Shakespeare Use Of Death In Hamlet Essay

Improved Essays
Death without a doubt is the most debated and uncertain thing we will ever come across in our entirety of live on this planet it 's plastered over everything in our lives. It’s used to bring us together and to drive us apart,seen throughout the media present in art, games, movies, books, but when it comes to ourselves it’s something we avoid thinking and talking about yet is something that we as human beings can’t escape, from birth it’s something that is a constant. That is why shakespeare uses death not just as an event but has a key theme throughout Hamlet thou are own death we avoid, it’s others that draw us in and fuel are anger or guilt and are imagination, shakespeare uses this to draw the reader/viewer into the play. By not using death just has an event shakespeare uses it to drive characters actions of vengeance, hate, guilt and fear to progress the story a long. By presenting death through dialogues shakespeare gives death an abstract from, diffrent from the state but treating death as person,and showing tragedy of death through that dialogue. Lastly shakespeare uses hamlet as a catalyst to show the ill effects of death and what one becomes when they have accepted their own death and the death of others..

Death itself is a powerful device used throughout literature thou shakespeare uses it beyond it typical use of the time, to drive his characters to develop, perform acts out of vengeance, hate, guilt and fear
…show more content…
From the start shakespeare has set up Hamlet to be a catalyst to present death in human form, showcasing the ill effects when one has accepted their death and the death of others.Despite the fear of death is his father king Hamlet that demands vengeance, a brittle and broken Hamlet the catalyst, is slowly worn down by the demand of his father and it gradually changes Hamlet into the weapon of

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Throughout, the play “Hamlet” the audience could see his mindset was slowly deteriorating. Hamlet was stressed, which was brought on by the death of his father. Hamlet’s attitude at the beginning of the play showed the audience, that he did not care whether he lived or died. Hamlets attitude changed when he saw the ghost of his deceased father. When Hamlet saw his father's ghost he was told, that his father’s brother Claudius poisoned him.…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hamlets mother gets poisoned, Ophelia drowns so it seems no character is safe in the play and lastly Hamlet himself dies which really pulls the archetype through basically the entire story. One of the best quotes from the play that pretty much sums up death is “Thou know'st 'tis common; all that lives must die, Passing through nature to eternity. ”(Act 1 Scene 2). When this is said it really leaves a resounding message that no one person or living thing is safe from death, and it also gives a little bit of foreshadowing to the death that is to come in the story.…

    • 1225 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Additionally, Hamlet is constantly seen battling with himself as he struggles to fight his depression. It can be inferred that this terrible battle with self and all the problems in the world around him is then contrasted with the positively portrayed death, more specifically – self slaughter. Not only is…

    • 1478 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Playwright, William Shakespeare, in his tragedy, Hamlet, utilizes the main character Hamlet to vocalize his contemplations between life and death. His purpose is to argue that suicide is feasible, although it is viewed as immoral and those who attempt are considered libertines. Shakespeare emphasizes the thorough examination that Hamlet does in regards to his painful life while at the same time being indecisive and fearing the afterlife that would come once he committed suicide. He adopts a somber tone in order to appeal to similar emotions of suffering and pain to convince the audience that life brings upon more troubles than death and ergo, should not be forced upon anyone. Shakespeare begins the soliloquy by utilizing metaphors to emphasize…

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the play Hamlet Shakespeare uses grief to drive the actions of his characters. This is shown in characters such as Hamlet and Ophelia. In the play Hamlet and Ophelia both struggle with the grief of a dead parent. Both of these characters grief drive them to the contemplation of suicide and dictate their actions throughout the play.…

