Hamlet's "To be, or not to be" soliloquy is probably the most famous in all literature. What does it indicate about Hamlet's state of mind?
2007-03-22 09:31:00 · 7 answers · asked by nikki 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
Oh man, your question has written entire books. Hamlet is famous for his procrastination and indecision. His duty as a son requires that he kill Claudius, but his cowardice prevents him from doing so until the very last act. So, one aspect of this soliloquoy is him trying to decide whether to enact revenge or not. The second, more well-known aspect is his question of the existence of an afterlife. He speaks of the futility and sadness of life, and the fact that the only reason that man doesn't just kill himself is because he doesn't know what will happen after he dies.
In conclusion! Hamlet's state of mind is cowardly, indecisive, suicidal, and depressed.
2007-03-22 09:48:31 · answer #1 · answered by kaia 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
In this soliloquy he is contemplating the pros and cons of suicide acknowledging that life is sometimes more difficult to bear in comparison to death, yet again, he acknowledges that since death is unknown, all the things associated with life make it difficult to give up living to choose the uncertainty of death, which is one of the reasons people choose to live so long no matter how much suffering it involves. "To be or not to be...that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die, to sleep.. No more; and by sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to, tis a consumation Devoutly to be wished..." Gotta love that Hamlet, and I really love The Bard!
2007-03-22 16:51:42 · answer #2 · answered by sustasue 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think it represents how he has slowly lost his sense of reason and given in to his passion. a lot of the play is centered around hamlet not being able to fight his passion. he has lost his reason and continually contemplates suicide or "to be or not to be". from some of the things he says after that it sounds like he wants to die, but he is afraid of death and what may happen to him because of his sins. But I read it for my english class, and most of what I got was his despair at having to revenge his father and his wanting to leave the world.
2007-03-22 17:14:01 · answer #3 · answered by angelicasongs 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He was feeling despair at what was happening in his family, he was questioning life in general. Hamlet was a very strong person though.
2007-03-22 16:51:00 · answer #4 · answered by toomeymimi 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Almost everyone believes Hamlet is trying to decide whether to kill himself or kill Claudius. But trying to assassinate a king is likely to be a suicidal act. I believe Hamlet is trying to decide whether to live or to try to kill the king, which would be like suicide. There is evidence within the play for this viewpoint, but not room enough for it here. Please see http://academia.wikia.com/wiki/Motifs_in_Hamlet#When_Your_Clowns_Speak
2007-03-26 15:14:54 · answer #5 · answered by Ray Eston Smith Jr 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The most obvious interpretation is that he is confused and being pulled in two seperate directions. He wants justice for his father's wrongful murder, but to do so he must do wrong himself.
2007-03-22 16:40:13 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
That he was sad.
2007-03-22 16:39:03 · answer #7 · answered by culverhouserobert 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