Question #9- 1.ii.129-59 Analysis of Diction, Figurative Language & Imagery

Hamlet's first soliloquy is packed with tons of information about not only the story line but also important information on Hamlet himself. After submitting to the will of King Claudius, Hamlet gives a speech which essentially stems from his contempt for the current situation and hatred of his mother for having re-married so soon. Firstly, Hamlet's diction is one that is characterized by choppy outbursts of emotion followed by the occasional philosophical line that essentially makes sense of what would otherwise be insanity. Secondly, Hamlet's figurative language serves to emphatically illustrate his volatile emotions. From his liberal use of "O!" and "Fie!" it is clear that Hamlet is indeed experiencing scenes of very raw emotion. Specifically, in this speech Hamlet uses "O!" at least 4 times and ends a sentence with an exclamation about 7 times. These statistics are by no means an aberration. For these same patterns will be seen time and time again in Hamlet's soliloquies. From this figurative language stems the vivid imagery that further conveys Hamlet's emotions. For example, Fie on't! ah fie! 'tis an unweeded garden. This phrase brilliantly illustrates both his figurative language and his imagery. The unweeded garden, preceded by exclamations, creates a picture of true evil, sorrow and contempt all within the same line.