Hamlet still feels like he is helpless and can do nothing to change his circumstances. Hamlet seems overly frustrated with the actors, how could they show “real emotion” for what he considers to be “nothing?” This causes conflict within Hamlet’s character; all he wants to do is cry and mourn his father’s death, but he feels like he can’t. Hamlet actually feels like he himself is the villain in his life. He feels as though he is the bad guy because he does not speak out for his dead father. Along with being a villain, he feels that he is a coward. He has reason to believe that Claudius has killed his father, yet he does nothing about it. Hamlet knows that something needs to be done to Claudius but all he can seem to do is complain to himself and take no action. However, Hamlet does take some action, he decides to have the actors perform a play which would depict his father’s murder and see how Claudius reacts. He determines that this is the way he will find out the truth. If Claudius reacts, then Hamlet has his answer and he will be free to avenge his father’s death. This will confirm that what the ghost told his was correct and that the ghost was not some devil trying to confuse Hamlet.
Hamlet is really beating himself up in this particular soliloquy, but we do see some character development! He is a little bit less helpless. Although he seems to be taking baby steps, and I mean REALLY small steps here, he is trying to do something about his situation. Staging the play is Hamlet shedding some of his fear and impotence; he is fact-finding and trying to determine the next step in avenging his father’s death.
