To Be or Not to Be - That Is the Question

Analysis of Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy in Act III, scene I:

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. 

Suicide and Whether "To be or not to be"

I chose to take a look at this soliloquy:

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.

“To be, or not to be”… these are some of the most famous words in the English language.  They speak deeply of the struggles that men face throughout their lives.  At some point in our lives, we are faced with a hardship that rocks us to our very core.  Hamlet is faced with such a hard situation that he ponders whether it is worth continuing on with the struggle.  Perhaps what makes these words so striking is how they compare death to sleep.  Shakespeare writes “To die, to sleep – to sleep—perchance to dream.” He explores the value of death in comparison to sleep.  Dreaming is what gives sleep its romantic allure, but with death, there are no dreams.  Nothing exists beyond death according to him.  It is all unknown.  This unknown is what makes death intimidating.  We have no way of knowing what lies after we take our final breath.  This unknown is what ultimately keeps Hamlet from killing himself. 

Personally, I’ve always tried to hold an attitude about hardship that embraces growing from it.  I suppose that it’s easy to think this way, but when you have something happen in your life, it’s far harder to take a step back.  It’s far easier to say than to do.  I think that Hamlet reveals just how far these struggles can rock someone.  When someone considers suicide as one of the only alternatives to their pain, truly they know what it means to live with hardship.  Out of all of this, the thing that I find most interesting is why Hamlet decides against committing suicide.  Fear of death seems like something of a selfish reason for not committing suicide.  I would think that it would be the impact your death on others would have would be the reason for him to not commit suicide.  Suicide is an inherently selfish act, so I suppose it would make sense that it would be a selfish reason that would prevent him from committing it.  

Job and Gilgamesh

     In both Job and Gilgamesh the protagonist must overcome suffering to come to a greater purpose.  Job suffered immensely just to prove his loyalty to God.  He suffers mentally by losing all his livelihood and family.  He then suffers physically with open sores all over his skin.  This amount of suffering causes him to give up his faith in God.  With the help of his friends he gained his faith back and in the end it was the right decision.  Due to his perseverance God gave him double of all the things he took.

       Gilgamesh suffers in a different way.  He suffers physical pain and energy on his quests to prove himself.  To prove that his name must be remembered in history he puts his body on the line.  His real and most important suffering was due to the death of Enkidu.  His best friend and brother died and it was very hard to handle.  It was mental suffering, which might be the hardest type to handle.

Suffering in Job and Gilgamesh

Suffering, to me, is a burden on the mind, incited by either physical or mental pain. One can endure suffering as a result of a physical injury or due to the loss of a loved one - an absence in one's mind. There are also different levels of suffering. While physical pain can bring on incredible suffering, it generally comes and goes quickly. The suffering caused by a mental loss can arguably be much worse, as it may seem less at first, but then grows gradually over time to the point where it can become overwhelming.

Gilgamesh and Job both endure forms of intense suffering in their respective stories. Gilgamesh suffers mentally in several ways. He struggles to discover the purpose of his incredible strength, and as a result wanders the world searching for an answer. His other reason for his quest is the loss of his only true friend, Enkidu. When Ekidu dies, Gilgamesh suffers immensely. The death of his friend is his excuse to go on a journey to find his purpose. This demonstrates that while suffering can be incredibly painful, it also allows us to grow as individuals if we can manage to embrace it and learn from it. Job suffers both mentally and physically throughout his entire life: He's the poster child for suffering. He also demonstrates the positive impact suffering can have on those who can endure it, and shows how it can strengthen both our integrity and our understanding of the world around us.

