Blog Post #1

"To be or not to be" is one of Shakespeare's most recognizable soliloquies. It embraces Hamlet as a character and allows the audience to delve into his mind, as well as interpret for themselves how the protagonist is being portrayed. I agree with Cumberbatch's response as to why the soliloquy is not a conversation. I believe that if it were to have been a conversation, that Hamlet as a character would not be justified as such a bold persona.

From the beginning of the play, I can feel the strong sense of Hamlet's overbearing mind. The process the audience gets to see of the initial emotions Hamlet has, to the way he reacts to them, helps to piece together what could be going on in the protagonist's head. Nothing compares though, to listening to Hamlet battle with his own thoughts. The "to be or not to be" soliloquy embraces the raw feelings Hamlet faces throughout the play.

If the protagonist were to be truly descending into madness, some could interpret the monologue as Hamlet being depressed because he feels as if he is a coward for not killing Claudius. This would be a justification for killing himself. Based on the beginning of the play, Hamlet has been able to consider ending his life based on his excessive amount of grief. Suicide would certainly not be out of the question when analyzing Hamlet's words. Another way to interpret the soliloquy would be to view Hamlet as anything but mad or crazy. Seeing Hamlet's madness as not genuine puts an entire new light on the scene. Hamlet could quite possibly know he is being watched by Claudius and Polonius. This would make the soliloquy based more on Hamlet's suspicion, rather than him being lost in thought.

Overall the monologue touches back to the themes of the afterlife, and consequences. I believe that Hamlet is so dynamic, that to understand him as a character, it is required he has conversations with himself. When he stops and argues with himself, it allows readers to piece together what Hamlet's goals and aspirations are, as well as how he views himself. There are a lot of dynamics that come with this story that require deep analysis from the readers. I feel for Hamlet as a character, because he is able to be complicated within himself, but simple to the characters around him. It is easy to assume certain things about Hamlet throughout the story, but once he starts to unravel his opinions and thoughts within himself, readers face the raw and unforgiving side of his persona.