Shall he live or shall he die? That is the question. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Prince Hamlet talks about committing suicide. His to be or not to be soliloquy is his most famous in the play, and probably the most famous soliloquy ever written. As Hamlet seems to grow insane throughout the play, he also grows suicidal. In the soliloquy of Act 3 Scene 1, the theme is conflict, and suicide.
Shakespeare tries to portray Hamlet in a more diverse way when the prince speaks his words in Act 3 Scene 1. “To be or not to be”, (Act III, Scene I) is the most famous line in English literature, and so is the soliloquy itself. When Hamlet speaks in this soliloquy, he is almost toying with the idea of suicide. This is because he never talks about his feelings, or his pain. He only talks about what he’s currently going through. Instead of talking of his feelings, he seems to only want to build his “courage” to commit suicide, but there’s no real courage in the act of committing suicide. He’ll only prove himself to be a coward by committing suicide because get all of his problems over with rather than attempting to conquer them. Hamlet argues with
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This thought takes on a different personality of Hamlet. It’s as if the prince is two people in one. In one hand you have a person who is angered by the death of his father, and believes it was his uncle who murdered him, so he wants to avenge his death. On the other hand you have the selfish, and cowardly person who would rather take the easy way out then face their problems. Put those two together and you have Hamlet’s to be or not to be speech. By putting these two personalities into one person, Shakespeare expresses what opposite personalities can do to a person. Opposites do not mix, but when they attempt to, you get conflict. Conflict such as raising the question “Should I kill
To be, or not to be, is Shakespeare’s most famous soliloquy and arguable the most famous soliloquy ever written. The passage provides readers with an understanding of Hamlets personal fight with suicide. Here Hamlet weighs the positive and negative effects of committing suicide. Although Shakespeare inserted the passage to explain Hamlet’s thoughts it also has significance to the target audience of the Elizabethan/Jacobean Era. As through the passage Shakespeare discusses the controversial action of suicide. In the 17th Century society cared about the honour and respect of their family name. If one was to commit the sinful action of suicide they would be seen as dishonourable. Therefore suicide victims were not provided respectful burials and
In this play “Hamlet” written by William Shakespeare, there are many soliloquies that are said by Hamlet to depict various meanings of his thoughts, feelings, and actions that are inside of him. More specifically the soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 1, in lines 57-91 starts off with the famous saying known as “To be, or not to be”. Throughout this soliloquy, Hamlet is asking himself the question of whether it is better to live or not to live. In life, we are faced with many situations where we feel the need to give up our life and not face the problems. Only by facing all the troubles, will a person become stronger and more courageous to handle anything in life. By believing in one’s self, can man have the courage to follow what they think is right. Killing yourself or giving up is never a solution in life. This soliloquy reveals Hamlet’s fearful personality by showing that his decision-making process is slow and that he fears risks or uncertainty. These character traits are depicted thoroughly by Hamlet throughout the play.
So, we can conclude that, Hamlet in this play is obviously not mature enough to handle the situation at hand. He needs to get himself out of his situation, and this is why he is contemplating suicide. He knows he is young and immature, too immature to not know how to handle everyone dying and turning their backs on each other. At this point the play is too chaotic for Hamlet to handle. But heck, that's what the whole rest of the play is for, to see if Hamlet pulls through or
In Conclusion, In act 3 scene 1, Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” Soliloquy was critical in developing the plot because this was when Hamlet was at his most suicidal standpoint in the play.
Earlier, Hamlet swings to a depressive episode so severe, he almost commits suicide. In one of the most famous soliloquies from Hamlet, Hamlet contemplates suicide: “To be or not to be? That is the question” (III.i.57.).
In act 3 scene 1 of William Shakespeare “Hamlet” the main protagonist, Hamlet, recites a soliloquy “To be, or not to be.” Throughout his lines Hamlet explains the concept of suicide and why people choose to live long lives instead of ending their suffering. The main point he speaks on is the mystery of one’s afterlife, they never know for sure what happens when they die. For this reason, his speech does a good job highlighting the plays underlying themes of pervasiveness of death, and tragic dilemma, and tragic flaws.
