hamlet

Unlike the 1st soliloquy, in the 2nd Hamlet compares himself to a beast. In the 1st soliloquy he refers to being John-a-dreams (proverbial name for an absent-minded dreamer), while in the 2nd soliloquy he simply uses the phrase “bestial oblivion” (mindlessness like the beasts’).

Hamlet’s comparison of himself with others is present in both soliloquies. In the 1st soliloquy, Hamlet compares himself with the player.

The third comparative aspect, between these two soliloquies, is Hamlet’s reference to being oblivious. However, in the 2nd soliloquy, Hamlet’s insecurity tends to be more towards his cowardliness. “What would he do had he the motive and (the cue) for passion that I have? He would drown the stage with tears and cleave the general ear with horrid speech, make mad the guilty and appall the free…”. He has made the decision about killing Claudius but doesn’t seem to believe that he has the guts to go through with it. This is noticeable in the quote “Now whether it be bestial oblivion or some scruple of thinking too precisely on Th’event…”

Despite how different the two topics of the soliloquies might seem, there are similarities and differences that define them. All of the above are just a few of the many that are still left to be looked into.