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--and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep--
To sleep--perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.
This soliloquy begins with Hamlet contemplating whether or not he should continue to live or if he should die by suicide. He is not sure if it is nobler to deal with the awful fate he is given, or if it is easier to deal with his troubles by ending his life. He compares death to sleep, and wonders if it will be a dreamless sleep. If it is not, death may be less appealing, but we have no way of knowing what death is actually like. He then wonders why one would suffer with life problems, such as "the pangs of despised love [and] the law's delay" when one could easily end their own life. The hesitation may be because of the "dread of something after death" and the uncertainty of what happens after we die. Hamlet believes that this idea is what keeps people from killing themselves when they are suffering and going through hardships. Ultimately, he thinks that when we decide to end our lives, we reflect on them, making the decision of ending our own lives impossible.
This soliloquy brings forward many questions about death, afterlife, and why people desire to keep living in the face of hardships. Nobody really knows what happens after a person dies, and I believe, like Hamlet, that this fear is enough to keep a person from committing suicide. This fear is enough to make people live with their hardships, no matter how hard they are, and in the end, this makes for a stronger individual.
Gabby,
ReplyDeleteI really like your analysis on Hamlet's soliloquy, as this is one of the most famous soliloquies of all time, or at least in the role or Shakespeare. I admire your critical points on Hamlet's drive for not killing himself, as it is simply the fact of fear. It is an interesting contemplation on Hamlet's part, and even Shakespeare's, as he is the one to write and therefore talk about this idea of life and death and afterlife. I would wonder what Shakespeare would have to say on the matter, personally. I do believe there is a major role of fear in what keeps most of us here on earth, but it is those who leave us, choosing to end their lives, that I wonder what made them so desperate to end their lives, in their own mind, to conquer that said fear and choose to pull the trigger, make the jump, or kick the stool out from under them? I do believe, in Hamlet's case that it's not just fear, but the idea of disobeying the law in which he lives by in a Christian manner. That's not the element of fear, but the wanting of the human being to please his/her God, to them, quite possibly, the one who they believed, made and set them forth on earth for a purpose. Suicide is potentially one of the most selfish acts a person can do, however it is one of the saddest acts, as it's always heartbreaking that someone would want to leave this earth in search for something better. Anyway, it's something to think about, or at least I think so.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts -- I very much enjoyed reading your post.
I like the thought process brought on by this, because we spend much time alive contemplating death, but we don't truly know what happens, because nobody ever comes back to tell us after they've died. This brings up the thought, again, that we are more comfortable believing there is hell than to believe that there is nothing but ceasing to exist. I think when Hamlet references a dreamless sleep, he is connecting to this idea.
ReplyDeleteGabby,
ReplyDeleteWe analyzed the same soliloquy and I believe we have similar points in our analysis. I agree that no one truly knows or will ever know what happens in the afterlife, and I like how you said the fear of the unknown is enough to keep us from committing suicide. I also like how you said not committing suicide and sticking it out through the hard times makes for a stronger individual.