How Does Shakespeare Use Death In Hamlet

Shakespeare uses Death and the Afterlife in Hamlet to serve many purposes: to provide a means of shaping and defining characters, determining them to be strong, fearful, etc.; to provide the major conflict in the play, an internal conflict that ultimately psychologically surpasses the breadth of the external conflict; and to present cerebral discourse on a recurring theme throughout all of Shakespeare’s works, playing on mankind’s inability to understand Death and what comes after. Death appears in Hamlet in one of two ways: murder, an act that, without repentance, could surely send a man to hell, or suicide, an act that deems the participant ineligible for salvation no matter what good deeds they might have done in life. This simple split of two grisly fates is relevant to the storyline of Hamlet; rather than dealing with the afterlife of pure, innocent people, Shakespeare delves into the insecurity sinners feel when faced with the inevitability of their own demise.
His thoughts on suicide fulfill the three theses quite well: his meditations on death and the afterlife in regards to suicide show his character to be a thoughtful, but hesitant person, unwilling to take action against his personal demons and other characters; his problem with the uncertainty of the afterlife and the effect these thoughts have on him establish the major conflict of the play, as it overwhelms him and prevents him from resolving his issues; this presentation of fearful speculation into life after death is one of many Shakespearian analyses of death. Ophelia is also famously associated with suicide, as many readers can interpret her death as suicide or accidental drowning (IV, vii, 187-208).