Hamlet: Soliloquy "Oh what a rogue and peasant slave am I"

12/13/2018

Hamlet "Oh what a rogue and peasant slave" from Christian Carroll on Vimeo.

Before you complete this blog entry, you must paraphrase this soliloquy on your Hamlet page on your own website: transcribe it in its original form, paraphrase it line by line, and please AVOID the use of Sparknote-like sources!

Self-reproach: 'And all for nothing?'

'What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba . . .?' demands Hamlet as he sees the player weeping for the sufferings of Hecuba. Faced with an actor who can cry at the imagined torments of a fictional character in a play, Hamlet reproaches himself for his own lack of action. The actor can weep 'for nothing', but Hamlet, with a murdered father, is incapable of taking revenge ('unrepugnant of my cause'). Like a day-dreamer ('John-a-dreams'), he does nothing.

a. Do you think that Hamlet is being too hard on himself? Consider in turn each of the things he calls himself and decide if they are true ('rogue', 'peasant slave', 'dull and muddy-mettled rascal', 'John-a-dreams', 'coward', 'pigeon-livered'). Why does he level these accusations at himself.

b. Consider each of the seven things Hamlet calls Claudius in lines 532-3 and discuss justified you think each description is.

c. Shakespeare often inserts lists into his plays (a literary device called copiousness). The accumulation of items helps to increase the intensity of the mood being created. Pick out the following lists: the player's reactions (lines 506-509); what the player would do if he acted Hamlet (lines 514-518); what Hamlet imagines a bully would do to him (lines 524-527); what Hamlet calls Claudius (lines 532-533). Write a new list to insert into the soliloquy (for example, a list concerning his mother, or his false friends).

Primary Blog Expectations (respond to the prompt above): 200-250 words, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the Shakespearean character's name that you selected in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add word count. Due by 11:59pm on Friday 12/14!

Secondary Blog Response Expectations (read everyone's primary responses, select two that interest you, and respond to their ideas): 100-150 words EACH, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the Shakespearean character's name that you selected in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add word count. Due by 11:59pm on Sunday 12/16!

Sir Falstaff

12/14/2018 11:43:20 am

There is one question being asked again and again in this play and that "is hamlet being too hard on himself", so far in this play everybody is being worried for the hamlet, the way he acts, answer's the questions his mom and his "majesty" King Claudius are the most worried. There can be many answers to this specific question, but it depends on how you see it and react to it. If I was hamlet I would not
consider being too hard myself, but I would be more confused; If a ghost of my father came and told me his brother poisoned him to death, I would be angry, confused and crying at the same time. The most itchy thing was that her "majesty" married that man right away and showed no emotion when her husband. As the play progressed ahead we witnessed that hamlet's attitude toward "his majesty" changes very quickly. After knowing the real killer and the real reason behind his father's death is being revealed to him and now that if this doesn't make person crazy then what will it make you. As told you earlier that how you react to hamlet's comments but he had every right to be this way. No one has the right to sit on your father's throne and then marry your mother. And that man is the killer of your father and I think that "his majesty" deserved it. If there was a bully in this play the play would have a new theme and the whole plot would change, but if there was one, the bully would call him a "coward" a man who knows the truth but can't do anything can't stand up to his own father's killer.

Ariel

12/16/2018 06:21:54 pm

Hamlet calls himself multiple names during his second soliloquy, causing readers to question whether he is being too hard on himself. Personally, I think he is being too hard on himself and it's probably because he knows his father has been murdered and he has yet to do anything concrete to avenge him. This thought could easily drive someone mad and cause them to think the same thoughts Hamlet is thinking.
In his second soliloquy, Hamlet calls Claudius a "...bloody, bawdy...remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain." I think all of these terms are justified. He poisoned his own brother for the throne, which proves he is bloody, treacherous, and lecherous. Claudius then marries his brother's wife, who he widowed, which shows he is clearly remorseless, bawdy, and kindless, all of which combine and prove he is a villain. There are other choice words that could describe Claudius, but I don't believe they were used in Shakespearean times.
If I were to add another list, I'd add in a list about Hamlet's mother, Ophelia. It would go something like: "Ungrateful whore! A vixen if I ever knew of one, that she should lie like a babe with that most treacherous villain. To think o'it pains me, yet to breathe is to think o'it. An insult upon my very life, she moves like a peacock, proud almost. One would think she were a conspirator to her love's murder. To burn a thousand years in the Pit would not suffice her crime. But to say she should live with herself would suffice neither, for she seems most joyous in day. A conundrum! How she does it, I know not."

