhort me…”. This simile shows how passionate he is to defend his father and make Cladius pay for his wrong deeds. Hamlet also makes it seem as if he has no control over the thoughts of revenge as they “exhort” him.
Parallelism between Hamlet and Fortinbras can also be seen in this soliloquy. This two characters need each other in the play as they ultimately bring a rise to the theme of revenge. These are two sons who seek revenge and they both take a different approach into accomplishing their mission in the play. Fortinbras’ actions helps Hamlet see the cowardice he has been carrying his own actions with as he reflects on the forcefulness Fortinbras carries his army with.
      This soliloquy also restores the theme of human action. Hamlet constantly questions his every move, but at the end of this soliloquy makes a strong statement in saying, “My thoughts be bloody or nothing worth!”. This is first time Hamlet decides to make a firm decision or shows that he will not turn back. Hamlet finally comes to the realization of the coward he has been and uses the same forcefulness he saw in Fortinbras and his army.
      All in all, this soliloquy is essential as it brings about a change in Hamlet’s mindset. It is the only time Hamlet makes a firm decision on carrying out his revenge on Cladius. He tells himself that there will be no turning back as he will ensures he will avenge his father. After reflecting on the sacrifice Fortinbras was willing to make over a...