“To be or not to be”, *that* is the question.
And quite eerily enough, applies just as well to Natsuki Subaru as it does Prince Hamlet.
This is one of the most famous lines of Shakespeare, alongside “What’s in a name?
A rose by any name would smell as sweet,” and “Lord, what fools these mortals be!”
However, much like myself, I find that many lack the knowledge of context that enriches
these lines so.
After all, I don’t think many of us have opened our dusty copies of No Fear Shakespeare
for quite a while.
It took a second for me to remember that “to be or not to be,” was for one, about contemplating
suicide.
Literally, should I be, should I exist, or should I cease to be?
That’s what Hamlet is asking, is it better to live or die?
And second, this is far from being a single snappy line, like “The lady doth protest
too much,” or “To thine own self be true.”
No, it is but the first opening line of many, all composing Hamlet’s soliloquy, an introspective
and torturous look within.
Now, why am I showing random clips of Re:Zero while mouthing off to you about solilowhatseez?
Because much in the same way that Shakespeare used soliloquies and monologues as key character
development, forcing them to lay bare both what they thought and what they thought they
thought, Re:Zero’s most important scene hinges on that very same concept.
It’s one from which the entire foundation of the show rests upon, which is interesting
in and of itself because it happens two arcs in.
But first, we need to know exactly what a soliloquy is, and I didn’t choose Hamlet’s
for no reason.
Not only is it one of the most well known, and rightfully so, Hamlet and Subaru share
much, much more in common than one would think.
They’re both thrust into situations completely out of their depth, Hamlet being a scholar
dealing with an assasination, and Subaru a NEET dealing with assina(tions), and they
both also respond similarly.
Hamlet’s infamous “To be or not to be” comes about due to his own unique situation.
After the ghost of his father reveals foul play, his sights turn towards Claudius, the
uncle who has taken over the throne and married his mother.
However, he is stricken with moral unrest as he struggles with what to do now—take
action to avenge his father’s death, or to simply… give up for the sake of the country.
Sound familiar?
Both Hamlet and Subaru go through this period of limbo, desperately trying to muster the
courage to do what must be done.
But instead of doing anything actually useful, they get lost in the weeds of meaningless
frivolities in terror of the unknown.
Hamlet literally decides to just act insane, hoping to buy time to ‘collect’ evidence
for Claudius’ crimes.
He spends his time meandering about, insulting his friends and family in the name of madness,
which ultimately directly leads to their misfortunes.
Meanwhile, Subaru is doing much of the same.
During the mansion arc he puts up a front that is instantly seen through by Emilia and
the others, generating levels of worry and attention that he was trying to avoid in the
first place.
He shows up to the Royal Selection despite Emilia’s wishes, but more importantly, in
spite of the fact that he can’t really do anything any way.
He constantly postures, but with nothing to support that posturing.
When everything finally gets to him, he channels Hamlet and feigns madness, and all he gets
for it is even more pain and suffering, not just for him but those around him.
For Hamlet, his soliloquy comes at a point where he finally realizes that he is stalling,
and hates himself for it.
A soliloquy, from the Latin solo “to oneself” and loquor “I talk”, is a device Shakespeare
uses often, and is a way for one to really get into a character’s head.
Musing in solitude, often a character’s true thoughts and feelings pour uncontrollably
from them, flooding the audience as they desperately try to grasp for meaning.
They’re often filled with things they would never pontificate to another character, and
thus strike at the heart of what they truly care about.
In “To be or not to be,” Hamlet balances the two ideas on a scale.
On one hand, to be, suffering the ‘slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’, and on
the other hand, not to be, ‘to take arms against a sea of troubles; And by opposing
end them?’
Hamlet is saying that life is agony, marked by countless suffering, corruption, and pain.
In contrast, he likens death to the closest thing he can think of, “To die: to sleep.”
And perhaps sleep is a state preferable to living.
Slumber after all, is portrayed as peaceful.
But, he quickly goes against this.
He says, ‘To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub; For in that sleep of
death what dreams may come.’
‘...the dread of something after death, The undiscover’d country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will, And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than
fly to others that we know not of?
Hamlet finally arrives at a conclusion, the fear of the unknown cripples us from most
things, suicide, but also taking action in general.
He notes that ‘conscience does make cowards of us all,’ and in response, resolves to
finally execute his plan to take revenge upon Claudius.
Hamlet’s soliloquy is him sorting out his thoughts; sifting through complicated emotions
regarding life and death, and settling upon the idea that action is better than the alternative.
It is a turning point, that directly leads to ending his indecision and ultimately the
death of Claudius.
Now, what about our, sometimes giddy, sometimes tormented, Natsuki Subaru?
Where is his turning point?
Up until episode 18, Subaru pretty much outwardly wears a mask, both to the other characters
as well as the audience.
We’re rarely given the opportunity to see what he’s really thinking, and by extension,
how self aware he really is.
Does he really think that he’s this world’s saving grace, the summoned protagonist meant
to save the pretty girl and rid the world of its ills?
At least to me, his character was equally frustrating as entertaining, constantly doing
things to undermine his efforts and legitimacy.
I often found myself thinking, dude, what’s your deal?
