Hamlet And Suicide Analysis

The alchemists, the mysterious and honorable work in the Sixteen Century, were being chased because of their immortal secrets, that reflects that most people at that time desired immortality. However, Hamlet, the play created in the Sixteen Century, thought differently. Hamlet, the play written by Shakespeare, talked about a story of a Denmark Prince, whose name was Hamlet, took revenge for his father since his father was murdered by his uncle. His revenge caused the death of his lover, mother, uncle and himself at the end. Hamlet thought about committing suicide and his struggle about life and death were obviously showed in the play. Within the play, Hamlet wondered the reason incapable of committing suicide by people, despite their capability

Hamlet was despairing to live in such disgusting family, so he wished to escape by dying. He failed, because he could not accept suicide morally. The idea of Hamlet about suicide and the common belief could by proven by the famous philosopher Plato. Plato showed in Laws that suicide was shameful and disgraceful; the perpetrator should be buried in an unmarked grave. (Plato.stanford.edu, 2018) As a result, people were unwilling to suicide in order to maintain their reputation, and because their moral standard refused them to be a coward by escaping from incapable events. Hamlet thought the same way, his life tormented him, but he suicide was morally unacceptable. Meanwhile, Hamlet’s moral standard related to the views of others. He was afraid that his father would look down upon him if he committed suicide. Because his father was such a hero to himself. Therefore, Hamlet, the character, thought suicide was morally

“To be, or not to be, this is a question” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Collections Grade 12, 2014) could be understood as why people would bear all the painful, hardness, torment of life, rather than going to a place without problems. Meanwhile, it showed the level that Hamlet has willing to contribute to sacrifice for killing his uncle, he thought this was the right ending for everything. The choice between life and death asked by Hamlet dramatically showed the technique to describe suicide aesthetically. Another more obvious evidence used by Shakespeare was the death of Ophelia. Shakespeare described the place Ophelia dead as “There is a willow grows aslant a brook, That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream.” (Forumjournal.org, 2018) This description did not fit the mood of death, instead could be seen as a place for enjoying. Meanwhile, he also said that “There with fantastic garlands did she come” “And mermaid-like a while they bore her up” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Collections Grade 12, 2014). Shakespeare considered death as a choice to escape the depression in the world , a way to seek freedom and the chance to save a person’s