ENGLISH FINAL

The “To be or not to be,” soliloquy delivered by Hamlet in Shakespeare’s play portrays him a suicidal and depressed young man. Hamlet’s contemplation of suicide provides insight to his thoughts. In the monologue, he contemplates whether or not he should or should not end his life. He also considers avenging his father’s death, but is filled with uncertainty and over thinking situations. Throughout the play, Hamlet faces his conflicted emotions and thoughts. He transitions from a cowardly man, to a philosophical and a man who takes action and who is ready to embrace what is to come to him. The topic of Hamlets soliloquy is him considering suicide. Throughout his speech, Hamlet struggles with the ideas of life and death. “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” (Act III, Scene I) Hamlet weighs out his decision if he should live and suffer misfortune in life or die to avoid all those sufferings. "To die, to sleep -no more; and by a sleep to say we end The heartache and the thousand natural shocks...To sleep, perchance to dream." (Act III, Scene I) Hamlet thinks that if he kills himself, all the pain and sufferings would be gone, he would not have to watch his uncle reign over the kingdom that should have originally been passed down do him. He would not feel the need to avenge his father’s death and would also never have to witness the actions between Claudius and Gertrude.
Throughout the play, Hamlet is confused and procrastinating. He does not kill Claudius when gotten the chance. Instead, he puts on a show. Hamlet retorts to witty comebacks and puts on a barrier so that no one knows what he thinks and lets everyone assume what is wrong with him. In the play, Ophelia dies, and Hamlet is unaware of that fact. When faced with two grave diggers, he realizes the cycle of life and embraces the idea of death. “To what base uses we may return, Horatio. Why