Hamlet Death Analysis

In William Shakespeare's famous play, Hamlet, death is a central theme that raises many questions for and about the main characters. The death of King Hamlet sets the plot of the play in motion and the appearance of a ghost begins the play itself. Young Hamlet, prince of Denmark, is plagued by several questions concerning the ideas, properties, and the reality that is death. These questions and notions about death are closely connected with themes such as spirituality, truth, and uncertainty. Furthermore, because death is the cause and end result of revenge, the theme of death is intimately intertwined with the theme of justice and revenge. The intermingling nature of such concepts and inquiries lead to uncertainty about human nature and life

As Hamlet contemplates the idea and ramifications of suicide he remarks that he wished "the Everlasting had not fixed / His canon 'gainst self-slaughter!" (1.2.135). These remarks show how Hamlet questions the spiritual aspects of death and suicide. His traditional Catholic beliefs condemn the taking of one's own life. This speech, then, shows how Hamlet contemplates his particular religion's set of rules and how his obsession with death relates to these religious conventions. Hamlet is distressed due to his father's death and his mother's current affairs. He is constantly troubled with the question of whether it is nobler to suffer in silence or to take his own life. However, as seen in this passage, the taking of his life is prohibited through his own religious beliefs. Therefore, while fixating on suicide and the concept of life after death, Hamlet is also fixating on his religion and all that represents and teaches. This moral dilemma of suffering or ending one's suffering becomes a spiritual dilemma as well. After the visitation of the ghost, Hamlet questions, even further, the spiritual nature of the afterlife. The ghost of his father, the embodiment of the spiritual afterlife, tells Hamlet to seek revenge for his father's death. Hamlet seeks to set things right, but he continues to question the apparition. Before acting on his want for revenge and justice, he needs to be certain that this ghost is certainly his father and that these accusations against Claudius are true. He remarks that the apparition could be "a devil, and the devil hath power / T' assume a pleasing shape" and that conceivably, "out of [his] own weakness and [his] melancholy" this devil hopes to damn him (2.2.628-632). These remarks reflect the contemplative nature held inside Hamlet. He wants to be absolutely certain that his actions and feelings are not