No Fear Shakespeare: The Evolution of Hamlet’s Relationship With Death
Hamlet is man of many complicated relationships. Whether it’s with his ghost-father, treaturous step-dad, or ex-girlfriend, his connections are often volatile, including that of death. In the course of two weeks, Hamlet shifts from mournful, to suicidal, to frightened, and, finally, to accepting in regards to what lies beyond the grave. This transformation can only be attributed to the wise words of the Gravedigger. The Gravedigger is a turning point in Hamlet’s relationship with death, which starts, and ends, in the halls of the palace.
When first introduced to the Prince of Denmark, we are greeted with a gloomy and insolent young man. While the court celebrates the marriage
…show more content…
In a moment of existential crisis, Hamlet prattles on about the grand lives of lawyers, land-owners, and even Julius Caeser, and how they are now just skulls in the ground. Although the prospect of equality in death is terrifying for the Prince, it has an entirely different meaning to the Gravedigger. The Gravedigger, who sings a tune while striking skulls with a pickaxe, has an entirely different take on what happens to us when we die. Unlike Hamlet, who views death as a fearsome extension of life, the Gravedigger views it more objectively. He does not view the many skulls he comes in contact with as the remains of the royalty. Instead, he describes the body as: “One that was a woman, sir, but, rest her soul, she’s dead” (5.1.138-139). When you’re alive, you have all the opportunities in the world, and when you die, there is nothing more. This is ‘Carpe Diem’ moment for Hamlet, who has spent the past few weeks so wrapped up in revenge for his father, and fear of what might come. He had no time to appreciate what he had, like his mother, and his friends. This voice of reason helps with Hamlet’s final moments on Earth, as he faces the reality that he, too, will be another skull in the …show more content…
Instead of spending a page or two discussing the gripping fear of the unknown, Hamlet embraces his fate. He repeats not once, not twice, but thrice that he is dying, a sign that he is truly coming to terms with it. Hamlet now believes that instead of going to a place of fire and misfortune, he is following his family and friends to a place that’s free of his sorrows. This acknowledgment of a brighter future shows that Hamlet has come full circle in regards to what lies ahead. His interaction with the Gravedigger has given him a new perspective on being dead, which he takes to heart as the poison slowly kills him. Another significant moment of change in Hamlet is when he persuades his closest friend, Horatio, from drinking poison and committing self-slaughter. It’s as if Hamlet is looking at his past self: anguished, desperate, and with no bright future ahead. Yet instead of urging his friend to join him in heaven, Hamlet convinces Horatio to live, saying: “Absent thee from felicity awhile,” (5.2.382). The maturation is evident of the effect the Gravedigger had on Hamlet’s perception of
One of the most common fears is that of death. This fear does not often stem from the process itself, but rather the question of what occurs after. Do we begin living another life? Will that life be better or worse than the one we previously led? These questions are filled with uncertainty, and the impossibility of answering them produces distress. In Hamlet, Hamlet struggles with the challenge of answering such questions himself when he laments, “To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there’s the rub / For in that sleep of death what dreams may come / When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, / Must give us pause. There’s the respect / That makes calamity of so long life” (3.1.66-70). Within Shakespeare’s tragedy, the text signifies the fear of the unknown by exploring Hamlet’s uneasy contemplation of life after death.
“There’s another. Why may not that be the/ skull of a lawyer? “ (5.1-100-101). He ponders between the physical characteristics and personalities of human life. He essentially thinks who he will be after he dies. After death, one essentially becomes nothing but dust, like the biblical saying, “from ashes to ashes, and dust to dust”. “To what base uses we may return, Horatio!” (5.1.209). Hamlet is often wondering about death, speaking about it, and thinking of the gory images of death. Thinking of it in such a matter, he appears sick. He refers to dead bodies being put in to everyday items.
In the soliloquy “To be, or not to be: that is the question” spoken by Hamlet, he discusses his views on death (III.i.56). In this scene he is contemplating his thoughts on suicide, death, life, and the afterlife as he awaits his meeting with Claudius. He reflects on whether the afterlife will have the same problems as his current life. He also shares his thoughts on death in another scene where he is a graveyard. Hamlet basically says you die and become food for the worms and then you are nothing in these lines “Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returned into dust; the dust is earth; of earth we make loam” (5.i.209-211). He gives so many details on life and death, yet he is the one causing so many of the deaths that occur within the play. If it were not for him seeking revenge for his father’s death then so many of the events that
Now that the pressure has been lifted, Hamlet has the opportunity to ponder death, something that has demanded his attention since his father's demise. In the famous soliloquy Hamlet attempts to discard the appearance of death to dissect the survival instinct of human beings. Why, when death appears to be the desired escape from "a sea of troubles," do human beings refuse to succumb? (III.1 ln 59) Hamlet quickly grasps the inherent fear of the unknown present in the human psyche. This display of insightquickly disappears once Hamlet again faces emotional pressure. He somewhat maintains his ability to separate reality and appearance, but his intense passions stunt his efforts to remain on a direct course to his goals.
It is clear that the death of his father and his mother 's remarriage has taken an enormous mental toll on him and that he desires death to free himself of the burden laid upon him by the ghost. He romanticizes it, saying that suicide is the brave and courageous option akin to “[taking] arms” against troubles. However, he can’t commit to the idea of death, saying “To sleep, perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub / For in that sleep of death what dreams may come” (III, i, 66-67). He craves death, which would allow him to escape all the “natural shock / that flesh is heir to” (III, i, 63-64) but the more he ponders it, the further he is from reaching a decision. Ironically, the argument within his mind about how he should free himself of the ghostly burden — murder, or death — is impeding him from carrying out any action on it. At the end of his most famous soliloquy, Hamlet hasn’t made any decisive choice and therefore is in limbo regarding death due to his overarching rationale. His inaction proves “[his] endless reasoning and hesitation and the way in which the energy of his resolutions evaporates in self-reproaches” (Morgan 259). Moreover, Hamlet tackles the decision of interpreting what is real and what is false when he questions the ghost’s true nature. At first, Hamlet is certain
Hamlet is an intensely cerebral character marked by a desire to think things through and pick situations apart. As such, for the first three and a half scenes of Hamlet, Hamlet broods over his father’s death instead of taking action against Claudius, his father’s murderer. Hamlet finally acts because he experiences three intense emotional jolts that allow him to view his situation from a new perspective and spur him to action. Together, these emotional experiences alter his personal philosophy about the nature of death and God’s relationship with creation, and compel him to finally take decisive action.
In act 3 scene 1 of William Shakespeare “Hamlet” the main protagonist, Hamlet, recites a soliloquy “To be, or not to be.” Throughout his lines Hamlet explains the concept of suicide and why people choose to live long lives instead of ending their suffering. The main point he speaks on is the mystery of one’s afterlife, they never know for sure what happens when they die. For this reason, his speech does a good job highlighting the plays underlying themes of pervasiveness of death, and tragic dilemma, and tragic flaws.
In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, it’s clear that the title character, Hamlet, has a relationship with death, that relationship is often misunderstood. Some see him merely as an agent of death, and others believe he retains a lust for it throughout the entire play, inspired by the tragedy he’s experienced. While these interpretations are partially true, they don’t hold true throughout the play. Hamlet has a disdain for the world which makes him desire nothing but to fade away in the beginning of the play, but he develops a respect for fate and the unknown aspects of the afterlife. This respect eventually manifests itself in an attitude of indifference towards death.
How we respond to the ending of Hamlet – both as revenge drama and as psychological study – depends in part on how we respond to [the most important underlying theme] of the play – that is, to Hamlet as a prolonged meditation on death. The play is virtually framed by two encounters with the dead:
The gravedigger scene in act 5 scene 1 shows the most about how Hamlet feels about death. Hamlet refers to the skulls he finds belonging to other people and their past lives.
Returning home, Hamlet contemplates the finality of death, and resolves to confront this head on, breaking his guise of insanity. Walking back toward the Kingdom, through a grave yard with Horatio,
Losing a loved one can be difficult, hard, and can even drive a person insane. In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet death takes its toll on the entire royal family. When King Hamlet died, it caused Claudius to take the thrown and the hand of queen Gertrude. As soon as the King and Queen hear about how mad Hamlet has gone they discuss the idea of death and wonder if the thought of death or not mourning the made him go crazy. Claudius quotes, “When sorrows come, they come not single spies. But in battalions” (3.4.52-53). This quote symbolizes that death brings sorrow and how this is a view on death. Although mourning is common between characters in the beginning of the play, views on death become different and apparent among
Death, both its spiritual aftermath – as exhibited within the play through the Ghost, and its physical remnants – as exhibited in the play through decaying corpses, are pondered intensely by Hamlet. This relentless contemplation of mortality and the uncertainty that death brings causes Hamlet to ultimately become a prisoner of the power and uncertainty which death holds over him. This fear impedes Hamlet’s ability to enact action, causing him to spiral down the path of procrastination and hesitation. The
In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the protagonist, Hamlet is obsessed with the idea of death, and during the course of the play he contemplates death from numerous perspectives. He ponders the physical aspects of death, as seen with Yoricks's skull, his father's ghost, as well as the dead bodies in the cemetery. Hamlet also contemplates the spiritual aspects of the afterlife with his various soliloquies. Emotionally Hamlet is attached to death with the passing of his father and his lover Ophelia. Death surrounds Hamlet, and forces him to consider death from various points of view.
The death of King Hamlet effected many individuals lives to the point where great changes were made. Especially in regards to his son, Hamlet, who took the death – murder- of his father personally in both mental and emotional ways. By doing so, Hamlet portrays and experiences the death and loss of his father by acting out in manners in which magnify his isolation and alienated actions. These would include excluding and distancing himself, turning on those closest, and taking on measures one would never do so when thinking rationally or clearly.