So Much Death in Hamlet

690 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The importance of soliloquies in hamlet

There are only two scenes in Hamlet act 5 by William Shakespeare. Those two scenes are arguably the most famous in Shakespearean literature. It is filled with soliloquies, heartbreak, and death. Typical Shakespeare, right? During the first four acts of Hamlet, Hamlet has a crazy, wild, heartbroken attitude. But during the fifth act, he is calm and collected and knows exactly what he has to do to enact his revenge on his uncle. He has grown up and knows that everything is already planned out for him. Hamlet is changed in act 5 and he is ready for action. There are many factors that make act 5 contribute greatly to the success of Hamlet by William Shakespeare and they are death, love, and betrayal.
In the beginning of act one scene one in Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet finds out about the deaths of Yorick and Ophelia. Throughout the whole play, Hamlet has been feigning craziness around the king, queen, and his lover, Ophelia, in order to get more information about how his father’s death happened. By doing this, everyone thinks it’s because of Ophelia rejecting Hamlet’s love because her father told her to. Eventually, by the death of her father and Hamlet ignoring her, Ophelia starts to lose her mind. She suspiciously commits suicide by drowning and a funeral is to be held. Hamlet, recently back from England, suddenly realizes that his lover has died and it destroys him. Before all of that, Hamlet had just gone through a soliloquy involving Yorick, the jester of his father when Hamlet was little. The graveyard makes Hamlet more agreeable with death and that no one can escape it and he says in act 5:1 lines 179-181, “Now get you to my lady’s chamber and tell her, let her paint an inch think, to this favor she must come.” He i...

... middle of paper ...

...ct 5:2 lines 330, “The King – The King’s to blame.” Hamlet becomes enraged and stabs the king with the poisoned sword and forces the king to drink the poisoned drink that his mother had died from not to long before. Hamlet enacts his revenge, but with a price: his death.
Death, love, and the betrayal that finishes everyone off in act 5 of Hamlet by William Shakespeare are the factors that make it such a great act. Shakespeare captures the feeling of humor, fear, and love all in two scenes and they are the most memorable by people today. Hamlet’s attitude about death has changed. At the beginning, he was focused fully on himself, now his mental state seems to have changed since his father has died. He wants Laertes’ forgiveness because he is able to think sympathetically about others. The death of Ophelia was a wakeup call because now he knows that it is okay to die.

Show More
Related

  • The Gravedigger and the Inevitability of Death in Shakespeare's Hamlet

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    This encounter is essential to the plot, in that it provides for Hamlet's return from England and sets the stage for Hamlet's discovery of Ophelia's death. It brings Hamlet from the state in which he was able to easily arrange for the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to one in which he can feel deep sorrow at the loss of Ophelia. It further grants him a better perspective on the nature of death and on his own fate. Its sharp focus on death further serves to prepare the audience for the conclusion of the play. Up to this point, Hamlet has been an active agent in trying to fulfill his destiny as prescribed by his father's ghost. His actions were disorganized and his goal continually foiled. For example, his attempt to control the situation renders him incapable of killing Claudius when he is at prayer, since Hamlet wishes to manipulate the circumstances of Claudius' death so that he is "about some act that has no relish in't" (III, iv, 91-2). The lesson of the graveyard is that death is inevitable, not contrived. Having learned this lesson, Hamlet is a more passive agent of his own fate and the plot resolves itself. The ...

    Read More

  • William Shakespeare's Hamlet

    1165 Words  | 3 Pages

    A key moment in the play comes in the first act, when the ghost of Hamlet’s father informs the prince of his duty: “If thou didst ever thy father love/...Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.'; [1.5: 29, 31] With these words, the Ghost puts the play in motion, for the rest of the story will be governed by Hamlet’s quest for this revenge. Furthermore, the spirit emphasizes the need for Hamlet to act quickly:

    Read More

  • Hamlet's Attitude Towards Death Research Paper

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    We’re all going to die right? Then why is it that we fear death so much? In William Shakespeare’s well-known tragic play, Hamlet, the reader views Hamlet’s attitude towards death evolve. Shakespeare proves that Hamlet’s attitude towards death develops throughout the play; he starts off desiring death, then is fearful of death, and finally is confident about death.

