Death in Hamlet

The tier settlement is centralized around peerless customary theme that stands as the constant dynamic struggle. Death threads its way through the entirety of hamlet, from the inauguration scenes confrontation with a dead mans ghost to the bloodbath of the final scene, which leaves almost every main office dead. Despite so many finiss, however, Shakespe bes treatment of the issue of cobblers last is especially obvious through his limning of small town who is presented as a person preoccupied with the idea of remnant and the tincture of mightiness small town. crossroads constantly contemplates decease from many angles.He is both seduced and repelled by the idea of suicide, scarce, in the famous gravedigger scene, he is overly fascinated by the physical reality of finish. In a way, settlementcan be viewed as extended dialogue between Hamlet and death. As Hamlet progresses as a character in the story, he advances through many understandings of mortality and death and ho w it applies to himself and the characters around him. In the line of descent he is some(prenominal) more believing in the concept that tone is just a cruel stepping stone to death and beyond, scarcely as he grows as a character and becomes more experienced, he understands the huge contradict impact death bes on man.It is through these characters that the trickwright reveals his ambiguous representation of the principal theme. From the very beginning Hamlet reflects a youthful idolization of death, living life as a journey toward death. Although he is afraid of the Ghost, he tries to get in touch with him. Initially Hamlet is anxious roughly death, because he does non know what awaits him after death. Hamlet reflects his anxiety in one famous soliloquy, where he demonstrates the rivalry of the issue of death.As he claims, iBut that the dread of something after death, / The undiscovered country from whose bourne / No traveler returns, puzzles the go away / And offs us ra ther bear those ills we have / Than to fly to others we know not ofi (3. 1. 86-90). However, as Hamlet collides with cruelty, murders, wickedness and deaths, he seems to form a certain unconcern towards death. In his search of r until nowge, Hamlet thinks oft about death and afterlife. But these attempts to revenge for his risqueher are only a prerequisite to Hamlets thoughts of committing suicide.This obsession with death gradually drives him mad William Shakespeare demonstrates this obsession with implicit mockery. For instance, when Hamlet kills Ophelias father, he is not able to remember, where he hides his luggage compartment instead he starts to madly speak about the worms that eat a dead body. Shakespeare demonstrates that even Hamlets air shows his obsession with death he wears black clothes and looks depressed. In the graveyard scene Shakespeare intensifies Hamlets preoccupation with death, reveal Hamlets gloomy thoughts.As he claims, No, faith, not a jot but to follo w him thither with modesty sufficient and likelihood to lead it as thus Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returned into dust the dust is realm (Shakespeare, 1985 5. 1. 201-206). In fact, the image of the grave is sh avow several times passim the play to reveal the characters attitude towards death. With the exclusion of Hamlet, all characters demonstrate fear and pity at the sight of the grave that they associate with death. As Hamlet constantly thinks of death, he does not value his own life, as well as other peoples lives.As a result, Hamlet appears to be also responsible for the death of Ophelia, Claudius, Polonius, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. Thus, Hamlets obsession transforms him from a miserable youth into a cruel murderer. However, contrary to other characters deaths that are portrayed with a certain degree of irony, Hamlets death is render in more serious terms. From the very beginning of Shakespeares play each death seems to be black-market and is soon forgotten by other characters. For instance, Hamlet demonstrates that his fathers death is already neglected by people, although King Hamlet died only a couple of months ago.When Horatio claims, My lord, I came to see your fathers funeral, Hamlet responds I prithee, do not mock me, fellow student. I think it was to see my mothers wedding (Shakespeare, 1985 1. 2. 183-185). Such an ironic viewpoint reveals that even the most generous people are forgotten. The death of Polonius is also ignored by the principal characters Ophelia and Laertes are too preoccupied with their emotions and feelings to remember their father, and Hamlet who accidentally kills Polonius expresses only some sympathetic words super acid wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell (Shakespeare, 1985 3. . 38). Ophelias death is described in even more dry portrayal, as the dramatist presupposes that her death is a result of suicide and asks Is she to be buried in Christian burial, when she wilfully seeks her own salv ation? (Shakespeare, 1985 3. 4. 38). Similar to Ophelias death, the deaths of Gertrude, Claudius, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz are able to arouse only sympathy in readers. In this regard, Hamlets death stands out against a background of other deaths it evokes respect and powerful emotions towards the character.Although Hamlet expresses irony to death throughout the play, his death is a tragedy for those who knew him. As Horatio claims, Now cracks a noble heart. / Goodnight sweet prince. And a course of angels sing thee to thy rest (Shakespeare, 1985 5. 2. 