How Is Death Presented In Hamlet

murder in a rash mood. It is not seen by Gertrude. It tries to urge

Hamlet is scared because he does not know what happens after you die. He is not afraid to die, but he will not kill himself because he is afraid that he will go to hell. In act 3 scene 3, Hamlet shows his belief in the bible by not killing his father while he is in prayer. He says,

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is laden with tragedy from the start, and this adversity is reflected in the title character. Being informed of his father’s murder and the appalling circumstances surrounding the crime, Hamlet is given the emotionally taxing task of avenging his death. It is clear that having to complete this grim undertaking takes its toll on Hamlet emotionally. Beginning as a seemingly contemplative and sensitive character, we observe Hamlet grow increasingly depressed and deranged as the play wears on. Hamlet is so determined to make his father proud that he allows the job on hand to completely consume him. We realize that Hamlet has a tendency to mull and ponder excessively, which causes the notorious delays of action

In the play Hamlet, death takes a major part in every scenario. It begins with the death of King Hamlet. King Hamlet was killed by Claudius. The irony of this was that Claudius is the brother of King Hamlet. Once he is killed, Claudius inherits the throne then marries King Hamlet’s wife, Queen Gertrude; which is Claudius’s sister in-law. One night as the guard men are standing outside of the castle, a ghost appears. The ghost speaks to the son of Gertrude and King Hamlet whom is Prince Hamlet and says that the ghost is his father’s spirit and he shall seek revenge on Claudius for marrying his mother and taking over the throne.

In the play, Hamlet, Shakespeare leaves you wondering about death. Through the characters in the play, he reveals his own thoughts about death. Does Shakespeare portray a deep understanding of death in this play? The never-ending cycle of death and revenge is evident throughout the entire play.

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.

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.

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

   In Shakespeare's time, Denmark was a horrible, rotting, poisoned land due to its hidden deceit. In "Hamlet," Shakespeare makes many references to this as a means of clarifying relationships in the story. Writers often use imagery to provide detail and development, which help us understand ideas within and the atmosphere of the play. Hamlet, Horatio, and the ghost are the characters who allude to Denmark's state of decay. Shakespeare's frequent references to death and disease are not only evidence of the harsh and dirty living conditions of the time; they are a recurrent theme in all of his works.

In a following speech Hamlet’s disposition towards the world persists, yet his attitude towards death has undergone a transformation. Previously, Hamlet was quick to proclaim his desire to die, but by the third act he’s become uncertain. This hesitation becomes apparent in Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” speech (3.1.56-90). With those opening words, Hamlet debates whether he should exist or not. The fact that this is still a question for him shows that he continues to be displeased with life. Hamlet asks himself, “Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them? To die to sleep.” This reveals a new concern that Hamlet has, he doesn’t ask what is best for him to do, but rather what is nobler, which makes it apparent that he’s concerned with maintaining his character. Even though he maintains the desire to escape the world and the experience in it, he still cares about the image that he leaves behind. Subsequently, Hamlet uses war-like diction, comparing life to war with “slings and arrows” which makes life intolerable. This just reaffirms the ideas Hamlet has had throughout the play, however, a shift transpires when he mulls over the idea that death is like being asleep. A problem arises when he realizes that even when you sleep you experience, “To sleep; perchance to dream: Ay, there’s the rub.” This could be easily misinterpreted as Hamlet hoping to dream, but perchance

In Act III, scene I of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the thematic imagery, along with the symbolic use of syntax and diction that Shakespeare uses helps convey Hamlet’s state of mind as troubled and as having a painful view to life which, overall, is subtly expressed with weakness as he talked about death.

    Though Shakespeare cannot claim the invention of the ghosts in tragedies, still he can claim to have clothed his ghost in Hamlet with convincingness. This essay concerns his one supernatural character in the tragedy.

“Death, the one appointment we all must keep, and for which no time is set” (Charlie Chan). Although many believe it to be ominous, death, signifies an end to this earthly and material life; the life of which we are sure of. Plato’s Phaedo and Shakespeare’s play Hamlet offer different perspectives on the life we are unsure of, namely death or the afterlife. Through the characters of Socrates and Hamlet, readers are offered two contrasting outlooks on death. On one side, Hamlet is haunted by the fear of the unknown, and leads his morality astray. Inversely, Socrates portrays a man who is relieved by the prospect of death. Both Hamlet and Socrates demonstrate inherent differences in their internal characteristics, but most notable difference is the characters’ contrasting outlooks on the meaning of life and death. Socrates, considered the leader of philosophy, WANTS to die, because only in the afterlife will he be able to see the truth without the distractions of his body. Hamlet, on the other hand, fears what will happen in the afterlife. He would like to escape his life, which at the moment is nothing short of depressing, but he worries that the afterlife might prove to be a bad dream, even worse than his life at this moment.

Death is a natural ending of one’s life journey. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, this theme is explored throughout the story, where the main character is a deeply troubled one and where the plot draws the audience into Hamlet’s speculations on death on multiple occasions. The question of mortality and existence is one that humanity has struggled with since the dawn of civilization, possibly even before; and it is this question that Hamlet is attempting to come to terms with following the passing of his father, King Hamlet. Shakespeare, using his unique literary style and theatrical story-telling, is not necessarily providing the readers with any answers but is rather taking everyone on the journey that every human travels when asking the question, “What is Death?”

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.