    Read More

  • Mortality in "Hamlet"

    579 Words  | 2 Pages

    “So shall you hear of carnal, bloody, and unnatural acts, of accidental judgements, casual slaughters, of deaths put on by cunning and forced cause”, (Hamlet, Act V, Scene 2, Lines 381-384). Horatio, best friend of Prince Hamlet, says this in the final lines of the play. He says this after Gertrude, Queen of Denmark, Hamlet, Claudius, King of Denmark, and Laertes, son of Polonius all die in the battle between Hamlet and Laertes. Hamlet, King of Denmark, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, former friends of Hamlet, Polonius, councillor to the King, and Ophelia, daughter of Polonius are also dead. Death is a very important theme in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

    Read More

  • Hamlets Obsession with Death

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    In act 3, Hamlet questions the unbearable pain of life and views death through the metaphor of sleep. "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. To die, to sleep / no more" (3.1.64-68), details which bring up new thoughts about what happens in the after life. Thus, Hamlet contemplates suicide, but his lacking knowledge about what awaits him in the afterworld causes him to question what death will bring. For example he states, "The undiscovered country, from whose bourn / no traveler returns, puzzles the will / and makes us rather bear those ills we have / than fly to others that we know not of" (3.1.87-90), again revealing his growing concern with "Truth" and his need for certainty. Once again, death appears in act 4 with the suicide of Ophelia, the demand for Hamlet's execution and the gravedigger scene. All of these situations tie back with how death is all around Hamlet and feeds his obsession with it. Finally in act 5, Hamlet meets his own death, as his obsession to know leads to the death of himself.

    Read More

  • Justification of Death in Hamlet

    2588 Words  | 6 Pages

    Beginning with the Greeks, tragedy has been an essential form of entertainment. Although it has changed slightly over time due to different religious and social values, it is still written and performed to this day. Perhaps the most well known tragedy of all time is Shakespeare's Hamlet. Hamlet is perhaps the epitome of all tragedy. Not only does the tragic hero Hamlet meet his demise, but all the main characters in the play at some point due to some flaw in their character, or some fatal decision, also meet the same fate. It is because of their character flaw and/or their fatal decision at some time during the play that their death can be justified.

    Read More

  • Hamlet Act 5 Scene 1 Analysis

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    It also brought Hamlet to reality with Ophelia’s death, as he resumes discussions with Yoricks skull, he jokingly says “Now get you to my lady’s chamber and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this favor she must come. Make her laugh at that.” (170) revealing how one wastes so much time putting make up on their face, to mask over the inevitable aging process; and how ones fate lies within the very ground we stand on at this moment, no matter how great one is. To further his terms with the death of Ophelia, he is shown the spot Ophelia will be buried in, a few plots away. Showing that her death, is and will be treated just as everyone else will. While the gravedigger tells hamlet much earlier in the play “"not for ever with they vailed lids/ Seek for thy noble father in the dust" (1.2.70-71) and reminded that "your father lost a father” in other words there is no time to mourn the dead, as death is much like a chain, and putting quite bluntly he expresses its best to really just move on. Shakespeare reveals this as a turning point for Hamlet, as he realizes the commonness of death, and the value of life itself, and begins to ponder about his own mortality and destined fate. While quite a morbid outlook on the matter, it does reveal truth to Hamlet, and forces Hamlet to take a more humorous toll on the matter

    Read More

  • Theme Of Life And Death In Hamlet

    1174 Words  | 3 Pages

    The basis of one 's mortality and the complications of life and death are talked about from the opening of Hamlet. In the mist of his father 's death, Hamlet is having a hard time not thinking about and considering the meaning of life and how life ends. Many questions emerge as the story progresses. There was so many question that Hamlet contemplated. He was constantly worrying that is he revenged on his fathers’ death then what would happen. He would ask himself questions like, what happens when and how you die? Do kings go to heaven? If I kill, will I go to heaven?

