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.
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.
This leads him to believe that his God-given reasoning is meant to be used and acted upon, and in this play he uses that reasoning to justify murder. This turning point in the play spurs Hamlet into murdering the king in the following act. The justification of murder through religion reveals the underlying themes of religion and revenge in the text of Hamlet. Hamlet reflects on honor and greatness in this soliloquy. It ties into the theme of revenge, as he thinks his greatness lies in getting revenge for his father being murdered by his uncle.
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!”
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’s famous “to be or not to be” soliloquy isn’t about whether or not to commit suicide - rather, it is talking about two different alternatives a person can use to approach a situation. One is “To be”: upholding a passive fortitude and enduring reality. Its alternative is “Not to be”: taking arms, taking action and fighting against the troubles weighing you down. The soliloquy is the contemplation everyone makes when presented with a choice - whether to act, or not to act. Several factors impact how a person perceives their troubles and how they respond to them.
Like many things, Hamlet is intelligent and honorable, but his indecisiveness is the cause of his tragic downfall. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare portrays that Hamlet is very incapable of finishing the task at hand. Throughout the drama Hamlet faces many trials and tribulations due to his late father Hamlet, who was murderously killed by Claudius. His inability to kill Claudius and himself is one grand flaw of an epic hero. After King Hamlets passing, Hamlet entered an unknown state of mind that not only feared others for his wellbeing, but also feared himself.
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
It is not until now that he realizes that “The spirit [he saw] May be a devil, and [that] the devil hath the power t’assume a pleasing shape” (II.ii.585-587). It is here that the audience makes the connection that one of the MANY problems Hamlet is facing he has no clue as to if
Oh God, God” (I.ii.129-132). Hamlet went on a rant to himself about how mad he was that his mother married his uncle so soon after his father’s death and he thought about ending his life. He later goes on to say how suicide is a sin, which is another thing to fuel his anger; but it does not stop him from killing himself in act
The idea that our actions could be meaningless is one that is not uncommon for one to ponder; though a troubling thought, it cannot be denied that once an individual is dead, their previous actions don't make any difference to things anymore. This idea is elaborated on by two great writers, William Shakespeare and T. S. Eliot. A universal theme about the futility of life is shared in Shakespeare's Hamlet and Eliot's The Wasteland. In Shakespeare's play, the main character, Hamlet, regularly has doubtful and somewhat nihilistic views on his life.
The pain that he is experiencing due to his father’s death and his mother’s dalliances can only be resisted by his faith and his belief in better and worse. Hamlet fears a damnation to Hell, and hopes for an easy passage to heaven, yet in a situation that many find hopeless, it is through his faith in God that Hamlet is able to resist the temptations of death. Throughout the play, Shakespeare emphasizes this intense faith that Hamlet possess and how it is a guiding force in many of his choices. Yet lack of faith can be even more telling. “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below;/ Words without thoughts never to heaven go” (Shakespeare,
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.
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).
