“The Motive and the Cue for Passion”

1. “The Motive and the Cue for Passion” The “O, What a Rogue” Soliloquy

2. To the point • Read the soliloquy. • Circle and discover the meanings of unfamiliar words. • Write a summary paragraph of the soliloquy– be sure you are not analyzing. A summary is stripped down to the essential details (just the facts)

3. Piercing Questions • It is obvious to the audience or reader that Hamlet is alone on stage. What else, then, could he mean when he begins, “Now I am alone”? • Why is the Prince calling himself a “rogue” and a peasant slave”? • Hamlet compares himself to the player. What does this comparison reveal about Hamlet’s self-perception? • Throughout Hamlet, much violence is done to ears. How does Hamlet’s “cleave the general ear” relate to other “ear” references? Shakespeare used the word ear twenty-seven times in the play. Do any of these resonate with you? • Hamlet references theatrical terminology in his speech. Find some examples (cue, stages, play). Why might Hamlet be thinking in theatrical terms? • Find lines or phrases that explain why Hamlet thinks himself a coward. Do you think he is a coward, or is he acting cautiously by looking for external evidence to prove Claudius’s guilt?