Should I Stay or Should I Go
GRABBER. In the timeless play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the mighty character Prince Hamlet is torn to shreds by the choices he will, has, or desires to make. Hamlet is a complex tragedy involving love and revenge. Throughout the entire literary work, the Prince of Demark struggles with the inner conflict between life and death in his mind. “Should I stay or should I go?” Although Hamlet has both the desire and will to commit suicide, his procrastination and intelligence stonewall his plans due to his inability to voice his emotions, religion, and fearful nature.
Hamlet’s suicidal tendencies are caused by his inability to openly express his emotions. In the middle of Hamlet’s soliloquy in act one, he compares the world he lives in, to a garden that no one cares for, and where the weeds tant the once refreshing and peaceful place (Hamlet 1.2.135-36). This is his subtle way of letting the audience
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He analyzes each aspect of an idea regarding life or death, causing him to be indecisive or to procrastinate. In act 3, Hamlet once again finds himself asking, “To be or not to be? Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer…or to take arms against the sea of troubles…to die…”(3.1.57-61). As the scale tips towards taking his life, he begins to contemplate why people don’t commit suicide later on in his soliloquy. By Hamlet considering all the reasons why people suffer through life, Hamlet concludes, “Thus conscience does make cowards of us all. And thus…this regard their currents turn awry. And lose the action” (3.1.84-89). Prince Hamlet had a myriad of opportunities from act 1 to act 3 to go ahead and kill himself. However each time he considers to rid himself of the earth, he finds subtle reason to stay, such as the fear of afterlife, being a coward, and being forgotten in death as his father; thus stopping his action as he had observed in other people.
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.
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
Hamlet. The son of a king. A man who could have had it all, but instead he chose the much more painful route of revenge and a life of bloodshed. The downfall of Hamlet is comparable to trying to hide a lie one has told. The deeper we try to cover the lie, the worse it gets and harder it becomes to do the right thing. The deeper the reader explores into Hamlets life, the messier and messier it becomes. With a mind full of suicidal thoughts and insanity with no effort to contain it can only lead one thing, and Hamlets downfall is the ultimate example. Pain, suffering, and extreme
William Shakespeare is a famous English playwright. His play Hamlet centers around Hamlet's decision on how to seek revenge for his father’s death. However, Hamlet is unsure of what course of action he wants to take to exact his revenge. He discusses the idea of suicide as a possible option in his “To be or not to be” soliloquy. In this soliloquy, Shakespeare uses metaphors, rhetorical questions, and repetition to express Hamlet’s indecision regarding what he should do.
As the play’s tragic hero, Hamlet exhibits a combination of good and bad traits. A complex character, he displays a variety of characteristics throughout the play’s development. When he is first introduced in Act I- Scene 2, one sees Hamlet as a sensitive young prince who is mourning the death of his father, the King. In addition, his mother’s immediate marriage to his uncle has left him in even greater despair. Mixed in with this immense sense of grief, are obvious feelings of anger and frustration. The combination of these emotions leaves one feeling sympathetic to Hamlet; he becomes a very “human” character. One sees from the very beginning that he is a very complex and conflicted man, and that his tragedy has already begun.
To begin with, Hamlet starts off his speech asking, “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 3.1.57-60). He wonders if he would be more noble if he took his own life and end his sorrows than if he continued to endure him. This question shows the pain and grief that Hamlet has experienced since the death of his father. According to Ophelia, later in Act 3 Scene 1, she reveals that Hamlet was once the obvious successor to the throne since he was charismatic and admired by the people. Clearly, in this part of the play, he is suicidal, and he is uncertain about many of the big decisions in his life. This extreme change in Hamlet’s behaviors makes the audience worry about Hamlet’s mental health. Is his feigned madness transforming into true insanity? However, his comparison to death and sleep suggests that Hamlet is in a state of reflection and learning. Hamlet’s analogy between death and sleep is the musings of an ordinary man who wonders what happens to a soul once its body dies. Just as no one knows what dreams they will experience when they lay in bed, no knows what they will experience when their body is finally laid in a grave.