    Read More

  • Death And Suicide In Shakespeare's Hamlet

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    After a death, we find ways of overcoming grief in this painful world. Some people binge eat their way out while others find the easy way out, which is suicide.In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare portrays mortality in the image of death and suicide.Shakespeare develops hamlet as a man who is sensitive and uncontrolled by his actions. Hamlet faces challenges that mess with his subconscious making him feel vulnerable to making decisions that will affect his life.We can say that Hamlet was very indecisive of living or not. He showed many signs of suicidal thoughts. Many can argue and say that Hamlet was depressed. Coming back home from school to attend his father's funeral in Denmark made him discover many things, such as, his mother Gertrude remarried to Hamlet's uncle Claudius who is the dead king's brother. To Hamlet he finds it loathsome for his

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Hamlet's First Soliloquy '

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hamlet’s Concern with Death In Hamlet’s first soliloquy (ll. 1.2.129-159) , Shakespeare uses a biblical lexicon, apostrophes, and depictions of corporeal decay to show Hamlet’s preoccupation with the fate of a person after death.

    Read More

  • An Analysis of Mortality in Hamlet by William Shakespeare

    2189 Words  | 5 Pages

    In his tragedy Hamlet, William Shakespeare explores and analyzes the concept of mortality and the inevitability of death through the development of Hamlet’s understanding and ideology regarding the purpose for living. Through Hamlet’s obsessive fascination in understanding the purpose for living and whether death is the answer, Shakespeare analyzes and interprets the meaning of different elements of mortality and death: The pain death causes to others, the fading of evidence of existence through death, and the reason for living. While due to the inevitable and unsolvable mystery of the uncertainty of death, as no being will ever empirically experience death and be able to tell the tale, Shakespeare offers an answer to the reason for living through an analysis of Hamlet’s development in understanding death.

    Read More

  • Suicide in Hamlet

    1446 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Hamlet suicide is an issue of controversy and question. Hamlet is a confused man from everything that he has experienced in such a short period of time. And even though Hamlet contemplates suicide he is not the one who suffers from it. Ophelia is actually is the victim of the actual act of suicide. His morality, religion, and philosophical views on suicide keep him from committing the dreaded act.

    Read More

  • Hamlet

    1534 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...t his father and Ophelia are dead and he cannot accept the thought of his mother’s hasty marriage to his conniving and deceitful uncle. Hamlet regrets his previous actions which caused tremendous pain to Ophelia and her family. Just as his own family was destroyed by his uncle’s evil plans, Hamlet realizes that he caused the same pain and negativity on the family of the woman he loved.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of Hamlet In William Shakespeare's Hamlet

    1332 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a dramatic play, written by author William Shakespeare in the period between 1599 and 1601. The play has three acts and it is packed full of drama, betrayal, incest, revenge and demise. It is well written, and it best presented in live stage form. In the early 1600’s, elaborate theaters and stages were built for stories like Hamlet to unfold upon, and the audiences were not disappointed. Many writers wrote dramatic plays during this era, but Hamlet was different. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a complicated, twisted story of some of the worst things that can happen and how those behaviors lead to difficulty in relationships, love and life.

    Read More

  • Free Hamlet Essays: Interpretation of Hamlet

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hamlet's reason for suicide is the death of his father, the late King Hamlet - or at least this is what he tells the world. He claims his father's death as the reason in his first soliloquy (1.2.133-164), but we are led towards other reasons by the evidence he gives. In the famous "to be or not to be" soliloquy, he says: "For who would bear... the pangs of despised love... when he himself might his quietus make/with a bare bodkin?" (3.1.78-84). The word "despised" is glossed as "unrequited" - and thus we are led to speculation that Ophelia, not the late King, is the true cause of his suicidal urges. The claim that he is mourning his father seems to me to be at best an excuse - in the public eye as he is, Hamlet cannot sink so low as to be moved to kill himself by a woman.

    Read More

More about So Much Death in Hamlet

Open Document