How does shakespeare use specific punctuation to show Hamlets state of mind at this point in the play?

Answer 1

He uses commas to show Hamlet's sudden bursts of anger and confusion. He also uses it to lay emphasis on a relatively heavy topic. Shakespear uses the semi colons for a short break between two sentences with the similar theme or meaning

Answer 2

You must understand that Shakespeare did not add any punctuation to his plays. The variations between different original printed versions of the plays show such a wide variety of punctuation that it is clear that the punctuation has been added by the editors from the very start. Compare, for example, Q2 Hamlet's version of his soliloquy in 2,2 ( "I so God buy to you, now I am alone, O what a rogue and pesant slaue am I. Is it not monstrous that this player heere but in a fixion, in a dreame of passion could force his soule so to his owne conceit that from her working all the visage wand, teares in his eyes, distraction is his aspect, a broken voyce, an his whole function suting with formes to his conceit; and all for nothing, for Hecuba.") with the same passage in the Folio ("I so, god buy'ye: Now I am alone. O what a rogue and pesant slaue am I? Is it not monstrous that this player heere, but in a fixion, in a dreame of passion, could force his soule so to his own conceit, that from her working, all her visage warm'd; teares in his eyes, distraction in's aspect, a broken voyce, and his whole function suiting with forms, to his conceit? And all for nothing? For Hecuba?") In whatever modern edition you are using, a modern editor has added his or her idea of the punctuation to the text. But the punctuation is never Shakespeare's, and we have no idea what punctuation if any he might have added.

Answer 3

He does not. Notwithstanding what your English teacher may be telling you, all of the punctuation in Shakespeare was put in by editors, and cannot be attributed to Shakespeare himself. The differences between the punctuation in the Folio and those in Q2 are immense, which proves this to be true. I don't know what "this point in the play" is for you, I'm not psychic, but perhaps you recognize this bit:

To be, or not to be, that is the Question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the minde to suffer

The Slings and Arrowes of outragious Fortune;

Or to take Armes against a Sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them: to dye, to sleepe

No more; and by a sleepe, to say we end

The Heart-ake, and the thousand naturall shockes

That fleshe is heyre to? 'Tis a consummation

Deuoutly to be wish'd. To dye to sleepe

or perhaps you would prefer this:

To be, or not to be, that is the question,

Whether tis nobler in the minde to suffer

The slings and arrowes of outragious fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing, end them, to die to sleepe

No more, and by a sleepe, to say we end

The hart-ake, and the thousand naturall shocks

That flesh is heire to; tis a consumatien

Deuoutly to be wisht to die to sleepe,

The first is the Folio, the second is the Second Quarto.

Although it is popular for academics and even directors to focus on punctuation as having a lot of meaning in interpreting Shakespeare, the reality is that the punctuation was, like the spelling, put in by the typesetters, not Shakespeare. It varies considerably between Quarto and Folio and even between different copies of the Folio. Editors play with it all the time. It is therefore unsafe to rely on punctuation to draw any conclusions about what is going on. Another example:

e.g. From Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 2 (Quarto 2, 1604)

O that this too too sallied flesh would melt,

Thaw and resolve itself into a dewe,

Or that the euerlasting had not fixt

His cannon gainst seale slaughter,o God, God

How wary, stale, flat and vnprofitable

Seeme to me all the vses of this world?

Fie on't, ah fie, 'tis and vnweeded garden

That growes to seed, things rancke and grose in nature

Possess it merely that it should come thus

But two months dead, nay not so much, not two

So excellent a King, that was to this

Hiperion to a satire, so louing to my mother

That he might not beteeme the winds of heauen

Visite her face too roughly, heauen and earth

Must I remember, why she should hang on him

As if increase of appetite had growne

By what it fed on, and yet within a month,

Let me not thinke on't; frailty thy name is woman

A little month or ere those shooes were old

With which she followed my poore fathers bodie

Like Niobe all teares why she

O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason

Would have mourn'd longer, married with mine Vncle

Did you notice the absence of full stops? Eighteen commas, a question mark and a semicolon are all that appear. Here's the same from the First Folio (1623)

O that this too too solid flesh, would melt,

Thaw and resolue it self into a Dewe:

Or that the Euerlasting had not fixt

His Cannon 'gainst Selfe-slaughter. O God, O God!

How weary, stale, flat and vnprofitable

Seemes to me all the vses of this world?

Fie on't? Oh fie, fie, 'tis and vnweeded Garden

That growes to Seed: Things rank and grosse in Nature

Possess it meerely. That it should come to this:

But two months dead: Nay not so much; not two,

So excellent a King, that was to this

Hiperion to a Satyre: so louing to my Mother

That he might not beteene the windes of heauen

Visit her face too roughly. Heauen and Earth

Must I remember: why she should hang on him,

As if encrease of Appetite had growne

By what it fed on; and yet within a month?

Let me not thinke on't: Frailty, thy name is woman.

A little Month, or ere those shooes were old,

With which she followed my poore fathers body

Like Niobe, all teares. Why she, euen she,

(O Heauen! A beast that wants discourse of reason

Would haue mourn'd longer) married with mine Vnkle,

Twelve commas, six colons, two exclamation points, three question marks, three full stops and a pair of parentheses.

Good luck figuring out which the "specific punctuation" in this example Shakespeare used, never mind guessing what he intended it to say about Hamlet. Remember that Shakespeare did not intend that his plays should be published, and that any actor who was curious about Hamlet's state of mind just had to ask Shakespeare (we assume he acted as director of his own plays). He probably couldn't care less about punctuation.