Hamlet Rhetorical Analysis Examples:
Hamlet by William Shakespeare presents the readers with a soliloquy given by the play’s namesake
character in which Hamlet uses rhetorical questions and vivid imagery to convince his audience to
refrain from holding back their actions. After the death of his father, Hamlet has progressively become
more and more mad. This downward spiral of craziness took off when he came into contact with a ghost
that claimed to be his father. The ghost requested for Hamlet to avenge is death and Hamlet took that
request to heart. Hamlet wishes that he had done more for his father since he hasn’t done anything thus
far. He asks, “Am I coward? Who calls me villain?” which indicates that he is doubting himself and his
lack of action (II.ii.598-599). This sense of self-doubt is derived from his regret for not seeking revenge
for his father sooner. By asking rhetorical questions, Hamlet is simultaneously asking the readers if they
are cowards and encourages them to do the things they want to in life so that they do not end up in the
same position he is in…
In the play Hamlet written by William Shakespeare, Hamlet utilizes metaphors, personification, and
rhetorical questions in his soliloquy to illuminate his cowardly actions, refusing to not take action and
revenge his father’s death. Hamlet is utterly upset that he has made no progress in his plans to murder
king Claudius. He states, “But I am pigeon-liver’d and lack gull to make oppression bitter, or ere this I
should have fatted all the region with this slave’s offal” (II.ii.604-607). Hamlet is beating himself up
about how weak he is, and compares the citizens of Denmark to vultures, and King Claudius to the
intestines of a dead animal. Shakespeare’s’ use of metaphors show the hatred Hamlet has for people,
along with his own self-loathing. Furthermore, in the soliloquy Hamlet expresses that “For murder,
though it have not tongue, will speak with the most miraculous organ” (II.ii.622-623). Shakespeare uses
personification, giving the murder the human qualities of speaking and having a tongue, to express how
no matter what the truth will come out when the actions of murder occur...
Other Examples:
In Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy, Hamlet’s dramatic shifts in tone and natural ability to
appeal to the audience advances his criticism of human nature. Hamlet’s use of the word “coward”
when he states “thus conscience does make cowards of us all” (3.1.28) asserts a disappointing tone and
portrays the fear that not only Hamlet has, but lingers in us all. He explains that the mind may hold us
back and make us not only fearful, but cowardly. Hamlet is not just afraid of death, but cowers in its
presence.
In Hamlet’s infamous soliloquy, Hamlet conveys a questioning tone with contemplative language to
explore the pains of life and uncertainty of death. At the start of his soliloquy, Hamlet begins with a
reflective state of mind and develops into a resigned anger demonstrating his use of dramatic tonal
shift. He states in his contemplations, “for in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have
shuffled off this mortal coil.” Hamlet’s language at the start of the quote displays his reflective mood,
thinking of the peaceful balance between sleep and death, and the dreams that come before both, but
at the conclusion of the quote, Hamlet introduces his angered tone. Hamlet then describes his multiple
