Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy, one of the most known and important of all his soliloquies, is worth discussing. In the play, Hamlet is experiencing a crisis after encountering the death of his father, the betrothal of his mother to his uncle as well as the self-crowning of his uncle who wished to replace the deceased king. His entire life as he has known it has suddenly changed and it is apparent that he mistrusts everyone he knows including his own mother. The instability and uncertainty he faces renders him vulnerable. His soliloquy is supported by an existentialist tone where Hamlet questions the meaning of life and it provides the reader with an idea of how Hamlet views life at this point of his life, and by extension how he views humanity. Hamlet questions how it would be best to deal with the hardships of life. It is unmistakable that he has a pessimistic …show more content…
In the first scene of act five he is bold enough to question the funeral of Ophelia and therefore the hypocrisy of society which is exemplified through Ophelia’s funeral. The funeral would not be performed if she was not a noble woman but rather a peasant: “Why, there thou sayst, and the more pity that great folk should have countenance in this world to drown or hang themselves more than their even Christen.” (Hamlet, act 5:1.26). For the gravedigger, a suicide is what it is and the consequences of committing it should be identical, despite the social status one may have. It is unmistakable how the character is sarcastic and bold while provoking the status quo with his utterances. This is visible through his encounter with Hamlet who states: “(…) the ageis grown so picked that the toe of the peasant come so near the heel of the courtier he galls his kibe.” (Hamlet, act