ipl-logo

Hamlet Suicide Essay

1249 Words5 Pages

The Theme of Suicide in Hamlet “To be, or not to be”, is the antithesis by which Shakespeare has created a dilemma of whether to live on with all the injustice and cruelty existing in the world or to accept the consequences of ending the life that is given by God(Shakespeare, III, I, 57). Shakespeare has depicted the societal beliefs regarding committing suicide as a sin associated with religious beliefs. The moral attitudes of both Hamlet and Ophelia toward their suicidal actions have been represented as a devout and an ethical taboo, which ultimately prevented one of them from self-annihilation, yet encouraged the other to implement it.
Hamlet’s “O, that this too too solid flesh would melt” soliloquy became the first scene in which the idea …show more content…

Therefore, Hamlet hesitates to kill himself considering the consequences of societal opinions towards him, even with his mental crisis. “That flesh is heir to: ’tis a consummation. Devoutly to be wish’d”(Shakespeare, III, I, 64-65), wherein Hamlet devoutly wishes for consummation which reveals the final instance of all suffering that could be done by death, but also to reach religious completion by salvation to God.
Further, Hamlet analogizes death to an undiscovered country. “The undiscovere’d country, from whose bourn. No traveller returns, puzzles the will, And makes us rather bear those ills we have. Than fly to others that we know not of?”(Shakespeare, III, I, 80-83). He states that only those who have experienced death can describe the afterlife, and those who are alive can just envisage it. Hence, how can we be assured that life after death is better since we are not aware of where we are going? The momentous soliloquy is accomplished when Ophelia is onstage. Shakespeare has concealed a message in this scene, Hamlet was a character who thought about ending his life but changed his mind with deeper contemplation; nevertheless, the story alters with Ophelia’s presence, and ultimately, she becomes nothing but death. The one who was a figure of vitality and cheerfulness ended her life by drowning herself in the river. The religious and societal discernment of the priests and others regarding Ophelia was the only remaining notion followed by her

Show More
Related

  • Hamlet's Perception Of Death In Hamlet By William Shakespeare

    421 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hamlet contemplates suicide as a way to escape his troubles, but he ultimately decides against it because of his fear of the afterlife. As the play progresses, Hamlet's view

    Read More

  • Hamlet Suicide Dbq

    995 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hamlet sparks an internal philosophical debate on the advantages and disadvantages of existence and whether it is nobler to live miserably or to end one's sorrow with a single stroke. Hamlet is in a state of madness that leads him to question get suicide, comparing it to a peaceful sleep. Through Hamlet's internal struggle with suicide his conscience guides him to live. Hamlet is contemplating suicide because he is going mad over the truth of his father's death, and his mother remarrying so quickly. ” Hamlet is suffering” due to the loss of his dear father “and he wants his anguish and strong passion abundantly evident to the audience”(Source1,Point3).

    Read More

  • Ethos Pathos And Logos In Hamlet's Soliloquy

    1765 Words  | 8 Pages

    When applied correctly, soliloquies successfully allow the reader to experience characters in their most vulnerable state: within their own minds. Hamlet is no exception to this principle, as Shakespeare’s mastery of rhetoric in establishing the main character’s inner conflict provides depth and rawness to his complex character. In this well-known soliloquy, Shakespeare employs logos to acknowledge that death can be both a relief and nightmare due to natural human emotions; accordingly, Hamlet personifies a severe case of teenage depression by simultaneously wishing for an end to suffering yet remaining hesitant to act on his own thoughts due to his fear of the unknown.         Throughout this passage, Hamlet attempts to rationalize ending his life over continuing to endure the painful reality of his existence. The parallelism in this particular soliloquy serves several rhetorical purposes, including the development of an implicit contrast between Hamlet’s mental state and the actual organization of his thoughts.

    Read More

  • Isolation In Hamlet

    697 Words  | 3 Pages

    By questioning the purpose of life, and whether or not to commit suicide, Hamlet expresses significant loneliness. He then continues by stating, “A sleep to say we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to” (3.1.62-64). Through this dismal juxtaposition, Hamlet sees death as a painless alternative to the life he is stuck in. Lastly, Hamlet’s self-induced separation from Ophelia alienates any possible love for Hamlet, therefore propelling him more into his isolated state. By stating, “You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock, but we shall relish of it.

    Read More

  • Isolation In Hamlet, Grendel, And Beow

    727 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hamlet pushing away others causes his descent into madness. As he slowly loses his sanity, the idea of death looks more and more appealing. Shakespeare shows this idea through Hamlet’s soliloquy: “To be, or not to be: that is the question” (Shakespeare, line 57). The fact that Shakespeare used a soliloquy in this scene shows how much Hamlet’s solitude has affected how he views his life. His thoughts of suicide race as he finds himself alone, separating himself from the betrayal in his family.

