ipl-logo

Suicide In Hamlet Research Paper

766 Words4 Pages

Suicide in hamlet Suicide has been around for centuries. The definition of suicide is to take one’s own life away; also known as self-slaughter. Approximately “...tens of thousands of Americans die from suicide... killing more people than car crashes or any other cause of injury, according to the U.S. ” (Pappas1). Suicide does not only affect the one committing it but also their surroundings. There are many reasons why some people may be suicidal but the main reason is to run away from what they’re going through. Suicide does not focus on a certain gender, religion, age, social class etc.; research proofs that suicide can be committed by any individual. Suicide has been the main cause of many deaths for decades. According to International …show more content…

Suicide was not committed by hamlet himself but he was the one who had the symptoms and thoughts going on. In hamlets soliloquy it states, “To be or not to be…” (Act 3 scenes 1). This means, to live or not to live, and then goes on with questioning if it is even worth living. This quote shows how hamlet thinks that suicide is another option but also it is against his believes and God. “...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…” (Act 3 scene 1).Hamlet starts to have second thoughts about suicide, regarding that if it should just be sucked up and live on or die and ignore. Morality was one major reason he had second thoughts about suicide. Although hamlet did not technically commit suicide there was a character in the play that did. Ophelia, a young girl, also known as Hamlets secret girl, committed suicide because she felt destroyed after Hamlet killed her father. Like in Lickerman’s article, Ophelia committed suicide to run away from what she was going through. She lost her father and was grieving. That grieving over took her life and she decided that it was better off not to live. Although hamlet did seem depressed some people may argue that he was psychotic due to the ghost he apparently saw. The ghost of his father and was told by him to get revenge on the one person he . Hamlets planned on getting his revenge and then commit suicide afterwards. In conclusion, suicide can be committed regardless of age, social class, gender, etc. many may just go through the thoughts and symptoms of it and others would take it differently. Suicide is a way to run away from what is happening; a cry for help. Hamlet wanted to commit suicide because of the death of his father and the uncomfortable situation of his mother and uncle; he believed it was incestuous relationship. Ophelia killed

Show More
Related
998 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet is here contemplating the meaning of life and death, and some even go so far as to speculate suicidal thoughts. Unfortunately, that macabre idea of possible feelings of

Read More
719 Words | 3 Pages

The story of Hamlet is all about his tragic journey through life. Throughout his journey he has to deal with the passing of his father and his mother's hasty remarriage to his uncle C laudius the dead king's brother. It is remarkable how one person can deal with the amount of betray he has had to deal with in his life. I can come to the conclusion that hamlet has depression, you are able to see this through his constant mood swings and lack of interaction with his family and so called friends. As a result of all the stress he is encountering he is slowly driving himself mad and many health problems can occur from this.

Read More
464 Words | 2 Pages

Hamlet brings up complex questions about life and death, and what it means to live. Josh Hirsh’s book on this soliloquy, The “To be, or not to be’’ Speech: Evidence, Conventional Wisdom, and the Editing of Hamlet, addresses the idea of the Christian prohibition of suicide, although it isn't mentioned explicitly. Committing suicide was considered a sin to Catholic audiences because they believed no one can justify the intentional taking of an innocent human life. In fact, they strongly believed suicide would deprive society of the contribution and activity of an individual, and that it usurped the function of God.

Read More
630 Words | 3 Pages

He even considers taking his own life many times. His act of insanity slowly snowballs into true insanity and madness. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are friends of Hamlet that are sent to check on him and find the reason behind his insanity. When Claudius sends them to England with a letter asking the king to kill Hamlet, Hamlet switches the letter with one asking for their death instead.

Read More
1105 Words | 5 Pages

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!”

Read More
1071 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
1153 Words | 5 Pages

He is depressed and suicidal as indicated in his infamous quote, “To be, or not to be: that is the question.” (3.1.57). However, while many may choose to carry on after the death of a loved one, Hamlet chose to hold on to his sorrow and pretended to be mad so he can know the truth behind his father’s death. Hamlet’s tragic life is not the cause for his madness. Hamlet drives himself to the brink of insanity

Read More
1533 Words | 7 Pages

Death is one of the most prominent themes in Hamlet, appearing in different forms. Shakespeare displays death through the suicide of Ophelia, Hamlet’s own thoughts and eventual suicide, and the murder of King Hamlet and Polonius. Hamlet displays suicidal tendencies throughout the play through his soliloquies. The first time that Hamlet contemplates committing suicide is when Gertrude and Claudius tell him that he has to stay in Denmark in Act one. “Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew, or that the Everlasting had not fixed his canon ‘gainst self-slaughter!

Read More
2487 Words | 10 Pages

The “To be or not to be” soliloquy is very pessimistic in nature, heightening Hamlet’s distressed mental state. Just as in every soliloquy, life is heavily examined by Hamlet, but in this particular speech, it is as if Hamlet has reached his final straw, mentally. At this point, Hamlet is questioning which option is nobler to “suffer the slings of and arrows of outrageous fortune, / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles / and, by opposing, end them” (3.1.66-67). Shortly after, the analytical Hamlet considers the pros and cons of suicide. On one hand, suicide is essentially an eternal session of sleep that would end all of life’s troubles making it “a consummation / Devoutly to be wished”.

Read More
273 Words | 2 Pages

Even his own mother thinks he was losing his mind. A normal person wouldn’t be taking request from the dead, especially when it comes to murder. Hamlet truly believes that this is his goal, to get vengeance for his father. That’s the only thing he thinks about. He then beginning to doubt the meaning of life, he thinks of death is something

Read More
1250 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
840 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the play, suicide is mention by Hamlet and the suicide that he mentions is something that is related with death and decay. The prime idea of this play is about a mystery of death which then causes revenge. This prime idea then lead every single action of Hamlet throughout the play as, his action mostly is in order to seek revenge for the death of his death father, King of Denmark. Hamlet’s father appears to Hamlet as a ghost and tells him that he was murdered by Claudius.

Read More
939 Words | 4 Pages

Grief is defined by Merriam-Webster as the “deep sadness caused especially by someone's death” (merriam-webster.com, 1) and is characterized by five stages, one of them being depression. According to the Mayo Clinic, depression has a symptom of “frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide” (mayoclinic.org). Hamlet is experiencing grief and depression, and is evident by his constant talk of death or suicide. For example, his soliloquy in which he contemplates whether ”to be,or not to be: [. . .]/

Read More
880 Words | 4 Pages

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).

Read More
711 Words | 3 Pages

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

Read More

More about Suicide In Hamlet Research Paper

Related Topics

Open Document