Hamlet soliloquy #1

Hamlet's first soliloquy is the first introduction that the audience has to Hamlet. When everyone is in the room with Hamlet it is difficult to tell when he is sincere or sarcastic. He appeared to reluctantly obey his mother's wishes that he would stop mourning but it is clear that the pain is still haunting Hamlet. This first soliloquy is a window into how Hamlet actually feels without the veil that he puts on in front of others.
Hamlet is first portrayed as depressed and even suicidal in the first part of his soliloquy. When Hamlet says, "O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew," he is wishing that he could just drop dead instantly so he would no longer have to suffer the grief he feels. Hamlet is obviously G-d fearing as well because he would not commit suicide according to G-d is a sin.
Hamlet then begins to compare the glory of his father to the unworthiness of his uncle. Hamlet compares his uncle to a goat-man and his father to the god of sun. Hamlet obviously does not believe that his uncle is fit to be king or the husband to his mother. To Hamlet, his uncle and father are incredibly unalike despite their shared blood.

Job and Gilgamesh: Suffering and Resilience

Perhaps what makes Gilgamesh and the Story of Job such powerful human stories is their portrayal of something that we all experience at some point in our life: Suffering.  Whether it be physical or mental suffering, both tales paint remarkable stories of how human strength can overcome the obstacles that man faces.  One of the questions that is worth asking is “what is the difference between pain and suffering?”  My initial impressions would be that suffering is the response one has to pain, emotional or physical, and pain is the physiological response to illness or injury.  These are minor differentiations, but they’re distinct

.

Job and Gilgamesh both are stories of suffering.  Job tells the story of a man who is thrown under the wrath of the devil.  He starts out a wealthy man, but as his suffering becomes more intense, he loses everything important to him.  Undergoing immense physical pain, his suffering is both mental and physical.  Despite this, his story is one of resilience.  He remains loyal to his beliefs and commits himself to remaining strong through his struggle.  The story of Gilgamesh is similar to that of Job.  Starting off with a nearly perfect life, he begins to ponder his own mortality when his friend Enkidu dies.  With this suffering from his friends death, he channels this into his quest to find immortality. 

These stories tell us two components about resilience and suffering.  The main message that the story of Job portrays is that suffering can be overcome through determination and positive thinking.  By remaining loyal to one’s beliefs, one can overcome immense pain and suffering in the pursuit of an ethical code.  This is what drives much of the “never leave a man behind” mantra of militaries around the world.  Soldiers treat their commrads as brothers because they need them and because they know their strength.  The other message that can be learned from these stories is that strength and drive can be found in pursuit of a purpose.  When one has a purpose and mission in mind, this focus can unlock a massive amount of strength.  

Similarities between Job & Gilgamesh

(sorry this is so late guys, my Internet decided to stop working…)

In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the protagonist is presented as having a nearly perfect life. He has all the resources and especially people to do his bidding, that he could ever want. He begins the story knowing no form of suffering whatsoever. However, the character of Enkidu seems to bring suffering, despite him being a friend. Without Enkidu's death, Gilgamesh might never have known any suffering. Similarly, Job may never have know what it was to suffer if God had never allowed Satan to cause him pain. I find it interesting that both stories the gods or God (directly or indirectly) introduced new forms of pain to a wealthy, privileged protagonist.

The types of suffering were also seemingly similar. At first, both men lost something they loved. Enkidu died and Job lost his family and possessions. However, neither of them suffered and physical pain to begin with. Then, after some development in the plot, both men face more severe physical ordeals. Gilgamesh must walk through the leagues of darkness and cross the ocean, only to loose what he is looking for. Job is inflicted with all sorts of sores and skin infections which cause him intense pain.

Additionally, both men have a moral struggle that they go through. This type of suffering is meant to be the moral of each of the stories. Job's emotional struggle in trying to have faith in God is meant to be a lesson for the younger generations. Retaining faith in God brought him rewards and happiness, and so his struggle, both physical and emotional, was necessary for him to live his life to the fullest. This presents those reading the myth with a story of how they can suffer and still maintain their faith. In Gilgamesh, he struggles with the concept of death. He is so close to immortality, but still has to fear death. So, he puts himself through many ordeals to try and fulfill his destiny and seek immortality, but ends up loosing the one thing that could help him attain it.