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Human suffering in hamlet
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There are many things in life we tend to forget but the biggest one is what we have done and what we will do. The desire and drive to accomplish a goal in life is what keeps us alive. In Steve Jobs’s 2005 Commencement Address at Stanford University he speak out to the young, aspiring adults about the value of life, death, and accomplishing your goals.
“Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life” (Steve Jobs, pg 116). This quote is incredibly smart because he says that knowing your life has a time limit gives you the desire to want to go out there and accomplish your dreams. In the second paragraph of his speech, Jobs backs up his statement by saying, “Remembering
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“To be or not to be- that is the question”, (Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1) isn't it? In Hamlet’s soliloquy he talks a lot about whether our value here on Earth is worth more or less than the after life, and if there is an after life is it better or worse than what he have on Earth right now? “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” (Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1). Hamlet is asking, is it better to suffer through the bad things life throws at you or just end your life altogether? Personally I feel that it is better to suffer through the bad karma life gives us, everything happens for a reason because God has a plan. We are here for a reason and all of our reasons are completely different. I could find the cure to cancer, you could become a world famous advocate for hunger in Africa and raise millions for the starving families there. If we end our lives before they begin, how are we to know what we could have accomplished and what goals we could have achieved? Life is about taking risks and learning from your mistakes so that better things may come
Professor Pausch said that “…it’s not the things we do in life that we regret on our deathbed, it’s the things we do not.” On Morrie’s deathbed he says to Mitch, “…because if you’ve found meaning in your life, you don’t want to go back” (Albom 118). Both of these quotes make you think about what the day will bring you and essentially allows you to ask questions like ‘who will I impact and what can I do to make a
One of the most famous Shakespearean lines-"To be or not to be, that is the question” is found in Hamlet, spoken by the title character himself. While this is the most obvious reference that Hamlet makes to this own philosophy, Hamlet makes frequent proclamations about his stifled life throughout the play. Hamlet views his life in a negative manner, to the point where he finds himself contemplating whether or not to end his own life. Hamlet does not value his life, which causes him to become flustered with himself and his lack of action. Therefore, demonstrating that Hamlet does not value his life as one should.
Everyone, except Hamlet, sees life as this wonderful concept. Hamlet, however, is struggling with his inner demons. His view of life can best be seen when he says “whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer/The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,”(Shakespeare III I 65-66). Hamlet is going through a serious depression in this line when he debates on if life is truly worth living. Is life worth the hardships it gives, Hamlet is surrounded by happy people in his kingdom and he has never been more miserable.
Steve Jobs is trying to say that you should live every day like it is your last. He knew his life had value to him and his family. He felt like life was worth living even though once in a while a hard choice would come along to toughen his life. Making a choice is very hard, but when making a choice it should be one that you will not regret later in life. Making choices is one of the hardest things in life so you must see all the good and all the bad to the outcome of your options. Live everyday like it is your last. Ebert says that life is a very precious thing. Hamlet wants to die, but him not knowing what is on the other side scares so he decides to live. Even though Ebert had to get surgery, he got through it and learned to still live his life with no regrets.
I’ve known so many people who have had their lives cut short unexpectedly. You never can really know when your last day is, so why waste it doing things that don’t make you happy? So many people settle for less, just because it is easier and more comfortable. Life is short to begin with, and it can be cut even shorter at any possible moment. I think people should take risks and aim for the things that will ultimately leave them satisfied with their life.
