Hamlet's Soliloquy Analysis

       In Hamlet's famous soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 1 of Hamlet, Shakespeare emphasizes Hamlet's internal struggle between action and inaction as he questions to live or to die. By questioning "to be, or not to be", Hamlet directly ponders whether he should live or to take his own life as he wonders whether life is worth living if one has to suffer through it (V.iii.64). Hamlet I'd questioning whether his life is worth living despit suffering, or if he should take a knife and end his life, wondering which action would be nobler.  During this soliloquy, Hamlet also expresses traces of his main internal struggle between action or inaction when he says "thus conscience does make cowards of us all" (V.iii.91). By using the word "conscience", Hamlet emphasizes that he is not mad currently as he has a connection with his mental capacity and thoughts. Because of this, when he says that is is his conscience that makes "cowards of us all", he reasons that his inability to act, whether it be killing Claudius or himself, is hindered by his ability to think clearly and make judgements based off of potential successes and consequences. Similarly, when he says "the native hue of resolution, is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought" while reflecting upon the causes of his struggle between action or inaction (V.iii.92-93). In this quote, Hamlet reveals that the true reason why he remains in a state of stagnation is due to his over analyzing of the situation, which has "sicklied...the pale cast of thought." By describing his thought as "pale", Hamlet reveals that the small portion of his thoughts that support action is already a weak and limp, but due to his overthinking, it has been completely overcome by inaction. Overall, Hamlet's struggle is hindered by his own action of overthinking and doubt in his decisions and choices. Therefore, in Hamlet's famous soliloquy, he addresses his central character struggle between action and inaction.