The Uncertainty of Death in Hamlet Chantelle Carol Megan Dawn Graham 12th Grade

In the aftermath of Old Hamlet’s demise, Hamlet cannot think of anything other than death, and over the course of the play he considers it from various points of view. The inquiry of his own death plagues Hamlet as he constantly considers whether or not suicide is a morally acceptable action in a cruel and merciless world. He contemplates both the nonphysical repercussions of death and the physical remains of the dead. The idea of death is closely connected to the theme of uncertainty in that dying may shed some light on Hamlet’s deepest and darkest questions, ending the dilemma of trying to determine truth in a perplexing world.

The idea of passing away plagues Hamlet as he continually contemplates whether or not suicide is the correct decision to make. Hamlet’s grief and misery forces him to frequently long for death to end his suffering, but he worries that if he kills himself, he will be committed to eternal misery in hell because of the religious ramifications that prohibit suicide. In his famous, “To be or not to be” soliloquy (III.i. 56), Hamlet is clearly struggling with whether or not he should end it all or continue on living to take revenge on his uncle for his father’s unjust and untimely death. By saying “Whether ‘...