In Hamlet's first soliloquy, "To be or not to be", Hamlet appears to be governed by reason as he debates whether or not it is one's right to end his or her life. Hamlet begins by weighing out the advantages and disadvantages of existence. In his words, "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?"(III.i.57-60). Hamlet is struggling. Living in Misery is a major issue for Hamlet as he copes with the death of his father. From this passage, we are led to believe that Hamlet favors suicide over life. Suicide is an act believed to be punishable by damnation. Similarly, the mystery of life after death presents Hamlet with a fear of the unknown. For these reasons, Hamlet is hesitant and forced to re-analyze the situation. Clearly, Hamlet is engaging in a philosophical dilemma where he uses intellect and logic to seek for an alternative solution to his misery. Hamlet's ethical nature is revealed by his thoughts. All in all, Hamlet is struggling with the knowledge of good and evil.…
Shakespeare’s soliloquy To Be, or Not to Be displays Hamlet’s inner thoughts, as he contemplates suicide. Keats predicted he would die young from tuberculosis, like his brother, and never experience his greatest desires- fame and “high romance”. In the end, Keats reconciled with his fear of death, and accepted his predicament “till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.” Hamlet’s monologue reveals his troubled mind, torn between revenge and morality. The uncertainty over what action to take drives Hamlet insane, and he debates with himself whether “to be, or not to be”. Hamlet describes life as a “sea of troubles”, filled with “heartache, and [a] thousand natural shocks”, making it sound miserable and worthless. He contrasts by comparing death to relieving sleep, but “to sleep – perchance to dream”, is the true reason for choosing life – “for in that sleep of death what dreams may come/…/ must give us pause.” Hamlet concludes that the key factor keeping humans from choosing death is fear of the unknown – “thus conscience does make cowards of us all”, and in this conclusion decides upon the cowardly option to live. While Keats’ sonnet expresses his own fear of death, and his inner desires, Hamlet is mentally unstable and debating whether life’s hardships or death’s mysteries are a more daunting…
Hamlet seeks redemption from his miserable situation by contemplating suicide. His continuous lamenting and depression give us insight into his internal conflict and torment. Suicide is not the usual mode of redemption found in most storylines, as with many themes of redemption there is a more positive savior provided. We may be able to draw the conclusion that Hamlet’s eventual death does bring him redemption and freedom from the indecision and chaos around him. In a roundabout way, Laertes, Hamlet’s eventual murderer may be seen as the person who finally brings Hamlet closure and redemption.…
He choice to live because “the dread of something after death, The undiscover'd country from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will”. In other words, Hamlet unwilling to commit suicide is because he does not know what lies after death and it was against his religious believe. Ironically, through out the soliloquy, the reader can conclude from Hamlet’s sorrow and depression that he himself knows his weakness in thinking too much on his revenge and yet Hamlet does not react or even tries to. It has been weeks before Hamlet’s promises towards his father on revenge to kill Cladius, but once again, we see Hamlet is confused as ever. He then quotes: “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 pith and moment With this regard their currents turn awry, And lose the name of action”. This further fortifies the above statement for stating himself for being cowardly and did not take action when he had the chance. It seems that Hamlet needs to list out every possible outcome of his action before processing it. Hamlet is helpless of his own lack of confidence and this will lead to his ultimate…
HAMLET: 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…
Hamlet is obsessed with the idea of death, and during the course of the play he contemplates death from many different perspectives. He ponders the physical aspects of death, as seen with Yoricks's skull, his father's ghost, as well as the dead bodies in the cemetery. He says one of the most famous lines, "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 consummation devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep." (III.1.58-64). Hamlet also contemplates the spiritual aspects of the afterlife with his various soliloquies. Emotionally Hamlet is attached to death with the passing of his father and his lover Ophelia. The madness that Hamlet portrays is understandable but he cannot…
In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare the “To Be or Not To Be”soliloquy has a strong connection of growth and uncertainty that is shown throughout the text using a motif and repetition of life and death and the simple and difficult ways of life.…
In his famous soliloquy, Hamlet reasons himself out of committing suicide, in which he first acknowledges how a copious amount of complications and predicaments in life can potentially lure an individual into a tempting and appealing idea of death. Throughout his soliloquy, Hamlet appears to be in a constant conflict with himself, proving his insanity and inability to compile the right suitable decisions. He struggles to figure out whether to commit suicide to avoid this dilemma or to assassinate the murderer of Hamlet’s father, which both deeds prove to be worthy of damnation. Hamlet’s indecisive speech and nature influences the rest of his actions in the play due to his constant contemplations that results in poor decisions, that ignites…
