Existence In Hamlet

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Questioning Existence: The Path to Peace

“To be, or not to be” said Hamlet, a young prince with an important decision to make. Should he live a torturous life full of pain and grief or slip off peacefully to the other side of life? Hamlet had just found out that his father’s death was not a natural death. That, in fact, his uncle was the one who murdered him. For the past few months, Hamlet had been in a state of extreme grief and this news only added to that mood. Coincidentally, Hamlet was not the only one to question his existence in the play. Followed by him, was Claudius, Ophelia, his best friend Horatio, and even his mother, Gertrude. At the end of the play, Ophelia loses her mind and is said to commit suicide. Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother,
An attitude of “God does not approve so I will not do this”. Hamlet himself say, “For who would bear the whips and scorns of time…But that the dread of something after death.” This young prince was ready to end it all. With his father’s passing still fresh to the touch and emotional betrayal of the too quick remarriage of his mother, he was ready to die. No one realized the magnitude of grief Hamlet was going through. At one point, he even speaks of wanting his flesh to melt and how meaningless he feels life is. Hamlet wanted nothing to do with the lies, betrayals, and scandal, he just wanted his family back together. Even though Hamlet was ready to die, he knew God would not approve. Instead he ironically chose to pursue revenge that led to murder; as if the sin were any
In conclusion, religion controlled suicide back then just as much as it does now. If there was no idea of God, the suicide rate would be expected to rise. There would be no negative connotation attached to the word suicide anymore. It is a shocking thought, but people would be free to choose what to do with their bodies, tragedies, and lives. The question is, without the influence of religion, is suicide wrong, or right? Perhaps that is a question that will take even more time and history to

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