Suicide In Hamlet

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Is life worth living? The genre of tragedy is fundamentally based on human suffering, misery, and despair and sometimes it is worth questioning whether life is worth the inevitable pain that it entails. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, suicide is an important theme throughout the play. Hamlet contemplates the thought of suicide many different times throughout the play, since the murder of his father. Hamlet is tormented by his father’s death and his inability get revenge. Claudius is consumed by his guilt of murdering his brother. Hamlet and Claudius contemplate suicide due to the misery in their life, but they both realize that life is worth living.
Hamlet was a victim and a hero within his kingdom, but contemplates suicide because of his inaction. His …show more content…

As Hamlet searches through discarded skulls in the yard, he points to one and says, “Why may not that be the skull of a lawyer? Where be his quiddities now, his quillities, his cases, his tenures, and his tricks? (5.1.92¬-94) It is through this experience that Hamlet realizes that death is the true equalizer, that all men are the same in death, stripped of all power and position, and that he too will crumble into dust. Hamlet’s view on death and suicide changes when the gravedigger desecrates a grave. Hamlet was certain that he could find peace in death, but he sees the contrary in these actions. Also, moving on after death is challenged because his father’s ghost could not pass on. This causes an increasing feeling of doubt in the serenity of death. Hamlet is forced to face death as the skulls are thrown around unattached from a body and thinks about how the skull was once living, “That skull had a tongue in it and could sing once.”(5.1.117) Hamlet must face the reality of death and makes light of the situation. He eventually decides that every man has something to give and that when life ends you are alone and will be

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