Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Lawrence Durrell's "Soliloquy of Hamlet" is a deeply introspective and complex poem, weaving together themes of existential reflection, mortality, and the burdens of inherited guilt. Addressed to Anne Ridler, the poem reimagines the character of Hamlet, using rich and layered imagery to explore the psychological and spiritual dilemmas that have haunted humanity across time.

The poem begins with a setting that evokes both the bleakness of winter and the solitude of contemplation. The "embalming winter" and the imagery of a "three-legged stool and the Bible" suggest a scene of stark simplicity, a world stripped down to its essentials, where Hamlet—or a figure like him—cobbles together a sonnet, perhaps as a means of reconciling his inner turmoil with the demands of the external world. This opening establishes a tone of quiet despair, as the speaker grapples with the weight of his heritage and the complexities of existence.

Durrell invokes a series of historical and mythical allusions, from "the harmless druids" and "singing fathers in the boats of glory" to the "atlas of their hunger" made by those who have sought meaning in the world. These references serve to situate Hamlet within a broader cultural and historical context, as a figure who embodies the struggles and aspirations of those who have come before him. The "enchanted skulls" lying under the "lion's paw" suggest a powerful image of death and domination, where the remains of the past are both revered and subdued.

As the poem progresses, Durrell delves into the personal and psychological dimensions of Hamlet's character. The line "One innocent observer in a foreign cell / Died when my father lay beside his ghost" introduces the idea of inherited trauma, where the sins and sufferings of the past continue to haunt the present. The "phoenix burning at his window-sill" and the "green wand" growing between the "broken pavements of the heart" evoke a sense of rebirth and renewal, even in the midst of despair. However, the persistence of death and guilt, symbolized by the "vellum drum" and the "widow walking in a rubber mask," suggests that these forces are inescapable.

Durrell also explores the role of love and winter as "Euclid's properties," linking them to the inevitable patterns and structures that govern life. The "charming groans of ladies" and the "unwrinkled womb of queens" reflect the intertwining of love, birth, and death, where the joys of life are inseparable from its sorrows. The imagery of "candles smoking on a coffin" and "dust being sifted from the sheet of nuns" underscores the cyclical nature of existence, where everything returns to its origin, and the past is continually revisited.

Throughout the poem, Hamlet's struggle is portrayed as both deeply personal and universally human. The "murderer's napkin" hanging on a bush, the "nunnery girl" whose skull is blessed, and the "gambler smiling in his royal sheet" all evoke a sense of existential futility, where life and death are intertwined in a tragic dance. Durrell's use of surreal and vivid imagery—such as "pain hangs more bloody than the mystic's taws" and "the frigid autist pacing out his rope"—further emphasizes the intense psychological and spiritual conflict that defines Hamlet's existence.

In the final sections of the poem, Durrell addresses themes of redemption and renewal, invoking religious and mystical imagery to suggest the possibility of transcendence. The "rufus sons of Pudding Island" are offered the "stainless sheet of a European justice," and the "double fellow in the labyrinth" is granted mercy, even as his "maps were stifled with him in the maze." The poem concludes with a sense of tentative hope, as the speaker, embodying Hamlet, prepares to "dress to dance upon the void" and "bless your boy"—a final act of grace in the face of overwhelming darkness.

"Soliloquy of Hamlet" is a profound and multi-layered exploration of the human condition, where Durrell reimagines Hamlet's soliloquy as a meditation on the universal themes of guilt, love, and the search for meaning. The poem's rich imagery and allusions create a tapestry of existential reflection, inviting readers to consider the ways in which the past shapes the present and how, despite the weight of history, there remains the possibility of redemption and renewal. Through this soliloquy, Durrell not only pays homage to Shakespeare's iconic character but also expands upon his themes, offering a deeply personal and timeless reflection on the struggles that define the human experience.

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