ipl-logo

The Mystery Of Death In Hamlet

2157 Words9 Pages

Petar Antovski
Professor Matthew Hotsinpiller
English 2
19 July 2015
The Mystery of Death
Ideas, beliefs and myths pertaining to the mystery of death imbue the eternal story of Hamlet, a work of literature art that can to this day urge its every reader to question their own faith and spirituality. From the beginning we are catapulted into a world where the limits between life and death are blurred, where the worlds of the living and the dead are joined. After all, one of the first characters to appear is the ghost of Old Hamlet. Even in the opening scene Shakespeare establishes a certain fascination with the dead. Although Horatio, Bernardo and Marcellus are frightened by the appearance of the ghost, their curiosity and a longing to discover …show more content…

It is not only his presence, but also his words that suggest the idea of death, as the Ghost gives the account of his murder - ‘Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole with juice of cursed hebenon in a vial, and in the porches of my ears did pour the leperous distilment, whose effect holds such an enmity with blood of man that swift as quicksilver it courses through the natural gates and alleys of the body, and with a sudden vigour it doth posset and curd, like eager droppings into milk, the thin and wholesome blood. So did it mine, and a most instant tetter bark’d about, most lazar-like, with vile and loathsome crust all my smooth body.’ Not only does Hamlet have to plan his revenge, but he must also deal with his ideas about death. Old Hamlet’s murder begins the theme of death in “Hamlet”. Hamlet’s vow to avenge his father’s murder and consequent plot to kill Claudius ultimately leads to the deaths of his future father-in-law Polonius, his bride to be Ophelia, his mother Queen Gertrude, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Claudius, Laertes and Hamlet …show more content…

Despite all of this they still ended up reduced to dust just like Yorick. Thanks to this epiphany Hamlet was finally rid of his fear of death and also made him realize the pointlessness of life. Even though death was still shrouded in mystery for him, he at least did not fear it anymore as he realized that it is inevitable and that every man has to face it. This experience, which was closely followed by fighting on top of a corpse, made him undersand that no matter what a man accomplishes in his life, death would ultimately be victorious. There is no man more powerful than

Show More
Related

Hamlet Hero's Journey Analysis

1112 Words | 5 Pages

Hamlet rests in peace in his death, having got what he wanted. Although he does not live to see it, the society had got a different leadership which was free of malicious people like Claudius. The play is not a comedy where the hero lives. In Hamlet, the hero dies but he dies a hero having achieved his goal and the reason why he was called.

Read More

Importance Of Adversity In Hamlet

898 Words | 4 Pages

Adversity can take us by surprise, but everyone at some point in life experiences it. The way our personal identity can be shaped is through our phases of adversity. The experiences of dealing with difficulties can shape the way we view life and the actions that will show our persona. When we persevere adversity and obstacles it shows our reputation and our true type of identity. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare, illustrates the way Hamlet, as well as other characters, deal with adversity through the types of motives they are seeking.

Read More

Grief In Hamlet's Grief

1071 Words | 5 Pages

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet struggles to cope with his late father’s death and his mother’s quick marriage. In Act 1, Scene 2, King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, and Hamlet are all introduced. Hamlet has just finished publicly speaking with his mom and the new king, and after he is interrupted by his good friend Horatio, who reveal the secret about King Hamlet’s ghost. Hamlet’s soliloquy is particularly crucial because it serves as his initial characterization, revealing the causes of his anguish. Hamlet’s grief is apparent to the audience, as he begins lamenting about the uselessness of life.

Read More

Sanity Vs Insanity In Hamlet

1879 Words | 8 Pages

To add on to Hamlet’s stress is the possibility that something might lie “after death”(III.i.79). The fear that whatever comes after death is unknown is one of the many reasons Hamlet does not want to kill himself. Hamlet is sane because some people today still have a fear about how what comes after death is unknown. Hamlet’s behavior begins to change when they prepare to show the play that Hamlet wrote to everyone in the castle. Hamlet acts disrespectful towards his mother once again declining the seat she offered him and sitting next to Ophelia instead.

Read More

Examples Of Nihilism In Hamlet

2474 Words | 10 Pages

To die: to sleep; No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation”(2.2.268). Existentialism is exemplified by this passage from the book. Thinking about the purpose of life and whether it is worthwhile to live it. Hamlet is debating the value of life and the question of whether it is more honorable to endure the cruel course of existence or to take a stand against it and put an end to it. Since life and death are existential issues, he is having difficulty with them.

Read More

Hamlet Mental Illness

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

Hamlet's Perception Of Death In Hamlet By William Shakespeare

421 Words | 2 Pages

In William Shakespeare's renowned tragedy, Hamlet, the titular character's thoughts on death are frequently expressed throughout the play. Hamlet's perception of death evolves as he experiences the consequences of his actions and begins to understand the true nature of life and mortality. At the start of the play, Hamlet is already contemplating the nature of death, and he speaks of it as an escape from life's pain and suffering. In his first soliloquy, Hamlet expresses his frustration with his mother's hasty remarriage to his uncle, who has become the new king of Denmark.

