The Uncertainty of Death
In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the lead character, Hamlet, discovers that his father was murdered by his uncle, Claudius. In his plot to avenge his father’s murder, Hamlet pretends to go insane in attempt to get the truth out of Claudius; however, it appears that Hamlet may actually be going mad when he begins to contemplate the ideas of suicide in the third act of the play. Within his soliloquy, Hamlet portrays an overarching theme of the uncertainty and mystery of death. This theme is emphasized by the compare and contrast structure of the soliloquy, the repetition of the terms “die” and “sleep,” and Hamlet’s questioning and hesitant tone towards death.
Hamlet’s soliloquy, in the third act of the play, demonstrates the theme of the uncertainty and mystery of death. One strategy that Shakespeare utilizes to define the theme is the way the soliloquy is structured. The first thing that Hamlet ponders is “To be, or not to be--that is the question...” This raises the idea of suicide within the play. From here, Hamlet’s speech transitions into the idea that death would bring peace from the struggles of life. There is a slight transition into somewhat of a tangent from Hamlet about the obstacles and unfair actions of life. From here, the soliloquy shifts once more, and it focuses on what the afterlife would be like. The structure of this soliloquy supports the theme due to the scattered thoughts of Hamlet concerning suicide. At the start his speech, Hamlet appears to be confident that death would bring rest to an unsettled soul. However, as Hamlet continues on, slowly the question is raised whether or not that idea would be particularly true. Hamlet begins to make comments about how nobody really knows what happens after one dies and that the afterlife could actually not offer as much peace as one may presume. This structure compares and contrasts the pros and cons of suicide. The pros are summed up as an escape from life’s hardships, while the cons are the unknown aspects of the afterlife. This confusion within Hamlet raises a question about whether suicide is the answer. As Hamlet questions his perception of suicide, it raises the idea of uncertainty towards death. One truly does not know what the afterlife would bring. Therefore the shifts throughout the soliloquy aide in building up the theme.
