Jay Patel
Mr. Foster
English 102
9 October 2015
Life and Death: Hamlet’s Perspective Before William Shakespeare’s time, other playwrights created plays that were about life and death. The multiple deaths of characters in a play were apparently very entertaining to watch even though it was not funny at all. William Shakespeare was a renowned playwright that really connected to the audience’s heart. His well-known plays have mostly been about sorrow and death. For example, Romeo and Juliet. They both fell in love with each other but they both died in the end from a simple misunderstanding. Later on, Shakespeare created the play Hamlet. Hamlet was the very definition of a tragic hero. Aristotle said that a tragic hero has five qualities: hubris, …show more content…
He fits the description of a tragic hero by Aristotle. Hamlet was also a calamity in which the protagonist is trying to understand the difference between life and death as well as get revenge against his uncle for his father’s death. While Hamlet, the play, has gotten some attention from the concept of revenge, majority of the viewer came to see the graves scenes, the ghost scenes, etc. Majority of them came to see the tragic scenes. Why? Well, it is because during that time people took interest in tragedies. Hamlet also being a tragedy was quite famous for that very reason. Also, as Indira Ghose states, “Hamlet holding a skull has been iconic for the play itself.” (1.) That means the play is known for its fatality and tragedy. The famous soliloquy from Hamlet represents Hamlet’s, the protagonist, view on life and death: “To be or not to be” (III.i.64-68). This soliloquy is evidence from the play that Hamlet doesn’t understand the clear distinction between life and death. He thinks life and death are one and the same. Hamlet speculates that death cannot be measured or characterized because …show more content…
Also, it is helpful to know that, during the time of William Shakespeare, committing suicide was thought to be a sin. Then, after a short period, Hamlet reaches his pinnacle or his highest point. He contemplates on the motives why people don’t commit suicide. This is shown when he states his soliloquy: “To be or not to be.” After that, Hamlet returns from England but only to find out that Ophelia has committed suicide; and then thinks to himself that everyone dies the same, but maybe the rich are different. At this moment, he begins to grasp the general idea of how death works. Finally, towards the end of the play, Hamlet talks about how everyone dies in the end. Here, he also states that even Alexzander the Great was buried too. Doesn’t matter if you rich or poor, strong or weak, everyone dies
Mr. Foster
English 102
9 October 2015
Life and Death: Hamlet’s Perspective Before William Shakespeare’s time, other playwrights created plays that were about life and death. The multiple deaths of characters in a play were apparently very entertaining to watch even though it was not funny at all. William Shakespeare was a renowned playwright that really connected to the audience’s heart. His well-known plays have mostly been about sorrow and death. For example, Romeo and Juliet. They both fell in love with each other but they both died in the end from a simple misunderstanding. Later on, Shakespeare created the play Hamlet. Hamlet was the very definition of a tragic hero. Aristotle said that a tragic hero has five qualities: hubris, …show more content…
He fits the description of a tragic hero by Aristotle. Hamlet was also a calamity in which the protagonist is trying to understand the difference between life and death as well as get revenge against his uncle for his father’s death. While Hamlet, the play, has gotten some attention from the concept of revenge, majority of the viewer came to see the graves scenes, the ghost scenes, etc. Majority of them came to see the tragic scenes. Why? Well, it is because during that time people took interest in tragedies. Hamlet also being a tragedy was quite famous for that very reason. Also, as Indira Ghose states, “Hamlet holding a skull has been iconic for the play itself.” (1.) That means the play is known for its fatality and tragedy. The famous soliloquy from Hamlet represents Hamlet’s, the protagonist, view on life and death: “To be or not to be” (III.i.64-68). This soliloquy is evidence from the play that Hamlet doesn’t understand the clear distinction between life and death. He thinks life and death are one and the same. Hamlet speculates that death cannot be measured or characterized because …show more content…
Also, it is helpful to know that, during the time of William Shakespeare, committing suicide was thought to be a sin. Then, after a short period, Hamlet reaches his pinnacle or his highest point. He contemplates on the motives why people don’t commit suicide. This is shown when he states his soliloquy: “To be or not to be.” After that, Hamlet returns from England but only to find out that Ophelia has committed suicide; and then thinks to himself that everyone dies the same, but maybe the rich are different. At this moment, he begins to grasp the general idea of how death works. Finally, towards the end of the play, Hamlet talks about how everyone dies in the end. Here, he also states that even Alexzander the Great was buried too. Doesn’t matter if you rich or poor, strong or weak, everyone dies