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Why Does Hamlet Struggle With Death

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Hamlet’s internal struggle with life and death, whether he should continue living only to suffer or take charge by ending his miserable life causes him to question he decisions and become inactive.
Hamlet starts thinking to himself ” To be, or not to be? That is the question—
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?” (Shakespeare, 1.3. 57-60)
Hamlet is comparing going to sleep as dying and does not think it is a bad thing but then wonders what happens after death. Hamlet fears the unknown, he is depressed that his mother married his uncle and that his uncle killed his father. He wants to commit suicide but he does not know what the other side holds for him as he is afraid of the unknown and does not want to turn into a ghost like his father. Hamlet being afraid of the unknown causes him to become indecisive on whether he should actually commit suicide or continue to suffer by seeing his uncle who killed his father. Furthermore, Hamlet again starts to think about committing suicide after he has received a tongue lashing from Claudius and Gertrude and also being asked to remain in Denmark instead of continuing his studies. …show more content…

He is disgusted with his mother for marrying his uncle so quickly after his father’s death. Hamlet believes that suicide seems like a desirable alternative as opposed to living life in a painful world. One thing that is stopping him from committing suicide is his religion as it is forbidden. Committing suicide is a sin towards God and Hamlet believes that he will be sent to hell for committing such an unholy act. He also does not want to face the wrath of the everlasting. Due to his religion Hamlet can not decide whether he wants to commit suicide or remain alive. In addition, Hamlet thinks about committing suicide when he is talking to

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He has a choice to make, so he has to decide if living is worth living and if it is how he will deal with the situation that he has. Hamlet was conflicted he didn 't understand the value of his life in that exact moment. In Hamlets soliloquy the was thinking about the pro and cons of wether to end his life or deal with the problem that his dead father brought to him. He was starting to come to a decision when he’s thoughts were interrupted. This soliloquy brought to light the peoples that most people go through or think about.

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To die- to sleep- No more; and by a sleep to say we end the heartache. ”(ACT III scene i) In this quote we see Hamlet debate his own life and consider whether dying would be better than to

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Simply put, he scoffs at the notion that anyone would rather take the more difficult path by choosing to live, when a much easier path is available: suicide. However, the more important implication of this quote is that he neglects to use any personal pronouns or explicit statements. Instead, he focuses his words on society in general in an attempt to bury or deflect his personal feelings on the subject, although the audience knows that these are his own thoughts. This type of defense mechanism is called a projection, an often unconscious process that occurs when someone focuses attention on others in order to “avoid being aware of those feelings in oneself” (Abeles 1). A noticeable transition occurs in the subsequent statement, as Hamlet incorporates the first person pronoun “we” to answer his previous question: “But that the dread of something after death . . .

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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.

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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!

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