And worked up over his scheme to escape with Rem to a far away land, he tells us for the
first time.
He says…
“This is the kind of man I am!
I have no strength but I want it all.
I have no knowledge but all I do is dream.
There’s nothing I can do, but I struggle in vain!...”
Hamlet’s speech to himself is two hundred and fifty nine words.
Subaru’s deluge of sheer self-hatred is a whopping four hundred and one.
And that’s not counting the lead-up and Rem’s eventual refutation.
At the risk of sounding pretentious, this was the moment that Re:Zero really clicked
for me.
Before this meeting, it was good fun, well, as much fun as suffering could be.
Subaru was a frustrating, but kind of simple character, and I was watching mostly in anticipation
of the almost indulgent cliffhangers the show dangled in front of you week after week.
But now, here was a character doing some serious introspection, letting us know all along that
he *knows* what he is.
How full of yourself do you have to be to believe you’ve been sent to save the world?
Especially when you’re as powerless as he?
In a comment seemingly as applicable metatextuality as it is to this situation, Subaru calls himself
‘empty.’
He has no character.
What’s important to note about these kinds of things is that, even though they’re windows
to the soul, they aren’t necessarily truth.
They’re true as in that’s what the characters think, yes, but more often than not, what’s
more important is what they’re wrong about.
Hamlet’s soliloquy is him letting the audience and himself know that he is not mad.
That he is truly wrestling with the dilemma in front of him, and at the end, accepting
that he must take action.
It is him cursing life and fear for giving him no choice.
Similarly, Subaru is also wrestling with inaction, though suicide isn’t exactly an option for
him.
He thinks he’s done all he can, or at least, all that he’s possible of.
He cites his life of nothingness, his rotten character, his powerlessness and incompetence.
But we know better, and so does Rem.
As Subaru continues to pile on self-insult after self-insult, she finally blurts out
‘All you know is yourself!
How much do you know of the Subaru-kun that I see?!’
Ay, there’s the rub.
Because for someone with no character, Subaru certainly has a lot of charm.
People deride Rem for transitioning from an okay character to a waifu-bot, but she serves
an indispensable role here.
It’s possible that without Rem, and going through all the trouble of saving her, Subaru
would never have been able to be brought back from the brink.
She reveals to him that he’s been focusing on all of the wrong things, and neglecting
that which makes him so valuable to her.
Who cares if he can’t use magic, sucks at sword fighting, and makes political blunders?
He *saved* her.
She’s living proof that he has the capability to save.
Rem’s response provides the necessary counter balance to tip the scale back towards normal.
It is Hamlet realizing that “in that sleep of death what dreams may come?”
Yes he wants everything, so much so that it slips through his fingers.
But that ambition isn’t what’s inherently bad here.
Subaru’s greatest strength is also his greatest weakness—he cares too much.
From the point of this fateful meeting, Subaru accomplishes the most he ever has since being
dropped unceremoniously into this world.
He stops wasting his time with meaningless activities like challenging experienced knights
to duels, and instead focuses his efforts on what he does best.
He harnesses his easygoing and almost disarming demeanor into driving negotiations, and becomes
a steadfast pillar for others to rally around.
And by actually using his brain for once, he is able to make real progress towards his
goals.
At this point, it’s kind of a cliche to talk about Re:Zero like it’s some subversive
masterpiece, or heaven forbid, a “deconstruction.”
But I think it offers something that I love to see in the media I consume.
A truly flawed self aware main character.
Someone who you might honestly classify as a bad person, but nonetheless, recognizes
their faults and strives to be better.
It is that struggle of pushing against ones perceived nature, bolstering the good and
discarding the bad, that really resonates with me and why I think Subaru is so interesting.
I think it would do the medium good to have more moments like these, where characters
let loose all that burdens them, laid bare for all to see.
Yeah, yeah, I know, show don’t tell.
But I think there is a time and place for using moments of soliloquy and monologue as
insights into who characters truly are… or who they think they are.
But who knows, maybe I’m just biased as a fan of Monogatari.
Thanks for watching!
I made this video because I thought Subaru’s outburst was almost Shakespearean-esque, forgive
me if you think that’s giving it too much credit.
But the more I went about making this video, the more parallels I noticed between Hamlet
and Re:Zero.
For example, while Hamlet, despite being told directly by the ghost of his father that Claudius
is the killer, a ghost other people can see and corroborate, he still dawdles and delays,
coming up with hare-brained schemes instead of just confronting the problem.
In contrast, when Polonius, Laertes’ father, dies, Laertes immediately takes action and
confronts Hamlet.
Likewise, in Re:Zero, Julius takes on the role of Laertes.
Subaru is too blinded by his dislike of him to realize all Julius does is speak the truth,
and essentially exists to contrast against Subaru’s incompetence.
Then of course there’s the whole, should I suffer through the pains of life or confront
the fear of what may lie beyond, which, at least to me, was pretty on the nose.
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Special thanks to Cream Donuts, The Mad Potter, The Shed of Redemption, Your sole is sore?,
UAnimestuck, Not Taluun, The Hot Take Gamer and Monsieur Vom for their support.
And of course, if anything I said was wrong, I’m sorry.
I must’ve stuttered.