The Tragedy of Hamlet

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often abbreviated as Hamlet, is a tragic play written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1602. The plot revolves around the trials and tribulations of Prince Hamlet’s family, which causes the protagonist to fly to Denmark to deal with the situation. After learning that Claudius (his uncle) is responsible for his father’s death with the intention of marrying his mother (Gertrude), the prince develops the need to kill others as well as taking his own life (Shakespeare). The motive to kill Claudius and his brother, Branagh, compounded the prince’s desire to commit suicide but before he takes the action in his hands, Laertes who is Polonius son attacks and kills him.

Depiction of Suicide in the Play

The play by Shakespeare presents suicide as a way of taking revenge on people who commit wrong acts to their fellows. The Prince develops the desire to commit suicide after he learns of the tribulations that befall his family because he believes that taking away his life will save him from the agony he would undergo when living with members of his family. Apart from being depicted as a way of taking revenge, suicide emerges as a way of avoiding the realities of the world. The Prince has the fear to face the challenges that are part of human life such as losing loved ones and losing power. It is wrong to commit suicide regardless of the situation because taking away one’s life denies one the opportunity to realize their dreams which is what every person should aspire to attain. It is also wrong to commit suicide because the society considers this act to be inappropriate and unethical. It is advisable that any person who feels like he or she cannot bear with the problems in life should seek guidance and counseling that would help them overcome the evil thought.

Hamlet’s Soliloquy

The prince in Act 3 scene 1 mentions that “To be or not to be, that is the question” (Shakespeare) to mean that whether he lives or not there is no change. The statement by Hamlet shows that people hold to certain beliefs about death which appear to be similar across individuals. The common ideology about death is that every person will die regardless of his or her position in the society and this is what Hamlet brings out in the statement he makes. The speech, further shows that some people do not consider suicide to be wrong, and would go ahead to commit the act with slight provocation. Even though every person has the right to choose to live or not, it is unwise to engage in acts that develop controversy from a large part of the community.

Conclusion

The analysis reveals that individuals tend to share almost similar ideologies of about death and suicide. It becomes evident that people would develop the need to commit suicide when they feel that things are not working in accordance with their expectations. Similarly, it appears that every person has the belief that they will one day die and that no one can escape death. The study, nevertheless, confirms that even though some people may develop the idea to take away their lives, the act is ethically wrong and may deny a person the chance to realize what they always aspire to get.

Work Cited

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. N.a

http://shakespeare.mit.edu/hamlet/full.html. Accessed March 20, 2017.