Examples Of Nihilism In Hamlet

Friedrich Nietzsche once said “To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” He is one of the most well known Nihilists to this day. Nihilism is defined as the total rejection of established laws. Nihilists believe there is no point to living except to die; we were put on the earth in order to suffer. Therefore, whatever we do in the world is meaningless because in the end, everything dies. There is an ongoing debate about whether Hamlet was a Nihilist or not. Although Hamlet portrays ideas of Nihilism, Hamlet himself is not a Nihilist yet a victim of his circumstances. Many people believe that Hamlet expresses Nihilism through his words and actions. He often speaks about suffering and wanting to die. “O, that
One of the most prominent ways we can see this is in is feelings and reactions. Hamlet shows love towards his father, his mother, and Ophelia. In Act three, we are able to see his love for both his mother and his father as he talks to his mother about how she has hurt him. “You are the queen, your husband's brother's wife; /And—would it were not so!—you are my mother. /… / Where you may see the inmost part of you.” (3.4). Further on in the play we are able to understand that Hamlet did love Ophelia, he finds out about her death. “I loved Ophelia: forty thousand brothers / Could not, with all their quantity of
His life a this point in time is crumbling around him. His father has passed away. His mother is getting remarried to his father's brother. then , he finds out his Uncle is the one who killed his father. His one true love, Ophelia has broken up with him and later dies. His uncle, who killed his father and is now married to his mother, is sending him away. He has people plotting against him when they should be comforting him. We are able to see how all of these events have affected him in a negative way by what he says in third soliloquy. He says, “Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,” (5.1). He is talking about how he wishes he could sleep for an eternity because the dreams are less painful than going through everyday life. Although Hamlet portrays ideas of Nihilism, Hamlet himself is not a Nihilist yet a victim of his circumstances. Imagine yourself in Hamlet's shoes. Everyone who you love and care about is either dying or turning on you. It would be a lot to take in and understand. You might also act irrationally based on your feelings. Although Hamlet said and did things that would normally be considered Nihilistic, I do not believe that we can assume was a