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How Does Hamlet Question Life

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Throughout generations, humanity has often questioned life. Why is there human existence in our world? What is humanity’s purpose in this modern world? What is the meaning of life? An example that questions life and death is portrayed in the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s perspective on human nature and Hamlet’s view on life are that life is meaningless without purpose, humanity cannot be trusted, death is inevitable, and one gets what one deserves. Shakespeare believes that without any purpose in existence, life can be worthless. An example that portrays how Shakespearean characters question life and death is illustrated in Hamlet’s soliloquy, To Be Or Not To Be. Hamlet begins his speech by saying; “To be or not to be, …show more content…

An incident that affects Hamlet is when his love, Ophelia, rejects him. In return, He insults Ophelia for being a woman; “Get thee to a nunnery. Why, wouldst thou be a breeder / of sinners.” (3, 1, 121-122) Hamlet believes that all women sin and that they cheat on men. Hamlet tells Ophelia to go to the nunnery, in order to protect her chastity and become more loyal to men. Another person that Hamlet cannot trust is his mother. When she marries her brother-in-law, he expresses his anger to her by stating: “She married – O most wicked speed! To post / With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! / It is not, nor cannot come to good.” (1, 2, 156-158). Hamlet is offended that the queen remarries the deceased king’s brother and does not feel any guilt for it. The reader is aware that the situation will not end up well and someone will be have to be killed for their crimes. Hamlet admits that he is angry with his mother when he confronts her about her actions. He finds it odd that his mother marries her dead husband’s brother and she mourns over the death for such a short period of time. Hamlet questions her nature by …show more content…

In Shakespeare’s original play, Hamlet, the audience learns that when an individual executes an evil crime, they cannot cover their guilt and they must face the reality of the world. It is important for the audience to realize that no living creature on this earth is innocent. Everyone has performed an immoral act and had to deal with the outcome of the

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