Word Count: 276

Jupiter

12/16/2018 07:53:36 pm

In Hamlet’s second soliloquy in Act 2, Scene 2, he labels himself as many negative things, such as dishonest and a villain. He does this out of frustration for not only lack of grief over his father’s death/murder, but for his inability to create a coherent plan to get revenge on his father’s murderer, the current king and uncle to Hamlet. I do believe Hamlet is being too hard on himself and perhaps going a little mad because it is not easy to organize a successful plan, especially with the current position he is in.
Later on in this soliloquy, Hamlet calls Claudius a “bloody, bawdy villain! Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!” I believe that Hamlet had been justified when calling his uncle these terms; Claudius had been so power-hungry that he killed his own brother (“bloody”) and even married his sister-in-law: an incestuous marriage (bawdy). He does not grief the loss of his brother, but tells the kingdom to move past it; this reveals that Claudius has no compassion or guilt over what he did. He tries to make himself appear as kind and humble for taking over the role of king, even though they had lost someone.
I would add a list concerning his false friends into his soliloquy; “What traitors, tools those men art! To cometh hither, by the orders of that unworthy king, that treacherous villain, and spy on me! Brainless pigeons with no spines, now art untrustworthy. “To visit you, my lord, no other occasion. ” talk'st of nothing! Thinking those gents can fool me, acting like most wondrous friends to check up on an insane sir like myself. How pathetic the so-called king is, to useth mine once close friends rather than coming for me directly, and how pathetic mine once close friends art to wend through with 't.”

Jupiter

12/16/2018 07:54:34 pm

Word Count: 305

Titania

12/16/2018 09:11:46 pm

In Hamlet’s soliloquy in Act II, Scene ii, Hamlet was being critical of himself for not showing the emotions he deemed appropriate for his circumstances. He compares himself to an actor who is able to convey the emotions he believes he should be displaying. While he is analyzing the actors extraordinary talents in showing the emotions he lacks,he calls himself a rogue and peasant slave, a monstrous being, for being so seemingly apathetic to his own father’s death. Hamlet states that the actor in play about Hecuba was able to “drown the stage in tears, and cleave the ear with horrid speech.” Hamlet is being slightly too harsh on himself. He is calling himself a monster for not being extremely emotional over his own father’s death. I don’t think this is Hamlet being apathetic; he is seemingly unable to verbally or physically express his emotions but that could be due to the pressures that were put on him earlier in the play, to suppress his feelings. Also although Hamlet may not be breaking down in tears, his lust for revenge on who he thought killed his father shows that he is experiencing grief very differently from how the actor was displaying grief for Hecuba.

Hamlet calls his uncle/stepfather a “bloody, bawdy villain! Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!” If Claudius really was responsible for the death of his father, his description of him would be very accurate. Hamlet does acknowledge later in the play that it is possible that the ghost was really a devil playing tricks on him though. If Claudius really wasn’t responsible for his father’s death he would only be lecherous and treacherous for wedding his dead brother’s widowed wife.

Word Count: 284

Mercutio

12/16/2018 09:42:13 pm

I believe that Hamlet is being extremely hard on himself. Throughout the soliloquy, Hamlet refers to himself as derogatory terms such as a ‘peasant slave’ or a ‘rascal’, the reason for this being that he lacks the knowledge of how to remedy the pain caused by his present circumstances. He blames himself for this and for not yet doing anything about the ‘villionous’ Claudius. He calls himself a “coward”, “whore”, and “rouge” for not doing more in respect to his father's death for not killing Claudius right away. Hamlet is being hard on himself because revenge is no easy feat. Because Claudius did some horrid act to his beloved father, Hamlet wants revenge but thinks he is cowardly for not acting while Claudius remains king. The level of the accusations shows Hamlet’s self-doubt and irrational thinking.
In Act 2 Hamlet has a conversation with Claudius in which he calls him bloody, bawdy,remorseless, treacherous, lecherous,mindless,kindless, and a villain. Much of these words are accurate descriptions as Claudius is quite literary a villain, so far he has only been kind when it benefited him, and he is remorseless enough to kill his own brother. Lecherous may be a bit extreme to use against Claudius, however he did marry his dead brothers wife within months of the funeral. Although this might be because of some alternative motive that has yet to be revealed.
If I were to write another list for the play I wold target Hamlet’s false friends spoken by Hamlet: "To believe i did trust those men at any point in time! Years of friendship down the drain, foiled by treacherous, incompetent, untrustworthy, serpents. Taking orders from king,so foolish! mine own mother, then mine own uncle, anon mine cousins! wonder doth I who is't shall betray me next and breaketh mine own already weak and erning heart."
Word count:310

king ducan

12/16/2018 10:21:10 pm

"Is hamlet being too hard on himself", so far in this play everybody is questioning Hamlet... and the way he acts, his mom and his "majesty" King Claudius are the most worried. There is many possible answers to this specific question, but it depends on how you see it and react to it. If I was hamlet I would not
consider being too hard on myself, but I would be more confused; If a ghost of my father came and told me his brother poisoned him to death, I would be furious, upset and confused all at the same time. The most insane thing was that his mom married that Hamlet's brother right away when her husband died. As the play progressed ahead we witnessed that hamlet's attitude toward "his majesty" changes very quickly. After knowing the true killer and the real reason behind his father's death is coming out to him, that should make him insane. Hamlet he had every right to be this way, like any normal person you aren't going to be okay finding out the truth about what is happening and would react the same way he did. No one has the right to sit on your father's throne and then marry your mother. If a person were to act out Hamlet I feel like that person would be acting angrily emotions while trying to act crazy at the same time.