Hamlet asked a the question whether living through his troubles was worth it. In William Shakespeare 's Hamlet soliloquy, Hamlet opened the text with a question: “to be, or not to be?” (Shakespeare). I believe that Hamlet was asking whether it would be better to kill himself or to continue along with the problems he had. Hamlet was dealing with the murder of his father that may have been committed by his stepfather. His views showed to be in favor of committing suicide and that it would be a quick and easy way to end all his problems. As Hamlet wonders his thoughts about suicide, he came upon the
death is like. This is the thesis of Hamlet’s first paradox. The saying that “grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” does not hold true when dealing with human life. Life is a struggling, so why do we endure it? Hamlet reminds us that “ . . . in that sleep of death what dreams may come,/ When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,/ Must give us pause” (III.i.67-69). The reason that people do not give up their lives is because they do not know what it is to become of them after they die. Man is trapped in life by the enigma of death---the unknowns. He generally wishes to give his life up for something better; he cannot because there is no knowing whether death is a better alternative or not. Even though a better life is promised to us after death, one cannot get ot that place when taking one’s own life.
"To be, or not to be, that is the question."(Hamlet) This is the question that plagues Hamlet through the entire play. Should I live or should I die, should I take revenge for my father's death? These are all issues that Hamlet battles within himself. Hamlet's indecision is followed by inaction. The reason for this struggle with indecision can be based on many factors or on a combination of a few.
In this soliloquy, Shakespeare strikes a chord with a fundamental human concern: the validity and worthiness of life. Would it not be easier for us to simply enter a never-ending sleep when we find ourselves facing the daunting problems of life than to "suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune"? However, it is perhaps because we do not know what this endless sleep entails that humans usually opt against suicide. "For in that sleep of death what dreams may come / When we have shuffled off this mortal coil / Must give us pause. " Shakespeare seems to understand this dilemma through his character Hamlet, and thus the phrase "To be, or not to be" has been immortalized; indeed, it has pervaded our culture to such a remarkable extent that it has been referenced countless times in movies, television, and the media.
Many individuals have different aspects as to how life should be valued. Some individuals live life a day at a time while attempting to make the most as if their last breath was upcoming. In a Stanford Commencement in 2005, Apple CEO Steve Jobs quo...
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.
It is futile exercise the option of suicide if it that is going to lead to profound miseries after death. Another situation of dilemma ‘to be or not to be’ sprouts forthwith in the plot. That is relating to the nature of death. Hamlet tries to provide answer to this question relating to death on which philosophers, wise-men and intellectuals must have penned millions of pages without arriving at the conclusive answer. Hamlet articulates, “To sleep: perchance to dream:—ay there’s the rub; / For in that sleep of death what dreams may come” (III.i. p.53).
In this particular soliloquy, he is discussing the prospects of his ordeal, and whether or not it is preferable to live and endure, or die and become regarded as a coward. The quote "Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer" proposes his will to persevere through the pain, while the later quip of the same speech "To die—to sleep,/No more; and by a sleep to say we end. " portrays his yearning for an end to the struggle, a ceasing to the guilt that he internally faced every day. This is one of the first examples of Hamlet overthinking the many portions of his life, which I consider to be the 'hamartia', or tragic flaw, of this particular character. Further examples of Hamlet's unique imperfection can found later within the plot.
However, Hamlet hasn’t taken his next step in his Existential transformation, he hasn’t realized that he is free to choose the reality he desires. The beginning of the end of his struggle with this idea becomes apparent to the reader when Hamlet asks, “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.” (Ham.3.1.64-67). At this culmination of angst, Hamlet questions whether his troubles could be avoided by ending his own life. The key to this is that he realizes he has a choice in the matter, because if it were his destiny to obey his father he wouldn’t have wanted to escape, for it would of been his moment of finding his life’s purpose.
"To be or not to be--that is the question..." Many people incorrectly interpret those famous words of Hamlet's, not knowing the true meaning or background behind his speech. In his soliloquy, Hamlet contemplates whether or not he should take it upon himself to act accordingly to his uncle's/step-father's crime against his own father. However, later on in the play, Hamlet realizes Fortinbras' resolve and his quest for victory. By witnessing Fortinbras and his actions, Hamlet comes to realize that he has no inner struggle and sees the actions that he must take in order to bring inner peace to himself and avenge his father's murder.