Hamlet And Life Essay

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Hamlet's views on life and death continuously change throughout the play. Life and death go hand in hand, you can't have one without the other. He understands that death finds people one way or another, but can’t seem to wrap his mind around the concept of it. The questions that trouble Hamlet throughout the story are, “Is life really worth living?” and “What happens after death?” These questions are brought to his attention when he endures the death of his father and is desperately looking for closure and feeling as though he has no purpose. The dominant presence of death in the story is supported by Hamlet's new found obsession with it. His first encounter with death is the murder of his father. His second and more influential experience …show more content…

In Hamlet's soliloquy to be or not to be, he says, “To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrow of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them? To die: to sleep” (Act 3. SC. 1) He is comparing death to sleep, a way to rid himself of the stress and suffering he has recently had to deal with. This train of thought will change later change. Hamlet’s feelings towards death changes as he contemplates the consequences of what suicide because it seems too easy to achieve. Dreams are usually happy and enjoyable, but when they are involved with death, they become nightmares. The sudden change in Hamlet's thoughts of the restful sleep of death to a restless one filled with disturbing dreams reflects his shifting attitude towards death. He is no longer certain he would enjoy death because it may be filled with haunting dreams. Hamlet's view of a horrible life once again arises and questions why people don't end their lives to solve their pain. Hamlet is struggling with the costs and benefits of life and death, his indecisiveness is displayed strongly. He clearly knows that his life is not working out as he hoped it was, describing it as "weary". This emphasizes his exhaustion from his unsatisfactory life. Hamlet does not have motivation to continue living. During this

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