Read More

Futility Of Life In Hamlet

962 Words | 4 Pages

He maintains that his life has no value throughout the play and contemplates suicide. Hamlet's questioning thoughts on life's worth is further expressed the ten lines of 203-212 in act V scene i. which read ““No, faith, not a jot, but to follow him thither/ with modesty enough and likelihood to lead it:/ Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander retur-/ neth to dust, the dust is earth, of earth we make/ loam, and why of that loam whereto he was con-/ verted might they not stop a beer-barrel?/ Imperious Caesar, dead and turn'd to clay,/ Might stop a hole to keep the wind away./ O that the earth which kept the world in awe/ Should patch a wall t' expel the winter's flaw!” Hamlet speaks these lines during an exchange with the gravediggers, one who was singing and juggling skulls while he worked. In these lines, Hamlet explains how no one's life is really worth anything because, in the end, we are all reduced to corpses, skulls, dust, and clay. By using Alexander and Caesar as examples, two influential and powerful leaders of

Read More

Hamlet Death Theme Essay

873 Words | 4 Pages

When Hamlet meets with the ghost King Hamlet in the opening scene, he realizes that his father is murdered by Claudius. From Act I scene 5, the ghost King Hamlet is asking Hamlet to seek for revenge, “So art thou to revenge, when thou shalt hear” (1.5.12). By knowing this, Hamlet starts the revenge for his father and sets the tone of the entire play where death, revenge, murder, and suicide become the symbols of the whole play, and leads to the deaths of almost all the characters, including Claudius, Laertes, Polonius, Ophelia, Queen Gertrude, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Hamlet himself. Also, because of his father’s death and his mother’s quick marriage with Claudius, Hamlet has the idea of committing suicide. From Act I scene 2, "O, that this too sullied flesh would melt,Thaw, and resolve itself to dew" (1.2.133-134).

Read More

Suicide And Suicide In Shakespeare's Hamlet

840 Words | 4 Pages

The death of his father really weighs Hamlet and it make Hamlet into a spiral of depression in which lead him to contemplate suicide. Basically, death and decay are two words which give an imagery about something that is rotten, become not existing anymore, and smelly. The theme suicides in this play, is symbolize by death and decay in its storyline and most of the action

Read More

Memory And Remembrance Of The Dead In Hamlet

1425 Words | 6 Pages

Hamlet seems to have forgotten in his father’s plea to be remembered, he warned Hamlet ‘But howsomever thou pursuest this act,/ Taint not the mind, nor let thy soul contrive/ Against thy mother aught' (I.v.84-86). These terms under which King Hamlet wanted to be remembered were not met. Hamlet’s mental state is commented upon consistently by those around him and his mother dies. This shows remembrance of the dead, as defined by seeking justice, is unable to be reached. The chaos which ends the play is evidence of this.

Read More

The Ghost In Hamlet Essay

983 Words | 4 Pages

It has been argued by many literary critics that the ghost is a figment of Hamlet`s imagination, despite Barnardo, Mercutio and Horatio witnessing it before the prince, potentially indicating that it is real because three level headed characters view it first. However, the characters are hesitant about the ghost with Marcellus insisting that they “question it “whilst Barnardo seems to believe “its` not something more than fantasy” which creates uncertainty about the figure`s identity. Many events over the course of the play indicate Hamlet`s fragile state of mind and how the ghost is only present in his thoughts. For example, the prince`s obsession with his mother`s infidelity could be a reason for the ghost instructing him to murder Claudius.

Read More

Theme Of Death In Hamlet

1306 Words | 6 Pages

Shakespeare presents death as an inevitable act of life, noting that all that is living must eventually come to an end. Due to “Hamlet” being a Shakespearean tragedy, the theme of death recurs throughout the play. Additionally, Shakespeare can be seen as using revenge as the main motive of a character’s murder, which makes “Hamlet” a revenge tragedy. The tragic nature means that by the end of the play, majority of the characters would have died. In this case, many of the characters have died due to murder or suicide.

Read More

His Father's Death And Death In Hamlet

1156 Words | 5 Pages

In the beginning of the play Hamlet, the main character, is struggling with events that have taken place in his life. His Father has recently died and his Uncle has now married his Mother. With sorrow and pain, Hamlet tries to understand and unravel the aberrant events that have taken place with his family. The events have amended the way Hamlet views death. After his Father’s death, Hamlet questions the afterlife; whether it offers a “peaceful slumber” or an “everlasting nightmare”.

Read More

Death Theme In Hamlet

847 Words | 4 Pages

In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Hamlet is tangled with the theme of death. During the play, he presents how his life is surrounded with death after the death of his father. Death theme is the most occuring theme Shakespeare writes about in his plays, which most plays have a very dramatic death theme and most of time involve the death of the main protagonist. Throughout the play, Shakespeare presents the idea of life, which is the never ending cycle of death and revenge. Shakespeare starts the theme of death with the death of King Hamlet, which stimulates Hamlet to seek for revenge with his various soliloquies considering death from various points of view and certainly leads to a dramatic ending.

Read More

More about The Mystery Of Death In Hamlet

Related Topics

Open Document