In Hamlet's first soliloquy in Act 1 scene 2, what is being revealed to the reader about Hamlet's character in terms of a social context?

In this soliloquy, Hamlet brings up the idea of suicide and then expresses his disgust that his mother, who loved his father greatly, married his father's uncle just over a month after burying Hamlet's father.

In terms of social context, this reveals that Hamlet follows the social rules imposed by the church. He will not commit suicide because the church forbids it: "Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd / His canon 'gainst self-slaughter!" By...

In this soliloquy, Hamlet brings up the idea of suicide and then expresses his disgust that his mother, who loved his father greatly, married his father's uncle just over a month after burying Hamlet's father.

In terms of social context, this reveals that Hamlet follows the social rules imposed by the church. He will not commit suicide because the church forbids it: "Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd / His canon 'gainst self-slaughter!" By "the Everlasting," Hamlet means God. "His canon" refers to the rules that God set forth, according to the church, and "self-slaughter" means suicide. We know that it is a sin to take one's own life according to the Catholic religion. Hamlet seems to say that he does not wish to live in a world that is so disgusting, but he will not take his own life because the church forbids it. Therefore he feels that if he were to commit suicide, all his friends and family members, and everyone in his community would be angry or upset with him for breaking canonical law, a social construct.

The majority of this soliloquy is about Hamlet's disgust with his mother's decision to marry Hamlet's uncle Claudius so soon after her beloved husband, Hamlet's father, was buried. At the end of the soliloquy, Hamlet says although his heart is breaking, he must keep quiet: "But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue!" By "hold my tongue," Hamlet means keep quiet. This idea is also connected to social context, and reveals that Hamlet follows social expectations about his relationship to his mother. It would be inappropriate for a son to question his mother's choices. If Hamlet were to talk about his mother, the community would be angry at him, because he is supposed to be a respectful son. If he were to confront his mother, she would be hurt and offended, again because he should respect her and trust her decisions. The way a son is supposed to behave towards his mother is another social construct. Hamlet's and Shakespeare's societies expected people to be respectful towards their parents.

You can read Hamlet's soliloquy , with a modern English translation and annotations to help you understand it clearly.