Monologue Analysis: "Now I am Alone..." (Act II)

At the end of Act II, following the initial meeting of all of the actors for the play that Hamlet is planning on setting up, the prince has a rather extensive monologue. In this closing segment, Prince Hamlet relates not only his disappointment regarding how well the first player did in his audition of sorts, but also his general plan of action as to how he plans to scope out whether or not Claudius actually killed his father. His plan is thus - he will essentially have the players reenact his father's murder and gauge from the King's reaction whether or not he actually killed King Hamlet. What makes this monologue interesting is its use of diction and the many words requiring footnotes for explanation. Lines such as 582-583, saying "A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause..." The apparent colloquialism used adds an almost poetic depth to the speech pattern when read aloud. Hamlet then proceeds to go on to become angry once again over the murder of his father and the terms villain and vengeance become a mainstay in his vocabulary choice. As well, Hamlet continually questions his bravery and relates himself to a whore and a slut, mostly because he "must unpack my heart with words" (Line 602), which apparently is what they do. Following this self-deprecation, Hamlet lays out his plan for how he will catch Claudius red-handed based on his reaction to the play. A final interesting quality of this monologue is that near the end Shakespeare has Hamlet question where the Ghost came from. Though he is certain that it was his father, he mentions that "May be the devil; and the Devil hath power t' assume a pleasing shape..." (Line 616-617). This skepticism shows a definite change in his attitude since he conversed with the Ghost, as immediately following their exchange he seemed dead-set on exacting his revenge on the new king.

Word Count (Not Including This Footer): 323