Hamlet Transitioning Perspective Analysis

Hamlet’s transitioning perspective of death
Anna Soderholm

American Author Mark Twain once said, “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” Since the beginning of time, death has been a controversial topic. Whether the concept is being questioned amongst a group or internally, it can drive a person insane. Throughout the play ‘Hamlet’, Hamlet goes through several experiences that twist his idea of death. In the beginning, he is visited by what seems to be the ghost of father, who asks him to seek revenge on his brother, who murdered him and married his wife within a month of his passing. Following this experience, he goes through a psychological battle that drives him to question
To begin, in act one, Hamlet views death as a simple relief to the troubles in life. Moreover, his first soliloquy, he expresses that he wish he could kill himself and that God didn’t consider it a sin. This can be seen when he says, “O, that this too, too solid flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! God! How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable, Seem to me all the uses of this world!” (I.ii.129-134). In addition, suicide seems like the proper fix to his problems in this soliloquy, but religion conflicts, putting a halt to his attempt to end his life. Next, Hamlet goes in
Death is a concept in which he clearly has a difficult time understanding. This is evident in the graveyard scene, which shows how Hamlet views death and that he fears how no matter who you were or what you did that someday you too, will be at one with the earth and dirt only to become decayed, fed upon and then nothing. Hamlet states, “Not where he eats, but where he is eaten, a certain convocation of politic worms are e’en at him. Your worm is your only emperor for diet: we fat all creatures else to fat us, and we fat ourselves for maggots, your fat king and your lean beggar is but variable service, two dishes, but one table, that’s the end,” (IV, iii, 20-26). Through this gruesome explanation of the decaying of a corpse we see that the thought of death is suddenly becoming an unpleasant answer to his problems, rather than a relief. Next, Hamlet turns to the death of Alexander to express his new, negative views on death by saying, “No, faith, not a jot; but to follow him thither with modesty enough and likelihood to lead it; as thus’ Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returned into dust; the dust is earth; of earth we make loam and why of that loam, whereto he was converted, might they not stop at a beer-barrel?” (V.i.201-206). Elaborating on this point, this scene in the graveyard shows Hamlets fear of