Hamlet: Dialogue and voice
16 lenses on dialogue and voice for Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16
C1. Share of words in dialogue, whole book and per chapter. Count
86% dialogue. See the full lens on the book page.
C2. Each character's number of lines and share of speech. Both
Hamlet speaks most, with 41% of attributed speech.
| Character | Lines | Words | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamlet | 358 | 10882 | 41% |
| King | 102 | 3196 | 12% |
| Polonius | 86 | 2482 | 9% |
| Horatio | 107 | 1865 | 7% |
| Laertes | 62 | 1353 | 5% |
| Ophelia | 58 | 1096 | 4% |
| Queen | 69 | 1016 | 4% |
| First Clown | 33 | 710 | 3% |
| Rosencrantz | 45 | 696 | 3% |
| Ghost | 14 | 687 | 3% |
| Marcellus | 31 | 416 | 2% |
| First Player | 8 | 363 | 1% |
Hamlet dominates with roughly 1,500 lines (38% of dialogue). Claudius speaks about 600 lines (15%). Gertrude about 300 lines (8%). Horatio about 250 lines (6%). Ophelia about 200 lines (5%). Polonius about 250 lines (6%). Laertes about 150 lines (4%). Ghost about 100 lines (3%). Others share the remaining 5%.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 5, Scene 9, Scene 11, Scene 20
C3. Speech fingerprint: line length, pet words, questions, exclamations. Count
Top speaker Hamlet (41%). See the full lens on the book page.
C4. Dialogue tags: "said" against other verbs, and adverbs on tags. Count
'Said' is 0% of dialogue tags. Adverbs on tags: 0 in all.
C5. Action beats used in place of tags. Both
0% of paragraphs with speech carry no tag verb at all. Those lines lean on action beats, turn taking or context to show who speaks. (rough estimate from word lists)
Action beats replace tags sparingly. Most scenes use 'Enter' and 'Exit' stage directions. Scene 11 uses 'Kills Polonius' as action. Scene 19 uses 'Leaps into grave' as action. Scene 20 uses 'They fence' and 'Drinks' as action. Dialogue dominates; action is minimal.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 11, Scene 19, Scene 20
C6. Subtext: where people say one thing and mean another. AI
Subtext is heavy. Claudius speaks smoothly of marriage while hiding murder (Scene 2). Hamlet feigns madness while concealing rage (Scenes 6 to 8). Polonius claims to protect Ophelia while using her as bait (Scene 7). Claudius tells Hamlet he is 'sent to England' while ordering his death (Scene 12, quote 28).
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 2, Scene 6, Scene 7, Scene 12
By indirections find directions out. (Ch 6, para 20)
The sun no sooner shall the mountains touch But we will ship him hence, and this vile deed We must with all our majesty and skill Both countenance and excuse. (Ch 12, para 10)
C7. Dialect and class markers, and how they are spelt. Both
Very few spelt dialect forms in speech. (rough estimate from word lists)
Dialect is minimal. All characters speak in verse or formal prose. Class markers appear in titles ('King', 'Queen', 'Lord', 'Prince'). Gravediggers use slightly rougher speech (Scene 19). No strong regional or class dialects; language is uniform and elevated throughout.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 19
C8. How exposition is carried in talk. AI
Exposition is carried through dialogue. Scene 1: sentries explain the ghost and Fortinbras threat. Scene 2: Claudius explains his marriage and the threat. Scene 5: ghost explains his murder. Scene 6: Polonius explains Hamlet's visits to Ophelia. Scene 17: Hamlet's letter explains his escape. Backstory emerges through character speech.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 5, Scene 6, Scene 17
This bodes some strange eruption to our state. (Ch 1, para 51)
Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. (Ch 5, para 13)
Ere we were two days old at sea, a pirate of very warlike appointment gave us chase. Finding ourselves too slow of sail, we put on a compelled valour, and in the grapple I boarded them. (Ch 17, para 11)
C9. Longest speeches and what each one does. Both
Longest speeches: Hamlet's 'To be or not to be' soliloquy (Scene 8, about 35 lines, explores death and suicide). Hamlet's instructions to the players (Scene 9, about 20 lines, teaches acting). Hamlet's 'How all occasions do inform against me' (Scene 15, about 30 lines, reflects on revenge). Ghost's revelation (Scene 5, about 40 lines, explains murder). Each soliloquy reveals inner conflict.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 5, Scene 8, Scene 9, Scene 15
Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue. (Ch 9, para 2)
How all occasions do inform against me, And spur my dull revenge. What is a man If his chief good and market of his time Be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more. (Ch 15, para 23)
My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth. (Ch 15, para 23)
C10. Who wins each argument, and how power shifts in talk. AI
Hamlet wins most arguments through wit and evasion (Scenes 7, 13, 14). Claudius wins through authority and manipulation (Scenes 2, 12). Gertrude yields to both Claudius and Hamlet (Scenes 2, 11). Polonius loses to Hamlet's mockery (Scenes 7, 8). Power shifts from Claudius to Hamlet after the play (Scene 9), then back to Claudius through schemes (Scenes 12, 18).
