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Effects Of Loss In Hamlet

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Adolescents rarely have to deal with death. At that point in their lives, the passing of people close to them is not common. Furthermore, adolescents are often not equipped to deal with the powerful emotions that come with the loss of a loved one. Shakespeare explores the effects of loss on adolescents in Hamlet, a play full of death and tragedy. The play centers around the main character, Hamlet, and his journey attempting to get revenge for his father’s murder. An analysis of the way Shakespeare develops Hamlet following the death of his father implies that adolescents who experience loss suffer many different consequences and deal with those consequences in a variety of ways.

Shakespeare examines this idea in Act I Scene ii. Soon after …show more content…

From the beginning of the play, Hamlet is plagued with indecision. This inner tension culminates in a reflective soliloquy at the beginning of Act III, “'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,” (Shakespeare 3.1.57-61). The opening statement, “To be, or not to be”, implies that there are only two possible options for Hamlet, to live or to die. In other words, he can choose to get revenge for his father or live with the guilt of not killing Claudius for the rest of his life. Notice Shakespeare’s use of the words “slings and arrows”, emphasizing the physicality of the pain Hamlet would experience if he does not kill Claudius. Also, the use of the word “sea” to describe Hamlet’s other option illustrates the magnitude of the task that is killing Claudius. In Hamlet’s eyes, there is no middle ground; he must die or choose eternal suffering. Understandably, this causes Hamlet a lot of indecision which stays with him throughout the play. The decision on whether or not to kill Claudius consumes him. Hamlet’s focus on this issue is made clear in Act 4, “O, from this point forth my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!” (Shakespeare 4.4.69). Much like the sadness from his father’s death defines his being, his desire to get revenge for his father takes over his whole life. Hamlet feels as though he would be nothing if he does not commit himself completely to this cause. Shakespeare emphasizes how adolescents often get fixated on one life-changing event, like the death of one’s father. This causes them considerable inner tension and often supersedes many other aspects of their lives, as seen in

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