The Significance of Suicide in Hamlet - 1525 Words

The Significance of Suicide in Hamlet The concept of suicide is one that is greatly contemplated and discussed by Hamlet and other characters in William Shakespeares play. It can be seen through two of Hamlets soliloquies and his overall demeanor throughout the play. Hamlet has many issues that he must deal with such as the death of his father and the marriage of his uncle and mother. These two incidents led Hamlet to consider the extreme act of suicide to escape the fate that he had been bestowed. Although Hamlet did not commit suicide, in the end the path that he took inevitably led to his suicidal intentions and his eventual downfall. The contemplation of suicide threatens Hamlet and various characters in the play leading to the†¦show more content†¦One of the greatest obstacles Hamlet faced was how he was going to avenge a murder without committing a crime. Although he wanted to avenge his father’s death, he did not want to do so under circumstantial evidence, he wanted to be completely sure that Clau dius was the culprit. He underwent his plan by persuading the troupe to perform a play reenacting the killing of King Hamlet. Claudius sudden departure from the room proved to Hamlet that his suspicions were true. This incident pushed Hamlet closer to death. His thoughts and conscience were clouded by the need to kill his fathers murderer. Hamlet believed that if he committed this act he would find his resolve. He believed that he could not leave the world without finishing this task, but once he had done this, there would be nothing more except his questionable Christian faith and fear of the unknown to keep him in the light and away from the darkness; which in the end might not have been enough. Hamlets iconic quote, â€Å"To be, or not to be: that is the question,† (Act III, Sc.1) is the greatest example of his suicidal debate. Hamlet questions why it is not a common act for people to commit suicide, for individuals to escape reality and their current problems. He cannot fathom why a person would endure the tragedies of life throughout the years and whether it is nobler to do so or nobler to end it all. Albeit his Christian beliefs,Show MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Hamlet As A Play That Contains Frequent Meditations On Suicide Essay1590 Words   |  7 Pages(Shakespeare 3.1.56). Audiences know Shakespeare’s Hamlet as a play that contains frequent meditations on suicide, yet despite suicide’s obvious religious connections, audiences do not often consider how religion as a whole functions within the play. This lack of awareness partially results from the subtlety of many of Hamlet’s religious elements. 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Hamlet is an embodiment of existentialism as he exemplifies its core concepts such as anguish, despair and absurdity; his perplexity on life and death as well as his reflections on human existence reflect his predicament in the universe in which he becomes aware of his alienation from the human condition, thus exemplifying the existentialist essence of the play write. The central concern of Hamlet is also the question of all man, †What a piece of