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Situational Irony
Definition of Soliloquy
A soliloquy is a literary device, most often found in dramas, in which a character speaks to him or herself, relating his or her innermost thoughts and feelings as if... read full definition
A soliloquy is a literary device, most often found in dramas, in which a character speaks to him or herself, relating his or her innermost... read full definition
A soliloquy is a literary device, most often found in dramas, in which a character speaks to him or herself... read full definition
Chapter 37: Sunset
Explanation and Analysis—Sunset Soliloquy:
Ahab’s soliloquies are used as a device to highlight his isolation and introspection away from the other characters while also drawing attention to the influence of Ishmael’s voice. Chapter 37, entitled “Sunset,” details Ahab’s reflections on his determination to forge his own destiny. The soliloquy in this chapter is a particularly interesting example, since it's written in the form of a play, complete with stage directions and all. Ahab, alone in his cabin, asserts his conviction in his mission to take revenge on Moby Dick:
What I’ve dared, I’ve willed; and what I’ve willed, I’ll do! They think me mad—Starbuck does; but I’m demoniac, I am madness maddened! [...] I now prophesy that I will dismember my dismemberer. Now, then, be the prophet and the fulfiller one. That’s more than ye, ye great gods, ever were. I laugh and hoot at ye.
Ahab’s soliloquy gives us access to his attempt to assert his ownership over his own narrative, with him boldly asserting that he will do only as he himself wills. His declaration that he will “be the prophet and the fulfiller one” places himself above the gods, giving the reader insight into the extent of Ahab’s ego and his capacity for self-delusion. Interestingly, we also see Ahab acknowledge his own madness, an element that ironically perhaps further reinforces it, with his conviction to pursue a cause that he knows is irrational highlighting the extent of his recklessness.
Furthermore, the switch in style in this chapter is also significant. Going from novelistic prose to theatrical drama, the switch draws attention to the constructed nature of the narrative and to Ishmael’s own influential role in this scene. After all, the events depicted are described as happening in the privacy of Ahab’s own cabin. Unwitnessed by Ishmael, this scene is thus necessarily a work of fiction, with the style as a play drawing the reader’s attention to the fact that this is a reconstruction of events mediated through Ishmael’s own voice. In this scene, Ishmael becomes playwright, a role that reflects his influence and power over the reader, who is ultimately told the story through his voice, not that of the characters.
Related Themes:
