The Speech Of Hamlet Vs. King Claudius

               Speech is an important tool that an author uses to develop characters. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare employs soliloquies an as important technique to reveal the character of Hamlet. A soliloquy is when a character has a monologue alone on stage, which reveals his or her thoughts or emotions out loud.  In Act I, Hamlet has one major soliloquy that describes his disapproval of his mother marrying his uncle so quickly after his father’s death. He is hysterical and suicidal, which shows the reader that Hamlet is a caring man, who not only loved his father, but also wishes to respect and defend his memory. Hamlet speaks with many metaphors and allusions, which allow the reader to better understand his character. He compares his father to the Hyperian, the sun God. In addition, Hamlet says, “Frailty thy, name is woman!” which shows that he is disgusted with his mother’s actions because she married his father’s brother in “most wicked speed.” He refers to their marriage to be in “incestuous sheets.” Even though his mother marrying his uncle is not technically a form of incest, Hamlet considers it so because it occurred within a month of his father’s death. Hamlet contemplates suicide when he says, “ his cannon ‘gainst self-slaughter!’ but instead he decides to hold his pain in even though it breaks his heart to watch his mother disrespect his father. Shakespeare elevates Hamlet in the eyes of the reader through his advanced speech. In contrast, King Claudius does not have soliloquies because Shakespeare does not want the reader to understand his inner thought processes and motives too quickly. Initially, King Claudius is illustrated to be a noble, caring man who wants to comfort Hamlet due to the loss of his father. He refers to Hamlet as his “son” and wishes that the memory of his dear brother’s death to be remembered. However, his speech is full of contradictions, which shows the reader that he is not trustworthy. He refers to Hamlet as his “cousin” and his “son.” He scolds Hamlet for mourning for too long. The speech of the King does not contain metaphors, allusions, or soliloquies. Thus, through speech, Hamlet is immediately seen to be the determined hero of the play while the King is seen to be the untrustworthy villain.