What is Grief?

Grief is a painful emotion that people experience through troubling times in life, such as losing a loved one. Swiss psychiatrist, Elisabeth Kubler Ross, introduced the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, in the year of 1969. She explains that there is no correct way or time to grieve; the stages are used to familiarize people with the aspects of grief and grieving. Grief can over take someone’s life and lead to a negative downfall, such as Hamlet experiences in Hamlet, written by Williams Shakespeare. He undergoes a variety of barriers throughout the novel, such as his father is murdered, which leads to his downfall-death. Although Hamlet grieves, the denial stage is not present in the novel as it

Since the start of time, and the preceding generations, death has impacted people and the way they act. A sudden, or even an expected death of a loved one, takes a toll on a person. It’s human nature for people to process and want to make sense of death and the loss it leaves behind. The five stages of grief reflect this process of dealing with the loss of a loved one. Through these stage of grieving, people can get lost either searching for answers or trying to get past it. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare depicts the role human nature plays in the striving for answers and justice surrounding death. Even though Hamlet was written early in the seventeenth century, the depiction of death and human nature still rings true today; people and

Loss is a phenomenon that is experienced by all. Death is experienced by family members as a unique and elevated form of loss which is modulated by potent stages of grief. Inevitably, everyone will lose someone with whom they had a personal relationship and emotional connection and thus experience an aftermath that can generally be described as grief. Although bereavement, which is defined as a state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one, is a universal experience it varies widely across gender, age, and circumstance (definitions.net, 2015). Indeed the formalities and phases associated with bereavement have been recounted and theorized in literature for years. These philosophies are quite diverse but

It is not an uncommon occurrence for a person to attend a funeral in their lifetime. They will experience the heavy feeling in their heart, hear the moaning and crying, and observe all the grief-stricken people, wiping tear-stained cheeks and wearing depressing, dark colors. Each person in this scene is attempting to comprehend what they have lost. Loss, whether physical or mental, can dismantle a person. The bonds and connections that people forge with each other defines their existence and gives them the drive to continue living, but when these bonds are broken the brain cannot cope with the detachment. A person is particularly vulnerable in this state and will do anything to replace the gaping hole that lingers in their life. In the novel The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski and the Shakespearean play Hamlet, two women are put through various kinds of loss. While these women--Trudy and Gertrude--appear weak, they willingly accept the enchantments of Claude and Claudius only after enduring hardships which skew their judgments, revealing the effect of trauma and depression when a relationship is lost.

Grief is defined as keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss, and through the various ways both these characters coped with grief, each character’s thoughts and actions reveal aspects of his personality. In life “Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life's search for love and wisdom”

After the immoral loss of a beloved family member, friend, or leader, one’s ideas on how to overcome the situation may be questionable. Death has proved to have the capability of leaving a loved one in shock, not being able to understand or react to any given circumstance, as they would’ve otherwise. In some cases, it may lead them in the direction of taking the path of extreme measures to feel at peace once again. Whether it be, suicide or revenge by murder, death clearly displays its true dominance within these two stories. When compared side by side, it is evident that both Hamlet and Grendel’s mother are parallels of one another. They both experience the pain and suffering caused by losing a family member. At this point, they do not wish to live another day because their family, that they would’ve given their own lives for, is dead. In addition to that, Grendel’s mother and Hamlet attempt to find a way to make the slayer’s pay for their dirty deeds, rather than accepting the fact that their beloved’s are gone. The juxtaposition of Hamlet and Grendel’s mother shows how they are dark, brooding characters whose goals are to avenge their loved ones and in the end, they both die in vain.

“Everyone can master grief but he that has it.” This quote, written by William Shakespeare, demonstrates that people often struggle loss, most often losing friends or valuable possessions. Loss can be a powerful thing that can control people, but it can also help people learn indispensable lessons. It changed and deeply affected numerous characters in “Gwilan’s Harp,” by Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Washwoman,” by Isaac Bashevis Singer, and “The Last Leaf,” by O. Henry. It affected many, if not all, of the characters’ choices. Each character reacted in a different way. They also all learned a lesson from their loss. It changed them and grew them, encouraging them to become a better person. Loss is an important theme in “Gwilan’s Harp,” “The Washwoman,” and “The Last Leaf.”

"’Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, / nor customary suits of solemn black / [ . . . ] but I have that within which passeth show; / these but the trappings and the suits of woe” (Shakespeare 1.2.76-73, 85-86) says Hamlet when confronted about his way of grieving over his father’s recent death. Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is a remarkable tale that is centered on the idea of death and grief. While death is a universal occurrence, meaning every person will deal with it, how we grieve after a loss is completely individual. To look at a formula of grief, most turn to the five stages of grief developed by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, a psychiatrist, who studied the topic in her book On Death and Dying. This model consists of denial, anger,

Death is a part of the human experience. At some time or another, everyone must suffer through the death of a family member or close friend. Coping with the death of a loved one is a difficult process for many. Some turn to grievance counselors or groups, whereas others bottle up their emotions and keep them hidden from the outside world. In Colum McCann’s Let the Great World Spin, Claire Soderberg takes an active role in coping with her grief, where her husband, Solomon, remains stolid and talks about the untimely death of his son very seldom.

Grief is the act following the loss of a loved one. While grief and bereavement are normal occurrences, the grief process is a social construct of how someone should behave. The acceptable ways that people grieve change because of this construct. For a time it was not acceptable to grieve; today, however, it is seen as a necessary way to move on from death (Scheid, 2011).The grief process has been described as a multistage event, with each stage lasting for a suggested amount of time to be considered “normal” and reach resolution. The beginning stage of grief is the immediate shock, disbelief, and denial lasting from hours to weeks (Wambach, 1985). The middle stage is the acute mourning phase that can include somatic and emotional turmoil. This stage includes acknowledging the event and processing it on various levels, both mentally and physically. The final stage is a period of

Death in any person’s life is tragic, whether sudden or unexpected. Everyone experiences it at least once throughout a lifetime. In the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, the reader meets several characters that lose people very close to them. Each person has a certain way of dealing with the death, but overall his or her grief is out of love. These two emotions are triggered by one another. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close displays few characters that show any sign of moving on with their lives. Grief takes over and seems to stay forever. Characters such as Oskar, Grandfather, Mr. Black on the floor above, and Ms. Black in the Empire State Building experience grief

Grief is keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss; and sharp sorrow. Grief is something that can take a massive toll on one’s mental health and actions. It can change a person’s thinking and what they do. In “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, grief is shown in many ways but with each person who is grieving they begin to act differently than they normally would.

This essay explores several models and theories that discuss the complexities of loss and grief. A discussion of the tasks, reactions and understanding of grief through the different stages from infants to the elderly, will also be attempted.

The intensity and duration of the mourning is related to the depth of the sense of loss; the greater the attachment to the one who died, the more intense the grief is” (Raab 47-48). Once the mourner has accepted the death of their loved one or friend, they are on the road to recovery, they now realize that there is nothing they can do to bring their loved one back or to prevent the death of their loved one, after all, “what is done is done” (Raab 49). In the novel, Edgar and Nelly were eventually able to move on with their lives and remove themselves from the deep hole of depression. In contrast, Heathcliff lived a dark life of revenge and hatred which came from his depression and despair over Catherine’s 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.