"Seven Soliloquies — The Heart of Hamlet" | Lynne Kelsey for OLLI UNT
Source Information
- Author: Lynne Kelsey, MA
- Institution: OLLI UNT (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, University of North Texas)
- Source of Texts: Folger Shakespeare Library edition
- File: raw/hamlet_olli_handout.pdf (168 KB)
- Format: Educational handout with scholarly apparatus
Contents
A comprehensive pedagogical guide to the seven major soliloquies of Hamlet, plus a bonus passage from Act V, Scene 2. Each soliloquy includes:
- Scene and context (what has just happened)
- Full text from the Folger Shakespeare Library edition (noting variant readings between Folio and Second Quarto)
- Thematic analysis
Soliloquies Covered
| # | Act | Scene | Opening | Key Theme |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | 2 | "O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt" | Despair and revulsion at the world |
| 2 | I | 5 | "O all you host of heaven! O Earth! What else?" | Shock and absolute resolve to remember the Ghost |
| 3 | II | 2 | "O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!" | Self-recrimination and decision to test Claudius |
| 4 | III | 1 | "To be or not to be—that is the question" | Existential crisis and paralysis through consciousness |
| 5 | III | 2 | "'Tis now the very witching time of night" | Violent exhilaration after confirming guilt |
| 6 | III | 3 | "Now might I do it pat, now he is a-praying" | Theological scrupulosity and postponed revenge |
| 7 | IV | 4 | "How all occasions do inform against me" | Shame-driven resolution to bloody action |
| BONUS | V | 2 | "Not a whit. We defy augury" | Acceptance of fate and mortality |
Plot Context
The handout provides a detailed synopsis of Hamlet before the soliloquies, including:
- The sudden death of Prince Hamlet's father (King of Denmark)
- His mother Gertrude's hasty marriage to his uncle Claudius
- The Ghost's revelation that Claudius murdered the former king
- Hamlet's feigned madness and the test of the Players' performance
- Polonius's death and Ophelia's madness
- The final catastrophic duel
Textual Apparatus
The Folger Edition texts are marked to show:
- ⟨pointed parentheses⟩ = words found only in the Folio version
- [squared brackets] = words found only in the Second Quarto version
This represents three existing versions of Hamlet: the First Quarto (largely discounted as incomplete), the Second Quarto, and the First Folio.
Pedagogical Value
This handout is designed for adult learners in the OLLI program and provides:
- Accessible scholarly context without excessive jargon
- Full, accurate texts with textual variants noted
- Scene-by-scene progression through the play's action
- Emphasis on the soliloquies as the "heart" of the play—the window into Hamlet's consciousness
Use in the Wiki
The concept page Hamlet's Soliloquies integrates all seven soliloquies plus the bonus with expanded thematic analysis, showing Hamlet's progression from despair to determined action to final acceptance.
Created: 2026-04-07
Source file: raw/hamlet_olli_handout.pdf