The Tragedy Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare

In these lines Hamlet thinks of committing suicide, but realizes he would disobey God’s command. According to Andrew Foley, “Far from evincing an acceptance of death or a belief in its religious purpose, Hamlet continues instead to view life and death as sickening and pointless. Nor does Hamlet seem to have overcome the

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

Hamlet continues to say that death “puzzles the will And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of ? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all”(III.i.80-83). Hamlet’s thoughts toward the mystery of death describes the reason of why people do not all commit suicide because of their fear of the afterlife. Hamlet's own father tells him "I could a tale unfold whose lightest word Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood” ( I.v.14-15). Although the old king’s ghost says nothing about what happens after death, he suggests that death is so horrible that a live person like Hamlet could not bear to know about it.

He states that it might be nobler to face the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”, where you live to put up with all the obstacle and problems that fate throws in your path or to choose death, where you can easily put an end to your troubles. However, by the end of the soliloquy Hamlet doesn’t just see death as a way to escape. He now sees that “the dread of something after death…makes coward of us all” (Shakespeare 64). The fear of not knowing what there is to face after you die makes us cowards and in turn, it misdirects the actions we first set out to do. Hence, Hamlet is blaming his fear of death on his inability to take action towards his

"To be, or not to be? That is the question- 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- No more-and by a sleep to say we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to-'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wished!" (Shakespeare 53)." At this point Hamlet is questioning whether he should live or die and whether it would be better to live his life in agony or end it and in turn end the pain. He is troubled that if he were to take his own life he would end up not in purgatory but in hell because taking one’s life was considered to be an unforgiveable sin. It is unfortunate that Hamlet is in a place in his life where he thinks killing himself would perhaps be more of an option than living under the circumstances, which surround him. Hamlet decides that he does not want to risk eternal peace in heaven for peace he may find while on earth in a difficult situation.

Hamlet begins his soliloquy by reflecting on how his father’s unjust end taints the peace and finality that death brings. He bluntly states that “no more” could death be an end to suffering and “heartache” endured by mankind (3. 1. 68, 3. 1. 69.). Hamlet’s father endured the torture of purgatory even though he was a righteous man, solely due to the nature of his death. To Hamlet, not only is this an insult to his father but the corruption of death as well. Death should allow individuals to “dream” and give “respect” to those who had past (3. 1. 72, 3. 1. 75.). Hamlet scoffs at such an idea, calling it a “rub”, as the exact opposite had befallen his father (3. 1. 72.). The quintessential nature of death was so entirely damaged that Hamlet’s father remained walking on earth as a restless spirit. At this point, Hamlet was so hopeless in his situation that he desired death himself. However, he refrained from committing suicide simply because of how unsure of death he was. What once had been a solstice from “a weary life” turned to “dread of something after death” (3. 1. 84, 3. 1. 85). Since Hamlet constantly thoughtfully analysis his situation, he would rather “bear those ills [he has]/ than fly to others that [he knows] not of” (3. 1. 88-89.). In other words, he would prefer to suffer through life than face the new, unknown woes of death that his father suffers from. Since there’s ultimately no escape from death, the shift from peaceful dreams to unrest and pain spoils the most definite occurrence of human existence, causing Hamlet to question the value of life and death itself.

Not only this, but Hamlet makes it clear that he would willingly give up his life at that point. This reinforces the idea that the Prince considers death a release; the solution to all of his troubles. At this point, it is clear to the audience that Hamlet regards death in a positive, almost welcoming manner. In his eyes, it will restore the natural order of things to their predetermined equilibrium. One of the most famous lines of the play, and probably in all of English literature, is from Hamlet’s third soliloquy. "To be, or not to be: that is the question,” Hamlet asks himself, before launching into a full-blown internal clash over life and death. He considers suicide; it would offer him release from everything wrong in his life. However, he is finally scared of death. He doesn’t know whether God will accept him, or even what awaits him in the world beyond his own. Despite the fear of death displayed by many characters in this play, Hamlet still provides a calmly accepting, even welcoming view of death.