Word count 235

Ophelia

12/16/2018 10:22:31 pm

In Act 2 Scene 2 during Hamlet’s soliloquy, he refers to himself with many foul names such as a rouge and peasant slave. I believe Hamlet is being too hard on himself and is simply overwhelmed by his emotions. Hamlet levels these accusations at himself because he is frustrated by his lack of action to avenge his father’s death, yet an actor was easily able to make himself cry over something fictional.
During Hamlet’s soliloquy, he also refers to Claudius as a “Bloody, bawdy villain! Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!” I believe these descriptions are justified because Claudius had murdered his own brother, which is bloody and treacherous, and then married the widowed queen so that he could gain the throne. Claudius then wanted to make it seem as though he was a great king because he was doing what was best for the kingdom even though he didn’t bother to grieve for his own brother and wanted everyone else to move on from his death. This shows how Claudius felt no remorse for his brother’s death, thus making him a villain.
If I were to add a new list to Hamlet’s soliloquy, it would be a list concerning his mother. “What a fool you are! You weak, frail woman! So quick to betray my father and partake in such incestuous behaviors with the own man who killed your love.”

Ophelia

12/16/2018 10:24:16 pm

Word Count: 230

Romeo

12/16/2018 11:09:18 pm

Through Hamlet, Hamlet himself has shown a deep hatred for the man who hated his father. He is filled with the desire to get revenge for the fall of his great king. However, he doesn't make a lot of attempts and believes that he is too weak to do it. When enchanted by the grief portrayed by an actor, he says, "Yet I,
A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause" (Shakespeare 525). He puts himself down for not having the perseverance to fulfill his revenge. As an outsider, one could see how he would be too hard on himself. He is punishing himself for something that cannot be resolved, and would only bring more hatred and conflict. However, Sir Hamlets death is important to him. Similar to how creating life was important to Frankenstein, Hamlet has a deep desire to bring justice upon the traitor. But unlike Frankenstein, who drops everything and just does it, Hamlet cowers and hides his deep emotions. He feels he is not being too hard on himself, because he is not doing enough to call himself brave. He shows no sign of wanting revenge, although inside it is all he thinks of. This is why he accuses himself of being a coward. A true soldier would not hesitate to fight back on what they think is correct. For his actions, Hamlet does nothing and truly is a "coward"

Juliet

12/17/2018 12:03:17 am

Hamlet calls himself multiple names during his second soliloquy, causing readers to question whether he is being too hard on himself. I think he might be being hard on himself, mostly because he knows his father was murdered and he hasn’t done anything to get revenge for him. This thinking could easily make someone crazy and cause them to think like this.
In his second soliloquy, Hamlet calls Claudius a "...bloody, bawdy...remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain." I think for the most part, these terms are justified. He poisoned his own brother to take his spot on the throne, which proves he is bloody, treacherous, and lecherous. As soon as his brother died, he married his wife, showing he is remorseless, bawdy, and kindless — all of which prove his villainous ways.
If I were to add another list, I would add a list in reference to Hamlet’s mother. The list, or copiousness, would consist of things like: “Nasty woman! What a fool you are! You weak, frail woman! So quick to betray my father and partake in such incestuous behaviors with the own man who killed your love. You make me sick! Ugh! How darest thou whore!”
word count: 201

Apothecary

12/17/2018 12:03:34 am

Hamlet degrades his being with names like “peasant slave”, “rascal”, and :pigeon-liver’d” when he feels ashamed about not taking any action into his father’s murder. He acknowledges that he only weeps in melancholy and stands around than proclaiming revenge on a possible murderer. Although it may seem like it, Hamlet is not being too hard on himself. His words may seem harsh, but it is just Hamlet finally realizing the truth and faults of his actions. He calls himself beaten up and weak to be conscious of his weeping. It is a fact that he feels strongly about his father’s death; it is just that he hasn’t done any strong actions to support it. When he label’s himself as “dull” and a “peasant slave”, Hamlet brings himself down to a commoner level. It is as if he’s saying that he’s just like any other person, but he should be much higher than that. Hamlet is a prince and should hold stances, considence, and pride.
The whole purpose of the soliloquy is for Hamlet bring himself into awareness of his constant weeping and lack of action. By calling himself insults, a harsh pain can better awake him than softening the blow to his reality. If he were to avoid realizing his weakness, then Hamlet may have continued to weep and be frustrated about his Uncle without saying anything else, and that would be satisfying and incomplete.

Word Count: 235

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Hamlet: Soliloquy "Oh what a rogue and peasant slave am I"

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