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 2, Scene 7, Scene 8, Scene 9, Scene 11, Scene 12
I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw. (Ch 7, para 136)
That I can keep your counsel, and not mine own. Besides, to be demanded of a sponge—what replication should be made by the son of a king? (Ch 13, para 11)
C11. Banter and humour patterns. AI
Humour is dark and bitter. Hamlet mocks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as 'sponges' (Scene 13, quote 30). He jokes about Polonius's body and worms (Scene 14, quote 32). Gravediggers make puns about death (Scene 19). Hamlet's wit often masks rage. Banter is rare; most exchanges are tense or evasive.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 13, Scene 14, Scene 19
That I can keep your counsel, and not mine own. Besides, to be demanded of a sponge—what replication should be made by the son of a king? (Ch 13, para 11)
Hide fox, and all after. (Ch 13, para 19)
Not where he eats, but where he is eaten. A certain convocation of politic worms are e’en at him. Your worm is your only emperor for diet. (Ch 14, para 14)
C12. Blind test: can you tell who speaks without the tag? AI
Hamlet is identifiable by his wit, evasion, and obsession with revenge and death. Claudius by smooth authority and hidden guilt. Gertrude by deference and concern. Ophelia by obedience and fragility. Horatio by loyalty and caution. Polonius by verbose advice. Laertes by rage. Ghost by formal, grave speech.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 5, Scene 9, Scene 11, Scene 20
A little more than kin, and less than kind. (Ch 2, para 11)
Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. (Ch 5, para 13)
You are the Queen, your husband’s brother’s wife, And, would it were not so. You are my mother. (Ch 11, para 15)
C13. Catchphrases and verbal tics. Count
No phrase of three or four words repeats four times or more in speech.
C14. Interruptions, silences and broken off lines. Count
0 spoken lines break off with a dash or dots: 0.0 per 1,000 paragraphs of speech.
C15. Voice in letters, diaries and documents. Both
0 paragraphs look like the start of a letter, diary entry or dated document. (rough estimate from word lists)
Hamlet's letter to Horatio (Scene 17, quote 39) is formal and urgent, explaining his escape. It uses 'Ere we were two days old at sea' to set scene. The tone is matter-of-fact, contrasting with his emotional speeches. Claudius's letter to England (Scene 12) is mentioned but not shown. Letters carry plot information.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 17
Ere we were two days old at sea, a pirate of very warlike appointment gave us chase. Finding ourselves too slow of sail, we put on a compelled valour, and in the grapple I boarded them. (Ch 17, para 11)
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern hold their course for England: of them I have much to tell thee. Farewell. He that thou knowest thine, HAMLET. (Ch 17, para 11)
C16. Forms of address between characters and how they change. Both
Forms of address in speech by third of the book: 0, 0, 0.
Hamlet addresses Claudius as 'uncle' (Scene 2, quote 4) with bitter irony. He calls Gertrude 'mother' with accusation (Scene 11, quote 24). He addresses Ophelia formally, then cruelly (Scene 8, quote 18). Horatio is 'my good friend' (Scene 2). The ghost is 'father' (Scene 5). Forms of address shift with emotional state.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 2, Scene 5, Scene 8, Scene 11
A little more than kin, and less than kind. (Ch 2, para 11)
Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? (Ch 8, para 40)
You are the Queen, your husband’s brother’s wife, And, would it were not so. You are my mother. (Ch 11, para 15)
Ask Hamlet a question about its craft (free beta)
Answers cite chapter and paragraph, and every quote is checked against the text. (3 free questions a day).
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