Hamlet’s “ To Be or Not To Be” soliloquy clearly expresses his feelings towards life, death, and the afterlife. By beginning with “To Be or Not To Be,” Shakespeare creates a morbid and pensive atmosphere (3.1.56). Hamlet truly contemplates his life and what has all happened to him. He struggles with the death of his father, the reappearance of his father as a ghost, and his mother's recent incestuous marriage. Throughout the whole soliloquy, Shakespeare utilizes a meditative tone, depressing metaphors, and frequent repetition to create the theme the mystery of death.…
Hamlet’s life is truly tragic. I cannot imagine finding out that my uncle killed my father. Personally, I have absolutely no idea how I would handle it. I am sure I would go insane, just like Hamlet did. In that sense, his behavior is justified because how could he act normal after knowing that sort of information? However, just because I empathize with his behavioral tendencies, does not mean I agree with his actions.…
This soliloquy portrays Hamlet pondering whether it is better “to be, or not to be”(Shakespeare 3.1.57). The uncertainty and possible instability of life after death is of great concern to Hamlet, as a result he focuses…
From the beginning of the play, it was for the loss of his father, and then in his first soliloquy he talks of how fast time is moving and how his mother has wedded so fast. As the play progresses, Hamlet learns from the ghost that his very own uncle murdered his father, and that the love of his life, Ophelia has committed suicide. Due to the fact that unfortunate events are recurring so close together, Hamlet’s state of mind is evident through his words, that he is suicidal. For example, in his first soliloquy in Act one scene two, he expresses “O that this too too sallied flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself in a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix’d His canon ‘gainst [self-]slaughter!” (956). In this line, he wishes for his flesh to melt and that God had not made suicide a sin. His thoughts recur in his “To be or not to be” soliloquy. Hamlet discovers the skull of the Yorick, the old court jester from Hamlet’s childhood. Upon discovery of this skull, he is reminded of a fond memory from his childhood that is from so long ago, that he has forgotten how it feels. However, the discovery of this skull also makes Hamlet realize that no matter who you are, we will all die one day and return to dust. This memory makes Hamlet realize that he needs to come to terms with losses in his life, and take revenge for his father’s…
The play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare is a tragic story about a prince named Hamlet attempting to get revenge for his father's murder. As Hamlet only to slowly destroy his life in the process. As Hamlet attempts to get revenge, he ultimately ends up destroying himself and the people around him. But before his death, Hamlet slowly decides what he wants to do with his life. Hamlet goes from thinking the world holds nothing for him but not wanting to kill himself because he fears god in the first Soliloquy, to living to avenge his father if needed in the second Soliloquy, to fearing death in the third Soliloquy. Hamlet slowly decides what he wants to do with his life, through his first three Soliloquies in the play…
Hamlet is a Christian and to commit suicide would be against his religion. Hamlet seems to be concerned with what the nobler thing to do is, "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" (3.1.59-62). If Hamlet committed suicide, it would not be a noble act and he would get no credit for revenging his father's death. Many people, other than a crazy man who was weak and could not endure the loss of his father, may not remember hamlet. If Hamlet were to die, by taking his own life, than he would "sleep" and by sleeping he figures he would put an end to "the heartache and the thousand natural shocks/ that flesh is heir to" (3.1.64-65). He would have no worries and no more heartache. The pain that he feels would be put to an end. This may be an easy way to end the pain but it is far from noble.…
In his most famous soliloquy, Hamlet becomes aware that “conscience does make cowards of us all; and thus the native hue of resolution is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought, with this regard their currents turn awry, and lose the name of action.” (3.1. 85-90) Hamlet initially wonders if it's better to put up with the bad things you know about in life than to die. His problem is that he doesn't want to keep on living when Denmark is in this tragic state of decay. In thinking about the unknown that death brings "make cowards of us all,” Hamlet begins to accept what needs to be done. In his final soliloquy, Hamlet addresses the action of young Fortinbras and his bold, seemingly pointless actions. He questions why these men are risking their lives for a rather unimportant piece of land, why he can’t even muster up the courage to do something that has a legitimate point. “What is a man if his chief good and/market of his time be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more” (4.4. 34-36) He ensues to claim that if men don’t act, but wait for what is desired to happen, they are no more than animals. “I see the imminent death of twenty thousand men, that, for a fantasy and trick of fame, go to their graves liked beds, fight for a plot…O, from this time forth, my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth.” (4.4. 60-67) Hamlet, in the end, is finally able to…