Hamlet

Quote Analysis

All Quotes

O what a rogue and peasant slave am I!

Act II, Scene 2 · Hamlet

Quote Type: DialogueDifficulty: ★★☆Quotability: ★★★★☆

Theme

Character

Literary Device

Setting

Context

Alone after the Player's performance, Hamlet begins a soliloquy by insulting himself.

Analysis

The self-directed epithets 'rogue and peasant slave' strip Hamlet of status and dignity. He does not just criticize his inaction—he assaults his own identity, using class-based insults ('peasant slave') to express how far he has fallen from what a prince should be.

Essay Tip

Support a thesis that Hamlet's self-loathing is as paralyzing as his philosophical doubt—he spends as much energy attacking himself as he does planning revenge, which turns his soliloquies into acts of self-punishment rather than preparation for action.

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