    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Hamlet, mortality plays out to be a major factor in the story line. King Hamlet, Hamlet’s father, is killed by his own brother. Mortality is an unfortunate occurrence, but we all have an experience one time or another during life. Experiencing mortality is a struggle in some extents to others, how we deal with them is up to us. To feel sorrow is understandable, but when your own father is killed by his sibling, vengeance is relatable.…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He realizes that death is nothing but foresight of things to come, but not something to fear at all. He realizes that fear is just something that makes you uncomfortable, and that he should not be afraid of the future. While Hamlet is fading away his ‘perchance to dream’ is here and he welcomes death with open…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    (1.2.129-134). Even early in the play, Hamlet is questioning the point of living and feels as if existing at all is a heavy burden. At this point, Hamlet has not even seen the ghost of his father but is melancholy due to the betrayal of his mother, who rapidly remarried after King Hamlet’s death. Ellen Rosenberg mentions Hamlet’s boundless desperation in “Death in Hamlet” in saying: “Hamlet is already considering suicide even before he speaks to his father’s ghost … life is filled with woe, but the yawning, unknown world of death that may be filled with nightmarish experiences for man’s soul will come soon enough without being accelerated through suicide.” In his second soliloquy, he deliberates suicide yet again.…

    • 1021 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Suspicious: Polonius believes that it is likely that his son is up to no good in Paris. Forgetful: Polonius forgets his plan to trap his son halfway thorough explaining it to Reynaldo. Gullible: Polonius is completely taken in by Hamlet's act of madness. Arrogant: Polonius believes himself to be a genius. 5.…

    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Hamlet by William Shakespeare, in the Elizabethan Era, is a ple may that is expressed with many themes. Hamlet, the main character, battles with tragic the death of his father and the marriage of his mother and uncle. Hamlet is then approached by a ghost that closely resembles his father and reveals the murder of the late king. Hamlet then goes on a quest for revenge, hesitating at every turn and pretending to have gone mad. He spends time rejecting the love of Ophelia until her untimely death.…

    • 2026 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The theme of suicide can be found in many aspects of society such as literature as well as the daily life of people. In Hamlet, Shakespeare explores the theme of suicide through Hamlet’s life and the way that Hamlet deals with the problems that he encounters. The theme of suicide is significant in Hamlet because it greatly influences Hamlet’s thoughts and interactions with other characters. The theme of suicide is created through the experiences that Hamlet faces while he deals with the issues in his life. The decision whether to commit suicide or to live is based on one’s environment, perspective, and current emotions.…

    • 1842 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mystery Of Death In Hamlet

    • 1075 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” is believed to have been written between the year 1599 and 1601, and although the play actually takes place in the Middle Ages occasionally reference to the Elizabethan era are made. During this time plays revolving around revenge and tragedy were quite popular. It was not uncommon to see at the end of a play that all the major characters end up dead. In this particular revenge tragedy, Prince Hamlet is visited by his father’s ghost who tells him his uncle Claudius is responsible for his murder, who did it in order to become king and marry his mother. Hamlet becomes a sort of a madman trying to prove his uncles guilt before actually taking his revenge.…

    • 1075 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hamlet: A State of Mind Shakespeare’s Hamlet, is one of the most profoundly developed characters ever created in a fictional masterpiece. William Shakespeare, an English, sixteenth-century actor and playwright, captures audiences with his detailed attention to human feelings. These sentiments dramatically affect the heroes of his literary works. Even in modern times, one can relate on a personal level to each one of his characters in his dark comedy, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.…

    • 1058 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hamlet believes people only live on for the fear of what happens after life, and that uncertainty is the reason that holds people back from setting themselves free. However, he is unable to take his life for the fear of the unknown outweighs his suffering. This soliloquy shows Hamlet’s indecisiveness and proves his obsession for certainty which in turn eventually leads to his madness. Another example that shows Hamlets inability to act is through the death of his father. When Hamlet finds out that Claudius is responsible for his father’s murder, he is thirsty for revenge.…

    • 1613 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    “Hamlet:” Revenge The play, Hamlet by Shakespeare, is a tale of revenge. The notion of revenge is presented when the story begins. The ghost of Hamlet’s father appears at the stroke of midnight to Hamlet and tells him of how he was murdered by his Uncle Claudius (who is the current ruler). Hamlet is reluctant to believe this information, but cannot bring himself to deny that it is true.…

    • 1514 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays