Using select emojis, track Hamlet’s emotions and feelings as he reveals his thoughts in the soliloquy and provide a justification for your choices.
*Emotional trajectory*
Emoji Flow Breakdown:
Lines 1-2:
– Why is everyone against me – Why do people want to see me angry – How do all my meetings with people give me the information I don’t want to hear – Offended at this information – Soft spoken/angry/”put down” – Why do all these people think i’m evil – Hamlet’s mission in the beginning of the soliloquy is to seek revenge. – Lines 1-2 discuss how everything he sees and experiences pushes him toward revenge – Hamlet is reflecting on the world as he looks upon the Norwegian army realizing the dire nature of his actions.
Lines 3-5:
– What is a man good for if he is only good to sleep and eat – If my only occupation is to eat and sleep, what good am I – If his main goal is to eat and sleep, he’s useless (considering he’s a prince) – Hamlet likening himself to an animal represents his idea of his own worth as he sees himself a pawn in his father and Claudius’ game
Lines 6-9:
– Sure God gave us this power to be able to communicate, our power of thought will become moldy if we don’t use it – Hamlet discusses how if humanity doesn’t use the god-like ability to reason and communicate, then it is wasted leaving us only to die.
Lines 10-15:
– Whether it’s mindlessness or cowardly hesitation, I don’t know why I say “there’s things to do” but I don’t do those things – Hamlet questions how he can live with himself knowing the acts he must commit to free himself of his father’s struggles.
– Hamlet addresses the potential consequences of his actions – He doesn’t know if he could live with himself despite knowing that he is capable of committing the actions.
Lines 16-17:
– Hamlet is attempting to justify his need to act. – Hamlet can no longer ignore the facts of his Father’s death, but must attempt to justify his future actions
Lines 18-25:
– Events as big as the Earth will urge me to watch this army (danish/polish ?) fight led by a pristine/delicate prince – This prince with such ambition and drive points fingers at the invisible force – This force will expose what is alive and dangerous to all this glory and death – But be careful of this danger, it is very delicate (C2 a eggshell)
Lines 26-29:
– Hamlet reflects on what it means to be great – He sees greatness as the ability to take action on his own will when his honor is at stake. – He secondly sees greatness as the ability to only take action under justified means and not under any unnecessary circumstances.
Lines 30-33:
– How can I be like this when my father was killed and my mother has taken part in some vulgar act – Motives for my reasoning and the people that I have killed (polonius?) while all others have been still
Lines 34-40:
– In the future i can see 20 000 soldiers dead for a illusion of fame – They die like people going to bed – There are more men then there is room to fight the battle (numbers of fighting men do not have room to fight the battle)
Lines 41-42:
– Hamlet ends by vowing not to think of anything but the death of his father at the hands of his uncle until his justified revenge has been acted upon – He removes all foreign thought and focuses on the matter at hand. – This focus will guide him in his decisions to the end of the play