397-398). Hamlets death is the tragedy for the whole country, because it has lost its noble king and can just find another great person. Fortinbras considers that For he was likely, had he been put upon, to have proved most royal Speak loudly for him (Shakespeare, 1985 5. . 443-446). Hamlets noble death corresponds with the ideas of death maintained by such a metempsychosis philosopher as Michel de Montaigne (1910) who claims th at death uncovers the true essence of a person. According to him, a person can be really judged at his/her last moments. The similar attitude towards death is revealed by Sir Walter Raleigh who claimed that only death could provide people with real understanding of life. During his imprisonment Raleigh demonstrated real courage and was not afraid of death.As he wrote in the latter to his wife, I perceive that my death was determined from the first daylight (Raleigh, 1940, p. 82). In this regard, Hamlets real self is obvious only after his death. At the end of the play Hamlet accepts his death with courage and inevitability. However, Shakespeare demonstrates that, despite Hamlets indifference to life, he needs much time and courage to educate himself for killing and death. As Hamlet observes numerous deaths, he becomes immune to his own fortune. He starts to perceive death with irony, realising that life has no value for him.To a certain extent, it is Hamlets insanity that helps hi m to adjust to the idea of death and result in his revenge. As Hamlet collides with cruel reality, he seems to be mentally destroyed by it Who does it, wherefore? His madness. Ift be so, / Hamlet is of the faction that is wrongd His madness is poor Hamlets enemy (Shakespeare, 1985 2. 233-235). Simultaneously, the principal character manages to create an ironical attitude towards death that is intensified by the utilisation of Biblical and classical allusions.For instance, Hamlets revenge resembles the classical story of Priam and Pyrrhus when Priam kills the father of Pyrrhus, the latter decides to kill Priam in revenge. In Hamlets case the irony is explained by the repetition of the situation, but Hamlet finds it difficult to succeed in his revenge he avoids some fortunate situations and kills Claudius only at the end of the play. Another allusion is taken from the Bible when Shakespeare (1985) mentions the primal eldest curse A brothers murder (3. 3. 40-41), he draws a parallel between the story of Cain and Abel with the murder of King Hamlet by Claudius.Although Claudius seems to ask for free pardon in the church, he does not really repent of his action. When Hamlet recognises the truth about his fathers death, he decides to make a play The Murder of Gonzago, where he implicitly depicts the murder of his father by King Claudius. Ironically, the play has a great impact on Hamlet who has to suppress his desire to kill Claudius and his mother Gertrude. As he states, Let not ever the soul of Nero enter this firm bosom. / Let me be firm, not unnatural. / I will speak daggers to her, but use none (Shakespeare, 1985 3. 2. 426-429).As Agrippina, the character of the play The Murder of Gonzago, is killed by her son Nero, Hamlet is afraid of his desire to also kill his mother. Another element of death that Shakespeare strengthens in his play is the Dance of Death that is crucial for understanding the dramatists interpretation of the issue. In the Renaissance this dance was performed in the form of a carnival, during which some people disguised themselves into skeletons and guided other people into afterlife. As a humorous festivity, the Dance of Death was popular among different groups of people and was depicted in many hammy works (Freedberg, 1989).The image of the Dance of Death occupies the principal place in Hamlets graveyard scene. In Hamlets dialogue with the gravedigger, Shakespeare uncovers many important issues of existence. For instance, Hamlet asks Did these bones cost no more the breeding but to play at loggets with them? Mine ache to think ont (Shakespeare, 1985 5. 1. 91). The Dance of Death has a great impact on Hamlet, especially when he sees the skull of his friend Yorick who occupied a position of fool in the court during his life (Triggs, 1990, pp. 73-76).Hamlet realises that death is inevitable for all people, as he puts it, We fat all creatures else to fat us and we fat ourselves for maggots. Your fat king and your lean beggar is but variable service two dishes but to one table (Shakespeare, 1985 4. 2. 21-24). The controversy of the Ghost reflects the controversial attitude of Elizabethan society to the issue of death and afterlife. If the Ghost is thought to come back from Purgatory, then Hamlet may believe that it is the Ghost of his father who suffers much and is in search of revenge (Low, 1999, pp. 63-472). However, the Ghost may also appear to come back from crazy house in this regard, his aim is to turn Hamlet into insanity. William Shakespeare reveals this controversy, but he does not solve it. The issue system open throughout the play and is aggravated with the disappearance of the Ghost. Greenblatt (2001) even claims that purgatory exists in the imaginary universe of Hamlet and it provides many of the deep imaginative experiences, the tangled longing, guilt, pity and rage evoked by More (p. 252).However, the deaths of Hamlet and other principal characters of the play uncover the truth about these people. In particular, throughout the narration Hamlet pretends to have a secret, although he does not reveal it, but at the end he seems to demo his heart and all his secrets Thou wouldst not think how ill alls here about my heart but it is no matter It is but foolery (Shakespeare, 1985 5. 2. 208-211). Hamlet tries to fool other characters, but instead he fools himself, as he is not able to admit that he is also afraid of death.