In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, suicide is an important and continuous theme throughout the play. Hamlet is the main character who contemplates the thought of suicide many different times throughout the play, since the murder of his father. Hamlet weighs the advantages of leaving his miserable life with the living, for possibly a better but unknown life with the dead. Hamlet seriously contemplates suicide, but decides against it, mainly because it is a mortal sin against God. Hamlet continues to say that most of humanity would commit suicide and escape the hardships of life, but do not because they are unsure of what awaits them in the after life. Hamlet throughout the play is continually tormented by his fathers death and his
Next, in one of the most famous soliloquies in the English language, Hamlet again contemplates the subject of suicide, but he does not do so on impulses of emotion. Instead, his contemplation is based on reason. “To be or not to be, that is the question: whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer outrageous fortune…or end them. To die, to sleep- no more- and by a sleep to say we end the heartache…’Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time…who would fardels bear, to grunt and sweat under a weary life, but that the dread of something after death, the undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler
Shakespeare's main character Hamlet is a victim of both internal and external conflict. His conflict includes a physical nature as he goes about to avenge his father's death. Shakespeare translates further the idea of internal versus external conflict by giving it a physical nature. Shakespeare also uses soliloquies to emphasise Hamlets inner thoughts and conflict. This stands in contrast to the way he acts amongst others; with the intention of highlighting the inner turmoil he is experiencing. The infamous quote, "To be or not to be: that is the question: whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer ." (Act III, scene i, 58-90). It is during this soliloquy that
The "To Be or Not To Be" speech in the play, "Hamlet," portrays Hamlet as a very confused man. He is very unsure of himself and his thoughts often waver between two extremes due to his relatively strange personality. In the monologue, he contemplates whether or not he should continue or end his own life. He also considers seeking revenge for his father’s death. Evidence of his uncertainty and over thinking is not only shown in this speech, but it also can be referenced in other important parts of the play.
Hamlets contemplation of ending his life shows an inward conflict within himself. In his first soliloquy, he debates whether he should commit suicide. "To be, or not to be- / that is the question: / 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" (3.1. lines 64-68 Shakespeare). He questions why he should live with all of this chaos but overcomes this internal conflict because he acknowledges that in his religion suicide is a sin. “O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, / Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew, / or that the everlasting had not fixed His canon 'gainst (self-slaughter). O God! God!” (1.2. lines 133-136 Shakespeare). This soliloquy signifies the reality of Hamlet s internal conflict and also shows the reality of his external conflict with the society he is surrounded by. This declamation establishes
When your back is against a wall and it seems that all hope is lost, do not give up. Because if you choose suicide, you will never live to see it get worse, however, you also pass up the chance to see life get better. Suicide is an important, recurring theme in William Shakespeare's, Hamlet, and it is a topic that Hamlet contemplates quite often throughout the play. Hamlet often goes back and forth between to be or not to be, but continues to believe that people although capable of suicide, choose to live. Hamlet is adamant that the unknown, the inconclusiveness of nobility, along with the sin attached to suicide is what ultimately keeps people from taking their own lives.
Although most people would consider suicide as the last resort, if that, but Hamlet on the other hand jumps to the first possible conclusion which he bases solely on his emotions. Hamlet rather than using his logic to think through his rational to commit suicide, he acts solely on his emotional impulse. This action upon emotional impulse can be seen when Hamlet stabs Polonius who was hiding behind the certain. Hamlet’s soliloquy of “To be or not to be…” elaborates on his confusion of how people can bare such large pangs and burdens all throughout life just to end up dead. Hamlet would rather end his own suffering while it had not yet become that terrible.
During a few of the seven soliloquies, Hamlet insults himself for not speaking out on his beliefs and questions a lot of things about his life. Therefore, showing the indecisive side of him. One key component to Hamlet showing the readers how he is indecisive is when he says, “to be, or not to be? That is the question” (Act 3, Sn. 1,
Indeed, many think the soliloquy is out of place, and some assert that he is not contemplating suicide at all. In 1765, Samuel Johnson explains the thought, or inner monologue, of Hamlet as he delivers the soliloquy in a manner that eliminates any struggle with thoughts of suicide: