Essay On Hamlet's Soliloquy

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“To be, or not to be? That is the question”
Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be? That is the question (Hamlet, Act III, Scene I)” soliloquy from the play Hamlet by Shakespeare, describes Hamlet’s dark and tempestuous feelings. It depicts Hamlet contemplating life versus death by taking into consideration the uncertainty of the afterlife. Prior to the soliloquy, Hamlet’s emotions have been in distress due to the appearance of his father’s ghost and his mother’s marriage to his uncle. Shakespeare’s use of structure, imagery, and syntax portrays Hamlet’s hatred for life, but the desire for death. Shakespeare’s purpose of this soliloquy is to convey to the audience that although many consider suicide due to life’s difficulties, the uncertainty of what is to come prevents one from ending their life, uncertainty prevented Hamlet from ending his life.
Throughout the soliloquy, Shakespeare’s use of structure shows Hamlet’s inner conflict between the topics of …show more content…
In the beginning of the soliloquy, the lines are contradicting and short compared to the end. The final lines of the soliloquy show a speech that’s softer and more stable in temper. This shows Hamlet’s change in state of mind. As Hamlet becomes stable and concludes about mankind, the soliloquy models the change. The syntax of the soliloquy clearly indicates Hamlet’s mental distress and contradicting feelings. Hamlet’s character also grows since he changes from being unstable and insane to being stable and conclusive.
Although it is evident that Hamlet has a powerful drive to end his life and commit suicide, the one thing that prevents him from pursuing death is the unknown of what is to follow. Using structure, imagery, and syntax, Shakespeare depicts Hamlet’s hatred of life, desire for death, and fear of the unknown. Shakespeare conveys that although it is human to fear death, it is not an act of a coward, it is simply the insecurity of what’s to come after, the

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