Hamlet: Finding Courage to Die
Hamlet: Finding Courage to Die
In William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" we see a young man paralyzed with grief over his father. So much so that he is believed to have gone mad. Hamlet is such a complex character that one must look deeply to find what drives him.
Did he really have the courage to kill the king or was it madness? Hamlet's character will be illuminated by explaining both soliloquies and finally Hamlet himself. "To be, or not to be, that is the question," (Beaty, 1348) is one of the most famous and well known excerpts from the play "Hamlet." What most people do not realize is the significance it has in the portrayal of the character Hamlet. During this soliloquy Hamlet is debating his fate. Hamlet is asking himself whether it is more noble, in the mind, to passively accept and suffer through all the pains of life fate throws at him, or to actively destroy, in death, these numerous troubles, and ultimately end his pain. Hamlet is questioning whether it is better to live in a world where he cannot see any goodness or take his own life. Hamlet has a very intense, philosophical personality. For this reason, he cannot take his life because he does not know what happens after one dies. He is not positive of an afterlife, therefore he doesn't have the courage to end his life. "Now might I do it prat," (Beaty, 1363) is a soliloquy in which we see a shift in Hamlet's rationalization. Hamlet, as his fathers only son, is seeking revenge for his fathers death, but is afraid that a quick death for Claudius would not be enough. Hamlet feels that waiting until Claudius is in an immoral situation would make him suffer in death because he would not be allowed to repent for his sins. During this soliloquy Hamlet is caught up in his plot for revenge and has foregone, for the moment, his plan of suicide. The contradictions in these two soliloquies sheds much needed light on
Hamlet's personality. Hamlet is very outraged by the immoral actions of some of
the
In William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" we see a young man paralyzed with grief over his father. So much so that he is believed to have gone mad. Hamlet is such a complex character that one must look deeply to find what drives him.
Did he really have the courage to kill the king or was it madness? Hamlet's character will be illuminated by explaining both soliloquies and finally Hamlet himself. "To be, or not to be, that is the question," (Beaty, 1348) is one of the most famous and well known excerpts from the play "Hamlet." What most people do not realize is the significance it has in the portrayal of the character Hamlet. During this soliloquy Hamlet is debating his fate. Hamlet is asking himself whether it is more noble, in the mind, to passively accept and suffer through all the pains of life fate throws at him, or to actively destroy, in death, these numerous troubles, and ultimately end his pain. Hamlet is questioning whether it is better to live in a world where he cannot see any goodness or take his own life. Hamlet has a very intense, philosophical personality. For this reason, he cannot take his life because he does not know what happens after one dies. He is not positive of an afterlife, therefore he doesn't have the courage to end his life. "Now might I do it prat," (Beaty, 1363) is a soliloquy in which we see a shift in Hamlet's rationalization. Hamlet, as his fathers only son, is seeking revenge for his fathers death, but is afraid that a quick death for Claudius would not be enough. Hamlet feels that waiting until Claudius is in an immoral situation would make him suffer in death because he would not be allowed to repent for his sins. During this soliloquy Hamlet is caught up in his plot for revenge and has foregone, for the moment, his plan of suicide. The contradictions in these two soliloquies sheds much needed light on
Hamlet's personality. Hamlet is very outraged by the immoral actions of some of
the