Hamlet Quote Essay

"O! That this too too solid flesh would melt, thaw and resolve itself into a dew."

Hamlet cries these dramatic words in the wake of recent events that have rocked the foundation of his life, and this quote, more so than any other in the play, demonstrates the theme: mortality. Whether r not Hamlet is truly suicidal or just doesn't want to exist, he brings up a topic that doesn't go away throughout the rest of the play. Since Hamlet cannot trust anyone to tell his true feelings to, the audience is trusted with a big secret and is able to come up with feelings about Hamlet that none of the other characters can. The audience can the see the theme in action as later events unfold.
Shakespeare's tone could be described as sympathetic to the longing for death. He understands what Hamlet is going through, and thus is able to create a convincing monologue for the character. The fact that the monologue begin with the line  "O! That this too too solid flesh would melt, thaw and resolve itself into a dew" suggests that Shakespeare was trying to shock the audience, as it was unexpected from lack of mortality being mentioned earlier.