Hamlet’s transient mindset makes him fear both the unknown of the afterlife and losing the control he holds on Earth, fears that leads him to inaction. Although King Hamlet’s ghost has given Hamlet clear instructions on avenging the ghost’s murder, Hamlet lacks the conviction to kill his uncle. The ensuing internal struggle consumes him, to the point where he contemplates suicide as an escape, wondering if it is “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” (3.1.57-60). He is therefore left with two courses of action: to either commit a sin by murdering his uncle or commit a sin by ending his own life. During his soliloquy in Act Three, Hamlet explores the religious ramifications of these choices. The “dread of something after death, / The undiscovered country, from whose bourn / No traveler returns” instills in him a transient fear of the afterlife

Life as a whole leaves those to question the very essence of their existence and why, out of everyone, were they chosen. Was it the act of God? Are they destined to do great thing? Or maybe were they meant to obliterate the very achievements that others have set for themselves? Hamlet, throughout many points of the play, questions the idea of the afterlife and how it corresponds with the reality of death. He deeply explores this obsession with his own issues of identity to what it truly means to be human. His realization on life dictates his personal, political, social, moral, and religious identities which reminds him what his legacy means to him. He goes to great lengths to achieve his revenge upon Claudius, the man who murdered his father. His keen observations and undying patience allows him to be precise in acquiring his desired revenge. Hamlet isn’t afraid of death. In fact he embraces the fact that he will die. Eventually everyone will fall to dust from whence they came whether they are a lord or a peasant.

Hamlet ponders the two polar opposites, a state of being, versus a state of not being. The balances then continues with a close consideration of the way one copes with life and death. Life is a lack of power, somebody always has power over you whether it’s your parents, boss, law enforcement. Therefore Hamlet sees that the only action he can take towards power is to end his own life. In a sense, death is empowering; when someone kills themselves it's a way of taking action against those living. Majority of the speech emphasises the subject of death, although in the end Hamlet makes the decision to live and see through his revenge of on his unfaithful step father, King Claudius. At this point of the plot he wonders about the nature of his death, and thinks for a moment that it may be like a deep sleep. This seems perfectly acceptable to the young Hamlet. Until, with his continuous thoughts rushing through his head on the subject he speculates what is to come with an extremely long deep sleep, nightmares. After posing this complex question and wondering about the nature of this great sleep, Hamlet goes on to list sufferings that men have caused themselves throughout the course of life. This makes it seem as if he is leaning towards death. By the end of his soliloquy however, he realized, “But that dread of something after death, / The undiscover’d country, from whose bourn / No traveler returns—puzzles the will / And makes us rather bear those ills we have”

Hamlet considers the way in which we all live and die. To him, to live is to leave “the mind to suffer” while in death “we end / [t]he heartache, and the thousand natural shocks / [t]hat flesh is heir to” (3.1 57, 61-63). Life, according to Hamlet, is a lack of power. Life is to be at the mercy of the blows of “outrageous fortune” and the only action one can take against

In this scene Hamlet essentially is reflecting on what afterlife holds and if it will be easier to escape the world which he exists in. Hamlet decides that the only reason that people choose to live is because of their fear of what they will find in the afterlife.

Hamlet begins his soliloquy by reflecting on how his father’s unjust end taints the peace and finality that death brings. He bluntly states that “no more” could death be an end to suffering and “heartache” endured by mankind (3. 1. 68, 3. 1. 69.). Hamlet’s father had been forced to endure the torture of purgatory even though he was a righteous man, solely due to the nature of his death. To Hamlet, not only is this an insult to his father but the corruption of death as well. Death was supposed to allow individuals to “dream” and give “respect” to those who had past (3. 1. 72, 3. 1. 75.). Hamlet scoffs at such an idea, calling it a “rub”, as the exact opposite had befallen his father (3. 1. 72.). The quintessential nature of death was so entirely corrupted that Hamlet’s father remained walking on earth as a restless spirit. At this point, Hamlet was so hopeless in his situation that he desired death himself. However, he refrained from committing suicide simply because of how unsure of death he was. What once had been a solstice from “a

During Hamlet’s first soliloquy he wonders what the point of living is in such a cruel world. “To be, or not to be? That is the question— Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer.” Hamlet is unsure of whether the life he is living, or if any life at all, is even worth living. He contemplates whether it is better to die and move on to the afterlife, whatever that may hold for him, or live on and suffer through his everyday life. “To die, to sleep. 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.” He ponders as to why any person would want to bear the burden of existing in the mortal world rather than dying. On the other hand he understands

These questions and others are so hard on Hamlet that he contemplates suicide on several different occasions. The most famous of which is the “to be, or not to be” soliloquy. (3.1.58-90) During this monologue, Hamlet ponders the question of to exist or not to exist. Would it be better to live, and endure the troubles of life, or just end it all? He refers to death as simply sleeping, but then realizes that with sleeping comes the threat of dreaming. He concludes that the uncertainty of death and the afterlife is what makes all men cowardly. This insecurity of what happens after death is one of the main reasons preventing Hamlet from going through with his idea of suicide.