Hamlet+2.2+Soliloquy+page

It is obvious to the audience that Hamlet is alone onstage. What else, then, does he mean when he begins, “Now I am alone”?

Why is the Prince calling himself a “rogue” and “peasant slave”?


 * Hamlet compares himself to the player. What does this comparison reveal about Hamlet’s self-perception?

Throughout the play, much violence is done to ears. How does Hamlet’s “cleave the general ear” relate to other “ear” references? Shakespeare uses the word ear twenty-seven times in this play. Do any of these resonate with you?

Hamlet uses a lot of theatrical terminology in his speech. Find some examples (“cue,” “satage,” “play”). Why might Hamlet be thinking in theatrical terms?

Find lines or phrases that explain why Hamlet thinks himself a coward. Do you think he is a coward, or is he acting cautiously by looking for external evidence to prove Claudius’s guilt?

HOMEWORK: 3.2 (SHORT LOG -- JUST SUMMARY AND QUESTIONS; THEN ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS PUT ONTO THE WIKI