    Read More

  • Dynamic Characters In Hamlet

    2487 Words  | 10 Pages

    The “To be or not to be” soliloquy is very pessimistic in nature, heightening Hamlet’s distressed mental state. Just as in every soliloquy, life is heavily examined by Hamlet, but in this particular speech, it is as if Hamlet has reached his final straw, mentally. At this point, Hamlet is questioning which option is nobler to “suffer the slings of and arrows of outrageous fortune, / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles / and, by opposing, end them” (3.1.66-67). Shortly after, the analytical Hamlet considers the pros and cons of suicide. On one hand, suicide is essentially an eternal session of sleep that would end all of life’s troubles making it “a consummation / Devoutly to be wished”.

    Read More

  • Hamlet Mental Illness

    1533 Words  | 7 Pages

    Death is one of the most prominent themes in Hamlet, appearing in different forms. Shakespeare displays death through the suicide of Ophelia, Hamlet’s own thoughts and eventual suicide, and the murder of King Hamlet and Polonius. Hamlet displays suicidal tendencies throughout the play through his soliloquies. The first time that Hamlet contemplates committing suicide is when Gertrude and Claudius tell him that he has to stay in Denmark in Act one. “Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew, or that the Everlasting had not fixed his canon ‘gainst self-slaughter!

    Read More

  • His Father's Death And Death In Hamlet

    1156 Words  | 5 Pages

    When Hamlet encounters his Father death, he becomes obsessed with death itself. He begins to wonder if suicide is the answer to end his suffering. In the play, hamlet says “O, that this too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew”(I.ii.133-138).

    Read More

  • Death In Hamlet Research Paper

    1675 Words  | 7 Pages

    But we can see after he finds out about the truth, he is forced to act because of his morality beliefs. The battle in Hamlet’s tragedy occurs in a dynamic society that is created by opposing forces that contradict with each other and Hamlet is a philosophical prince who blames the court for impunity, injustice, and murder; and all of these problems prevents him from being a part of court’s social life and he becomes depressed. Hamlet’s deep depression effects on his behaviors until he even doesn’t act like prince and becomes mad. His madness effect on his judgment and makes him to become obsessed with the death; even he sees death as the only way to take revenge. We can see that Hamlet explores death in every facet of the play from many different angles and how he develops his definition of death from the materially to morality perspective.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Innocence In Hamlet

    1250 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the “To be or not to be” soliloquy, Hamlet says, “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!”(3.1 61-64) Proving that he is so distraught about taking action against his uncle that he believes that death would be an easier alterative to losing his purity and innocence. He ultimately decides that suicide is not the answer, “With this regard their currents turn awry/ And lose the name of action,” (3.1 88-89) because he cannot take the uncertainty of the afterlife. This entire soliloquy also highlights Hamlets delayed action to his problems.

    Read More

  • Essay On Ophelia's Death In Hamlet

    1427 Words  | 6 Pages

    In “Hamlet” a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, the death of a character is an occurring event. William Shakespeare uses imagery and allusion to demonstrate the result of manipulation from other characters upon Ophelia, daughter of Polonius, and leading up to her death. Her death was not the consequence of disgraceful actions of her own, but rather by the involvement of others and their influence on her life. Hamlet’s apparent rejection of her love and her father’s personal vindictive leads up to her simple-minded state, entering a world of madness. She has now gone mad, singings nonsense songs and giving people flowers that she has picked from the garden.

    Read More

  • Death Theme In Hamlet

    847 Words  | 4 Pages

    In his soliloquy, he is asking himself whether it is better to live or to die, which he is considering to commit suicide. Also, in the soliloquy, Hamlet states that “Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, The undiscovered country from whose bourn No traveler returns, puzzles the will And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of?” (3.1.84-90). He explains that no one would like to live in an exhausting life, unless they don’t know what is going to happen after they die because they are afraid of what their after life is going to be. Both these quotes prove that the death symbol is always surrounded by Hamlet and he has a hard time to choose between life and

    Read More

  • Mystery Of Death In Hamlet

    875 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Hamlet, there is a lot of death and contemplations between life and death. Because of this prominent aspect in the play, the mystery of death becomes on of the main themes seen throughout the play. Through Hamlet’s questions of what happens to the soul after death, the importance in confessions before

    Read More

  • Why Is Hamlet Weak

    788 Words  | 4 Pages

    However, it can also be argued that her suicide indicates her strength rather than her cowardice. Ophelia kills herself after the death of her father because she could not handle the grief while Hamlet, whose situation is even worse, does not. While people may disagree on whether or not suicide is cowardly, in the context of this play, suicide is the braver choice. Earlier in the play, during his 3rd soliloquy, Hamlet contemplated the options of killing himself or continuing to live. He comes to the conclusion that, “Thus conscience does make cowards of us all.”(3.1.91).

    Read More

  • Theme Of Suicide In Hamlet

    711 Words  | 3 Pages

    Suicide is a reoccuring theme in Hamlet. Since this is a theme that affects all characters to a certain degree, it is interesting to see how the idea of suicide is treated both morally, religiously and aesthetically. This essay will mostly be based on Hamlet´s own soliloquies, considering their relevance to the theme, but Queen Gertrude´s treatment of Ophelia´s death is also worth a mention. The story of Hamlet takes place in medieval Denmark, but a precise date is not mentioned.

    Read More

More about Hamlet Suicide Essay

Open Document