Death In Hamlet Research Paper

Many of William Shakespeare’s plays explore the complexities and significance of life and death. Indeed, in Hamlet the notion of death and mortality is considered throughout the play. Author C.S. Lewis describes Hamlet as an ‘essay on death’. Although the play presents Hamlet’s perceptions on the subject, Shakespeare provokes the audience to explore their own understanding of the significance of our existence. Throughout the play Hamlet considers death and mortality from both a spiritual perspective in his fears about suicide and the afterlife and ponders the physical reminders of death in Yorik’s skull and the inevitable decay of our own bodies. He agonises over the futility and the brevity of life as themes of death and decay plague him throughout.

He concludes that the fear of the afterlife, and the inevitable fact that we will die has plagued humans since the beginning and is the reason we chose to suffer in such a rotten and hopeless world. In asserting that “Conscience makes cowards of us all” Hamlet alludes that our fears of death and life after death are one's primary reason to follow religion. Societies cling to spiritual beliefs in the hope that death isn’t the end and that our lives have meaning even after we die Ultimately humans fear the unknown and it is much easier to comprehend the idea of heaven and hell, then to simply stop being and disintegrate into the

When holding the skull Hamlet literally stares death in the face and views a physical token of the inevitable decay of our bodies. The skull comes to symbolize the finality of death, and is another reminder of the shortness and futility of life. Furthermore, when Hamlet observes that “Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returned to dust, the dust is earth, of earth we make loam”, he dictates that despite his power and success Alexander too met the same demise as Yorick, Polonius and every other being. Hamlet is accentuating the point that death destroys all, it is remorseless an equalizer. Consequently, he provokes the audience to examine the brevity of life and its significance in the bigger