Fate And Free Will In Shakespeare's Hamlet
In God’s Hands
Hamlet’s fate was feared, fought, accepted, and then finally determined by God. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, he proves that fate is already determined in the hand’s of God and it is not worth fighting because one will simply not win.
“To be or not to be: that is the question” (3.1.57). Hamlet is afraid of where fate may take him with the choices he has to choose from. In the “To Be Or Not To Be” soliloquy, Hamlet finds himself conflicted by the two choices he has, kill himself or endure the obstacles life throws at him. He is hesitant with choosing death or life because he is afraid of his fate, afraid of what is to come in his life if he stays alive and afraid of the afterlife. “The undiscovered country from whose bourn/No …show more content…
Accepting, by default, what God has chosen for Hamlet and his fate, like Shakespeare proved, one simply cannot fight fate. “His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God!/How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable,/Seem to me all the uses of this world”(find later)! After Hamlet makes his decision to stay alive, fate continues to fall into place, leading to a duel between Laertes and Hamlet. Horatio, Hamlet’s right hand man, speaks his mind to Hamlet. “You will lose this wager my lord”(5.2.209). Before, Hamlet was afraid of where his fate would come to by having the choices he had, now Hamlet is no longer afraid and ends up accepting whatever his fate may be. “I do not think so: since he (Laertes) went into France, I/have been in continual practise: I shall win at the/odds. But thou wouldst not think how ill all’s here/ about my heart: but it is no matter” (5.2.210-3). Though Hamlet believes he will win the duel, if he were to not win he would be okay with it for it was his fate and chosen by God. “If it be now,/’tis not to come: if it be not to come, it will be/now: if it be not now, yet it will come: the/readiness is all./Since no man of aught he leaves knows, what is’t to leave betimes? Let be” (5.2.220-4). Hamlet explains that he is no longer going to fight fate, if it is his time to go, if he will lose the duel, if anything were to happen, it will happen all in the hands of
Hamlet’s fate was feared, fought, accepted, and then finally determined by God. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, he proves that fate is already determined in the hand’s of God and it is not worth fighting because one will simply not win.
“To be or not to be: that is the question” (3.1.57). Hamlet is afraid of where fate may take him with the choices he has to choose from. In the “To Be Or Not To Be” soliloquy, Hamlet finds himself conflicted by the two choices he has, kill himself or endure the obstacles life throws at him. He is hesitant with choosing death or life because he is afraid of his fate, afraid of what is to come in his life if he stays alive and afraid of the afterlife. “The undiscovered country from whose bourn/No …show more content…
Accepting, by default, what God has chosen for Hamlet and his fate, like Shakespeare proved, one simply cannot fight fate. “His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God!/How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable,/Seem to me all the uses of this world”(find later)! After Hamlet makes his decision to stay alive, fate continues to fall into place, leading to a duel between Laertes and Hamlet. Horatio, Hamlet’s right hand man, speaks his mind to Hamlet. “You will lose this wager my lord”(5.2.209). Before, Hamlet was afraid of where his fate would come to by having the choices he had, now Hamlet is no longer afraid and ends up accepting whatever his fate may be. “I do not think so: since he (Laertes) went into France, I/have been in continual practise: I shall win at the/odds. But thou wouldst not think how ill all’s here/ about my heart: but it is no matter” (5.2.210-3). Though Hamlet believes he will win the duel, if he were to not win he would be okay with it for it was his fate and chosen by God. “If it be now,/’tis not to come: if it be not to come, it will be/now: if it be not now, yet it will come: the/readiness is all./Since no man of aught he leaves knows, what is’t to leave betimes? Let be” (5.2.220-4). Hamlet explains that he is no longer going to fight fate, if it is his time to go, if he will lose the duel, if anything were to happen, it will happen all in the hands of