To be or not to be

Throughout history, man has been surrounded by other organisms that directly threaten the lives of mankind, which has left man with a decision to make a decision every day: whether to live or die. In Act 3, Scene 1 of Hamlet William Shakespeare confronts this vice within every man, but takes it to another level at the same level, suicide. In the plot, Hamlet has developed a pessimistic view of the world, to the say the least, and is conflicted whether or not he will continue his existence. Specifically, whether or not he should continue to suffer through his life, what the beggars call his fortune, or stand up against it and by doing so end his life. This is very ironic to the audience as they witness him engaged in this inner conflict, as they have already seen that he has an inability to act in situations involving murder or death.

     What conflicts Hamlet, however, is that he would immediately end his life and suffering, if he knew what was to come after life. He finds it ridiculous how anyone would bears the scorns of life or the “oppressors wrong” if they knew what kind of life they could go to. This is an allusion to an often natural human emotion that this life is not worth leaving but whether it is worth it to witness whether or not the next is any better.  

     This inner argument of thoughts and deciding to deal with the scorns of life can be thought of as honorable, since life is thought as such a gift. Also, this decision can be thought of as cowardly, as the fear of the unknown leaves people helpless and causes them to continue to suffer through the trials of life (which everyone must endure ironically) and live their lives until its conclusion. Ultimately, Hamlet decides that he is the coward, because he cannot bear the thought of a life that is more insufferable than the one is already living in.

     In Hamlet, William Shakespeare alliterates that humans are almost inevitably conflicted with the question of whether or not to continue living, and nearly always the choice is to continue living for fear of the unknown.