Deleting one's Existence

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attractive to an individual through the vivid descriptions of his desire, Ophelia on the other hand gives the social perspective and revolting reactions to it from society.

Secondly, Shakespeare employs morality to handle the concept of suicide. In Hamlet’s first soliloquy, he desperately wants to perish however he’s unable to kill himself because it is immoral in the eyes of God. His morality depends on God, or at least that is what he likes to believe. He wishes, suicide wasn’t a sin because he yearns to commit it. Another example is: when Gertrude delivers the news of Ophelia’s death and hesitates to call it suicide. (4.7.165-82)

Instead, she goes off on a tangent and describes Ophelia’s death as something graceful and purely accidental because she does not have the courage to confront that immoral act. In addition to that, Hamlet questions whether or not it is moral to abandon everything and everybody to escape the harsh realities of life. For instance, in his fourth soliloquy he mentions, “Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer. The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles , And by opposing, end them?” (3.1.58-60) Through these quotes we are able to gain insight into what Hamlet is truly feeling. Whether or not Hamlet is insane, his words still resonate with the audience because sometimes the madman is able to deliver the wisdom of God in Norse culture. He’s reached a low point in his life where finding solutions to his problems doesn’t seem feasible instead death sounds like an escape. He further mentions things such as, “the pangs of despised love”, “the law’s delay” and “the spurns the patient merit of th’ unworthy takes” (3.1.73-75) which reinforces the idea that his leading reasons for committing suicide were as follows; first, his Father’s death shows the mistreatment of good people and makes life not worth living, second, the legal system is unable to punish the guilty, third, his Mother’s unnatural remarriage is depressing, four, Ophelia rejecting his advances caused the pangs of being despised and the feeling of love lost. Shakespeare cleverly uses morality as means to investigate notions of suicide in the 1600s.

Lastly, William Shakespeare skillfully added religious elements to the play to illustrate a viewpoint similar yet different to that of morality. In two of Hamlet’s major soliloquies, Hamlet speaks of God, his Christian faith and how people typically do not commit suicide in order to go to heaven. Once you have sinned, you are bound to go to hell unless you confess however, suicide is a sin that one cannot confess. Another instance when suicide is heavily stigmatized and condemned is the conversation between the gravediggers (5.1.1-29). The gravediggers are largely against Ophelia acquiring a Christian burial because she killed herself. Christians who commit suicide are sinners, therefore are not allowed to be buried on Christian grounds. Additionally, the priest that was conducting the funeral, limited the rites he would give Ophelia because of her transgression (5.1.208-16). The commoners are furious that Ophelia received a regular funeral where she’ll be placed among the ‘holy’ graves. ‘Money talked’ in this case. To make matters worse, the priest even mentions, “shards, flints and pebbles should be thrown on her” (5.1.213) This only validates the condemnation revolving around suicide from the eyes of religion, which can be understood has codified and increased the inherent moral disgrace.

In conclusion, Hamlet firmly believes that people choose to live amidst crisis because of the immorality and sinfulness of suicide, while Ophelia gives up her struggle. William Shakespeare makes excellent use of aesthetics, morals and religion to display the concept of suicide in 1600s, which has stayed largely the same up to today.

Works Cited:

Shakespeare, William, translation edited by Crowther, J., Hamlet, No Fear Shakespeare. New York: SparkNotes,