In the last soliloquy he was understanding how its a crime and a sin to commit suicide but in act 3 scene 1 his mindset changes dramatically.He states “ To be or not to be—that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer”(3.1.64-65). Hamlet is now asking himself if he should die, should he commit suicide. Would it be worth living? But due to his religion, he can't.”To die — to sleep. To sleep—perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub!; / for in that sleep of death what dreams may come “(3.1.72-72).Shakespeare is very good at using metaphors in which he uses in this scene. He compares sleep to death and sleeps to dreams. The dreams that he fears are those who connect to death. A never-ending sleep that gets rid of all our problems. Hamlet then goes on and proves that there's suffering after death. But even though he doesn't know what happens after death, he learns that he has the ability to make his own decision and that his decisions deprive on
The way we see ourselves is often reflected in the way we act. Hamlet views himself as different to those young nobles around him such as Fortinbras and Laertes. This reality leads us to believe that over time he has become even more motivated to revenge his father's death, and find out who his true friends are. How can you be honest in a world full of deceit and hate? His seven soliloquies tell us that while the days go by he grows more cunning as he falls deeper into his madness. This fact might have lead Hamlet to believe that suicide is what he really wants for his life's course.
Hamlet by William Shakespeare is one of the world’s most revered literature. The main character, Hamlet, is arguably one of the most intriguing characters the playwright ever developed. Hamlet is daring, philosophical, mentally unstable at times, and clever. Throughout the play though, these characteristics change and/or diminish as Hamlet is put through a plethora of unfortunate events. His father is murdered by Claudius, his mother soon after marries Claudius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern betray him, and his girlfriend most likely commits suicide. While Hamlet is incredibly philosophical, indecisive, and full of resentment in the beginning of the play, he becomes violent, instinctive, caring and sympathetic towards the end of the play.
Although Hamlet is a man of good educational status, often Hamlet acts solely on impulse rather than thinking logically by deciphering his emotions. For instance, in Hamlet’s “To be or not to be…” soliloquy, Hamlet is contemplating whether to live or to die; in this case we can see how Hamlet is omitting the use of his judgment upon making the decision of whether to live any longer. Hamlet takes into account all the pangs he has experienced in his life; he believes that suicide is the fastest and easiest route to take out of the ...
William Shakespeare's Hamlet is, at heart, a play about suicide. Though it is surrounded by a fairly standard revenge plot, the play's core is an intense psychodrama about a prince gone mad from the pressures of his station and his unrequited love for Ophelia. He longs for the ultimate release of killing himself - but why? In this respect, Hamlet is equivocal - he gives several different motives depending on the situation. But we learn to trust his soliloquies - his thoughts - more than his actions. In Hamlet's own speeches lie the indications for the methods we should use for its interpretation.
Hamlet’s psychological influence demonstrates his dread of both death and life. In Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, “To be or not to be” (3.1.64), he refers the “be” to life and further asks “whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” (3.1.65.66). By this, Hamlet is asking himself the question of whether to live or die.
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
Hopefully, this gave you a little more insight on what the play Hamlet holds. Suicide is one of the major themes throughout this play. Hamlet contemplates suicide many of times, and continues to constantly ask himself if he really has any reason to live. Hamlet has a very wide range of emotions; he becomes angry with things and situations, and tries to look for escapes. We all know that no matter what you have going on in life, that there must be at least one thing
The perfection of Hamlet’s character has been called in question - perhaps by those who do not understand it. The character of Hamlet stands by itself. It is not a character marked by strength of will or even of passion, but by refinement of thought and sentiment. Hamlet is as little of the hero as a man can be. He is a young and princely novice, full of high enthusiasm and quick sensibility - the sport of circumstances, questioning with fortune and refining on his own feelings, and forced from his natural disposition by the strangeness of his situation.