(Don't) Be Hamlet

Now that you've mastered the text of "To be, or not to be..." reflect on Hamlet's dilemma and help him make up his mind. Use the text of the play and your own logic to support your opinion.


     In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet begins to contemplate the choice between life and death.  He wonders if putting up with all his trials and tribulations is actually worth all the trouble that he's going through day by day.  But there's a problem... While ending it all might make for an easy way out, there's no telling what lies beyond death. He also wonders whether it's more honorable to keep on fighting what appears to be a losing battle or surrender to the promise of eternal peace.


     Hamlet has been put through a lot. His father has been killed by his uncle, his mother seems to have totally forgotten his father, and he can't quite seem to get the girl.  As all these problems begin to accumulate he starts to stress out and think about alternatives to the troubles.  The easiest being suicide. A "bare bodkin" would quickly end "the sea of troubles".  Suicide would mean that he doesn't need to watch his uncle take his father's place, he wouldn't have to constantly see his mother hanging all over his uncle, and he would never have to worry about all the drama between Ophelia and himself.  


     But a problem presents itself. "...in that sleep of death what dreams may come?" We can't really say that death promises peace because there's no way to know that.  When someone dies, they're gone.  We can't ask what death is like and even if we did, they could never answer us. "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all..." By not knowing what lies in the unknown, Hamlet almost fears death more than he fears continuing to live with "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune."  There's another problem as well. Hamlet wonders is giving up on a hard life is noble. He knows that it's a sin and that can actually make a decision harder. After all, the forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest. 


     I would tell Hamlet to not give up on life. Not only because it would be a sin to do so and he doesn't know what death will bring but also because it won't solve anything.  It won't change the fact that his father is dead. It won't make his mother hate his uncle and it will make it impossible for  the drama between himself and Ophelia to ever be resolved.  By continuing to live and fight against these hard times, Hamlet would prove to be a noble, brave, and courageous warrior. 


     Hamlet is dealing with the death of his father, what seems to be his mothers betrayal of his father and drama with a girl.  All of these are hard enough to deal with by themselves, but put them all together and you've got a mess of problems that would drive anyone mad. This leads Hamlet to start thinking about suicide and how it would how would get rid of the pain.  But in actuality, it wouldn't solve anything.  It would also be a sin and very un-noble of him.