In Hamlet, suicide is a common theme that the characters all temper with. Hamlet, the narcissistic protagonist, is the character that ponders it more than anyone else. Throughout the play, Hamlet’s obsession of always being the center of attention drives him to do insane things. However, one thing it does not drive him to do is commit suicide.
Throughout the play, Hamlet’s obsession of always being the center of attention drives him to do insane things. However, one thing it does not drive him to do is commit suicide. In his famous ‘To be or not to be’ speech, Hamlet says, “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, must
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This causes a spur of events that indirectly cause Ophelia’s death. Ophelia’s brother, Laertes, seeks revenge for the death of his father and sister. He and Claudius plot kill Hamlet in a fight with a poisoned sword. Following the fight, the casualties are Hamlet’s mother, who is accidentally poisoned, Claudius, who is stabbed and forced to drink poison, Laertes and Hamlet, who die from the wound of the poisoned sword. When Horatio, Hamlet’s closest friend, realizes the catastrophe, he tries to kill himself. Hamlet stops him saying, “If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart absent thee from felicity a while, and in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain to tell my story”(5.2) Hamlet is only thinking of himself, which is one of his narcissistic characteristics. It is not that he cares about Horatio’s well being, instead, he cares that Horatio lives to tell his story. He wants to reassure that he will be in the spotlight even after he dies, and Horatio is his way of doing …show more content…
He thinks of himself in such high importance that suicide is something he would never act upon. Committing suicide would ultimately take away his ability to be in the spotlight, making him irrelevant. His father, who was of such high stature, was forgotten within two months of his death. Hamlet does not want to end up like his father which ultimately keeps him from committing suicide. However, when the Prince is dying, to ensure he will not be forgotten, he stops Horatio from committing suicide. With Horatio still alive, Hamlet’s narcissistic wish, being talked about and not forgotten, becomes a
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
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).
His depression is so great that he has thought of suicide, a huge cultural sin, as he knows. Hamlet’s thoughtfulness is also conveyed, taking six lines to delve into his emotions.
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.
Throughout the play, Hamlet has various points where he is confronted with suicidal thoughts or attempts. Throughout Hamlet’s first soliloquy “Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, / Thaw resolve itself into a dew, / Or that the Everlasting had not fixed/ His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter! Oh God, God!”
Throughout the play, suicide is mention by Hamlet and the suicide that he mentions is something that is related with death and decay. The prime idea of this play is about a mystery of death which then causes revenge. This prime idea then lead every single action of Hamlet throughout the play as, his action mostly is in order to seek revenge for the death of his death father, King of Denmark. Hamlet’s father appears to Hamlet as a ghost and tells him that he was murdered by Claudius.
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!
Hamlet, after being left alone in the hall, begins to argue with himself about whether “To be or not to be?”(III.i.57). Hamlet discusses the topic on whether he should end his life or keep on living. Throughout Hamlet’s soliloquy he comes up with reasons to support each side of his argument. Hamlet’s sanity is still intact at the moment because if someone who had lost their sanity began to contemplate killing themselves they would commit the act right away without even thinking. In addition, Hamlet manages to list reasons on whether he should go through with killing himself or not which an insane person would not do.
He is depressed and suicidal as indicated in his infamous quote, “To be, or not to be: that is the question.” (3.1.57). However, while many may choose to carry on after the death of a loved one, Hamlet chose to hold on to his sorrow and pretended to be mad so he can know the truth behind his father’s death. Hamlet’s tragic life is not the cause for his madness. Hamlet drives himself to the brink of insanity
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).
He questioned whether or not it was better to be alive or dead. At this moment, Hamlet is depressed and speaks out logical and emotional thoughts to himself. From this, we were able to conclude that Hamlet is discouraged with life. In addition, Hamlet’s perspective on life is formed from multiple events that had occurred. At the beginning of the play we learn that Hamlet’s father has died and this saddens him.
Hamlet has such faith in Horatio that he leaves him with one last request: to tell his story. The close bond between the two makes this possible because, being the one man who knows everything that happened, Horatio is the only one who can tell the story. The confidence Hamlet has in Horatio, even after death, is something only a father could have. The deep care the two have for each other is significantly proven in the final moments of Hamlet’s life. After discovering Hamlet is going to die, Horatio believes the next logical step would be to drink the poison.
Shakespeare presents death as an inevitable act of life, noting that all that is living must eventually come to an end. Due to “Hamlet” being a Shakespearean tragedy, the theme of death recurs throughout the play. Additionally, Shakespeare can be seen as using revenge as the main motive of a character’s murder, which makes “Hamlet” a revenge tragedy. The tragic nature means that by the end of the play, majority of the characters would have died. In this case, many of the characters have died due to murder or suicide.
Because of how closely religion and moral was tied together, suicide was considered morally wrong due to its classification as a sin. Hamlet himself claims in the «O´ that this too, too solid flesh would melt» soliloquy that he would commit suicide had it not been deemed wrong by the church. In other words, the play Hamlet treats suicide as a
Hamlet’s ability to overthink situations or decisions makes him conclude that committing suicide might be the easy way out of his indecisiveness. Hamlet overthinks every problem that is happening. He overthinks so much that he cannot make up his decision about what to do with the problem. The cluelessness that is going on within his mind makes him lose his mental status, life and the love of his life. Hamlets actions are hypnotized by his thoughts: “Thus Conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pitch and moment, With this regard their currents turn awry, And lose the name of action” (3.1.85-90).