Brenden M. Barry
Existence, the one truly perfect gift from God. Everyday a new way to continue living life and another to plan it out. Some people, though, question the sunrise in the morning and the moon glow at night. It is not uncommon for people to wonder what it all means, especially if time gets rough in the world. It is undeniable that in the fate of this world, and in the fate of all men, that the absurd idea of suicide. Dark in essence, and somewhat taboo (which realistically, and honestly, discredits the ideas and values behind suicide), it’s all too prevalent in our society. The character, Hamlet, from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, is undoubtedly one of millions of people throughout history who has contemplated, and been given the opportunity to take his own life.
At this point in Danish history (the era of Shakespeare’s writing), Denmark had gone through a very large religious change. Converting from Roman Catholicism to Lutheranism following the German monk Martin Luther’s teachings in Germany that same century. This caused the great reformation, a time of religious rethinking, and more secular ideals for the people of Europe. By the year 1599, Hamlet’s release, the Danish kingdom had their views of religion shifted greatly, yet, still, we find the fear of God, or of a god. Someone up above still condemns suicide, and Hamlet being able to keep his religious beliefs understand the weight of the action of self suicide.
Although existentialism was not a philosophy yet for the time period, throughout history, the question of existence has, well, existed. This was mostly resolved using the combination of church and state. At the time of Hamlet, we find Denmark in a time of religious rewiring mentioned earlier, and this too can play into the fact that Hamlet starts to become godless, questioning his own religion or beliefs. and almost shames god, being upset that he forbids the slaying of one’s own body and soul. Hamlet is left to ruminate in his thoughts. At this time in Hamlet’s life, he is reaching his middle age. It is a very important time in many men’s (and women’s) lives, when it’s time to reflect on your coming up, and where to go now. Camus says that once a man or woman noticed they’re 30 years of age, where one must assert their youth whilst planting themselves in their current time. The person will make themselves their own worst enemies.
When one takes a look at the course of Hamlet (and Hamlets life, for he is now reaching his mid-life crisis years), it’s a no brainer that Hamlet battles thoughts of suicide, and faces existential dread that has now become so prevalent in his life. Those around him; loved ones, perish, at the hands of murder or suicide, and the kingdom he so wanted to save ends up being left in turmoil. His mind is lost in the sauce, his existentialism and his thoughts of suicide inevitably lead Hamlet to his downfall and perhaps the kingdoms downfall as well.
Hamlet, upon hearing the news of his father’s murder, Hamlet, has a moment of realization, and a bit of a manic episode. He has become overwhelmed in grief and unbeknownst of what to do next. He begins to speak, thus begins the first soliloquy of the play. Immediately the audience is thrown into Hamlet’s newfound existential wonder and dread.
O, that this too too solid flesh would melt
Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!
Or that the Everlasting had not fix’d
His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter! O God! God! (Hamlet 1.1.2)
Hamlet, ponders, or dances around the ideas of suicide. The “everlasting”, being God, forbids “self-slaughter”, or else Hamlet would cast himself into the eternal darkness at the mercy of his own hands. This speaking all too closely relates to the ideas of existentialism. His disgust for his own flesh, is absurd as philosopher Albert Camus, who was one of the more modern existentialist, and self proclaimed “absurdist”, discusses in his 1942 essay The Myth of Sisyphus, which discusses the absurdity of life and suicide. Providing evidence as to where these feelings come from, more specifically in men, and as much as I remember, Hamlet is a man. “That revolt of the flesh is absurd” (Camus, 14). This quote, by Camus, stands out, for it all too well falls into relation with this speech by Hamlet, for he hates his own flesh, “O, that this too too solid flesh would melt”, and by those standards, it is absurd to hate your own flesh, the vessel that carries you in the physical realm.
By the end of the book we find Hamlet almost a shell of a prince in his situation. After the famous to be or not to be speech, it seems Hamlet has almost resigned to his fate, whatever it may be. It’s not unusual to hear of or witness Hamlet type tales in the modern world, and it all relates too well to today’s standards -. To this day suicide is still a very large problem, with rates in America increasing to the highest it has ever been since the great recession in 1929. Suicide, and self destructive behavior overall, is built into the human psyche, the absurd idea that one day someone could take that step off the ledge, and let their flesh melt into a dew.
Perhaps the most famous Shakespeare soliloquy best explains Hamlet’s lust for death, and his climactic internal resolution as the existentialist. We find Hamlet alone, in the beginning of the third act. He has been sent away, banished from his kingdom. again he begins to question the frugality of life, seemingly resulting in his death, whenever it may be, and accepting that it must happen.
Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there’s the rub:
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause—there’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long life. (Hamlet 3.1)
Comparing death to sleep is a form of coping with the existential dread, accepting death. Hamlet is not decided, for “the rub” is the issue at hand in his mind. Hamlet believes that only now shall death bring him eternal sleep, and or eternal peace, where he can dream up all of his imaginations, and no longer be attached to the mortal coil of his body and of the earth. In the final scene Hamlet enacts his endgame and the death of his mother, Laertius, and the incestuous king Claudius, the man who Hamlet had sworn to kill in order to avenge his father, pursues. Poison, meant for Hamlet to drink, consumed by his mother to save him, and the blade meant to poison him, turned on Laertius. The poison is then drunk by Claudius at the blade of Hamlet, and Hamlet succumbing to his poison sounds in the arms of Horatio.
Hamlet dies at last, and his spirit is free to dream for all of eternity, the death of his father avenged, yet at what cost? The death of his father sent him into an undeniable spiral, for all that seemed right in Denmark had turned rotten, and Hamlet was left to decide what was next. To kill himself is against god, to kill others is against god. Hamlet gets the death he wants, and kills Claudius in the act, forcing him to drink at his own hand. Hamlet can die at peace, and his existential dread can no longer be, for the flesh he had wound it, now shall melt into dew.
Works Cited
Beville, Jack. “The Philosophy of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”” Medium, 22 May 2020, medium.com/@jack.beville/the-philosophy-of-shakespeares-hamlet-1cef50b02199#:~:text=Camus. Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.
Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays. 1942. Vintage, 31 Oct. 2012.
Hillerbrand, Hans J. “Lutheranism | Definition, Beliefs, History, & Facts.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 15 Nov. 2018, http://www.britannica.com/topic/Lutheranism.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. William Shakespeare, 1603.
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Reformation | History, Summary, & Reformers.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 8 Feb. 2019, http://www.britannica.com/event/Reformation. Accessed 22 Feb. 2024.
Sprockets and Springes 