Hamlet Essay

Language is the only barrier we have with our thoughts. It's the only way we are able to convey to others what we need. In Shakespeare's Hamlet we witness the evolution of his characters through the soliloquies they give to the audience and the dialogue they share with other characters. Language helps not only the audience understand what is going on in the play but Hamlet learns through his own soliloquies at the same time. This illustrates the point that the way we word an experience later leads to the way we remember that moment.
Prince Hamlet has an abundance of soliloquies throughout the play to give the reader a better understanding of his thoughts, yet throughout these speeches we watch Hamlet's ideas of his own actions also evolve. Take for instance his speech in regard to the actor that was so vehement in his fictional speech that he moved himself to tears. In the beginning Hamlet is simply commenting on the beauty of the actor's words but as it progresses we watch it evolve into a self-reflection, scorning himself on his inability to have such passion.
 "Yet I,
A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak
Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,
And can say nothing—no, not for a king,
Upon whose property and most dear life
A damned defeat was made."
This part of the play is where Hamlet is scolding himself. Another example is in Hamlet's famous soliloquy at the end of Act 3 where he contemplates whether life is worth it. In the beginning he is very unsure and very pessimistic. It is obvious that Hamlet is figuring suicide is the only way out but carry on further we watch him "self-overhear" and realize that to kill himself now would be a waste and he must make something of his before taking such drastic measures.
The way we retell a memory has certain effects on the memory itself. Take for instance I had a recent experience where I retold my first day of work to my family members. My boss had made a few rude comments but other then that was it was pretty uneventful, therefore I only told the rude comments part to my family and that moment is now a considered a bad memory in my mind even though over all it wasn't that bad. Same goes for Hamlet, he tells of made up stories to others to convey the fact that he is insane. Yet the repetition of insanity actually starts to drive Hamlet insane.
Overall Hamlet's ability to self-overhear benefits him while his retelling accountability hinders his rational thinking further providing evidence that maybe Hamlet really is insane. Modern day people have trouble with the self-overhearing concept and often resort to drugs of therapists to sort out our problems while in the other department we know all to well, with an incredible reliance on lying to put ourselves ahead in life.