Although the opening lines of the “To be or not to be…” soliloquy
directly address the thought of committing suicide, I do not believe that Prince
Hamlet’s primary concern at this point in the play is whether or not he should
take his own life. By this time, he had already
confessed his desire to die—“O, that this too too solid flesh would melt/ Thaw
and resolve itself into a dew…” (Act I, scene ii)—making it safe to say that he
does not fear death. The following lines
show that he does, however, fear damnation in the afterlife: “…Or that the
Everlasting had not fix’d/ His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter…” (Act I, scene
ii). This same sentiment is revealed
about half-way through the “To be or not to be…” soliloquy. “To sleep, perchance
to dream—ay, there’s the rub: / For in that sleep of death what dreams may come…
Must give us pause…” (Act III, scene i).
From this point on, Hamlet begins to realize that his real fear is not
death, but rather, what will become of his soul after death. He struggles to reconcile what he feels that
he needs to do with his religion, in the form of the consequences said to
descend upon him. This question—namely,
what will become of him in the afterlife—is the true dilemma of this particular
soliloquy.
As for my advice, or helpful words, to Hamlet, there is not much to
say. Hamlet’s conflict is unavoidable in
a situation such as this, and his decision will be very very hard to come to terms with. Whether he kills his uncle or kills himself,
Hamlet is still committing a sin that is punishable by eternal damnation (according
to his own belief system). Given the conditions of young Hamlet’s life, it’s
hard to say that he would ever be truly happy, so he may as well do what would
be the closest thing to a resolution or sense of contentment that he will ever
find—take revenge on Claudius.
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