Death and Suicide in Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Suicide, originating from the Latin phrase sui cadere, “to kill oneself”, is one of the top leading causes of death worldwide. Every year, more than a million people commit suicide, successfully ending whatever feelings of despair, pressure, or suffering they felt when alive. Yet statistics show that the number of nonfatal suicide attempts exceeds that of actual completed suicides. Failed attempts of taking one’s own life reveal the deep, undermining uncertainties humans have about death. Such inquiries as to whether life or death is better stream into human perception. Fear of the unknown often paralyzes the courses of action one sets out to accomplish. Likewise, fear of death and the afterlife frequently results in people postponing death, allowing their misery and pain to continue. Death hovers in the minds of humans both consciously and unconsciously leading them to pursuit after the countless ambiguities and mysteries surrounding life, existence, and the world. So common are the thoughts and questions revolving around life and death that several writers infuse them heavily as themes in the plots of their literary works. One of the most prominent examples of the pondering of life versus death occurs in a soliloquy in Hamlet, where the crown prince of Denmark acknowledges the option of suicide to end his agony. Hamlet’s contemplation of pros and cons between life and death in Shakespeare’s highly acclaimed tragedy unveils to the reader profound insight on Hamlet’s character and personality, the links between thought and action, and the ambiguities of life.

After the death of his father, Hamlet falls into a state of depression. Mourning in bitter sorrow, Hamlet reacts negatively to the quick remarriage of his mother, the que...

... middle of paper ...

...many known historical figures including Mark Antony, Cleopatra of Egypt, Virginia Woolf, Adolf Hitler, Ernest Hemingway, and Vincent van Gogh have taken their own lives. Radical changes have occurred to shift and change not only people’s social and moral values, but political and religious values as well. As suicide to Christians was once looked down upon as a sin, the increased rate of suicide today, signifies a loss in strength of strict, persistent, and traditional ideology. More and more people wonder about the enigmas of existence, life, and death but fewer and fewer are willing to endure the sufferings in life to postpone the fear accompanying death.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts. 9th Ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print