Hamlet
Prompt #22 · Hamlet
Prompt Type: Symbol/Motif
Ears and hearing recur throughout the play: the poison poured in King Hamlet's ear, Polonius and Claudius eavesdropping, Hamlet's command to Gertrude to listen, and references to words entering through ears. Analyze how Shakespeare uses this motif to explore themes of truth, deception, and the power and danger of language. Explain how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Quote 1
“Let me be cruel, not unnatural. / I will speak daggers to her, but use none; / My tongue and soul in this be hypocrites.”
Act III, Scene 2
Argument
This quote directly links the ear/hearing motif to the power and danger of language through the metaphor of 'speak daggers,' showing how words can wound as violently as weapons when they enter through the ear. Hamlet's recognition that his 'tongue' must be weaponized yet controlled reveals language's dual nature as both truth-telling instrument and potential destroyer.
Quote 2
“O Hamlet, speak no more. / Thou turn’st mine eyes into my very soul, / And there I see such black and grained spots / As will not leave their tinct.”
Act III, Scene 4
Argument
Gertrude's response to Hamlet's verbal assault demonstrates the motif's evolution from physical poison (King Hamlet's ear) to psychological penetration, as his words force her to 'see' corruption within her soul. The imagery of words turning her eyes inward shows how language, once heard, can reveal hidden truths and inflict lasting moral damage.
Quote 3
“Her father and myself, lawful espials, / Will so bestow ourselves that, seeing unseen, / We may of their encounter frankly judge,”
Act III, Scene 1
Argument
This quote establishes the eavesdropping pattern central to the ear motif, with Claudius and Polonius positioning themselves to 'see unseen' and judge through overhearing. The phrase 'lawful espials' ironically frames deceptive listening as legitimate, exposing how those in power manipulate what enters others' ears while secretly controlling what enters their own.
Quote 4
Act III, Scene 3
Argument
Claudius's confession that 'words fly up' while 'thoughts remain below' exposes the central danger of the ear/hearing motif: language can deceive precisely because what is heard (words) may be severed from what is meant (thoughts). This meta-commentary on prayer reveals how the motif extends beyond physical eavesdropping to the fundamental unreliability of all spoken communication.
Quote 5
Act II, Scene 2
Argument
Hamlet's reduction of Polonius's question to 'Words, words, words' demonstrates the motif's evolution into skepticism about language itself, suggesting that what enters the ear has become so corrupted by deception that words have lost their connection to truth. This dismissive repetition shows how constant exposure to manipulative speech has rendered Hamlet cynical about the very medium through which truth should be communicated.