The Undiscovered CountryEssay Preview: The Undiscovered CountryReport this essayThe Undiscovered CountryNothing is certain but death. It is the only inevitability in life, the great equalizer, the future to which humanity grows, leans, reaches. Yet the fear of death is a constant one, universal and unavoidable. Hamlet deeply experiences this fear of death and it is in his most famous soliloquy that he voices his dread and confusion concerning this inevitable end, closer in time and mind perhaps, given his present circumstances. All the soliloquies in Hamlet, and indeed in all of Shakespeares works, serve to characterize, and it is through this method of characterization that one is most clearly aware of the strengths, weaknesses and conflicts of the speakers. In Hamlet, the “To be or not to be” soliloquy fleshes out Hamlets tragic flaw, illustrating the debilitating effects of fear on action. An intentionally ambiguous speech, this soliloquy is subject to numerous interpretations, each lending itself to a slightly different characterization of Hamlet. Whether Hamlet speaks of his own impending death, or his fathers untimely one, depends upon the interpretation.
One interpretation of this speech is that Hamlet speaks of his fathers death. Hamlets meeting with the Ghost has brought the idea of a disagreeable afterlife into his mind. The Ghost speaks only fleetingly of his state in the afterlife, but what he says is potent and terrifying. He speaks of, “sulfrous and tormenting flames” (1.5.6), being forced, “to fast in fires” (1.5.16), and tells Hamlet, “But that I am forbid/ To tell the secrets of my prison house, / I could a tale unfold whose lightest word/ Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood, / Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their/ spheres, / Thy knotted and combind locks to part, / And each particular hair to stand an end, / Like quills upon the fearful porpentine. / But this eternal blazon must not be/ To ears of flesh and blood” (1.5.18-28). It is not surprising that Hamlet should dwell on death and the afterlife after hearing these tormented words. His speech, following this interpretation, shows his obsessive concern for his father and his fear that a similar fate will be visited upon himself. He is terrified for his father, trapped in a fiery hell, and wishes to release him from that damnation. But he fears for himself as well and cannot move beyond his fear. Thus he is unable to act when faced with such a picture of death as painted by the Ghost. He fears that by acting he will be risking the terrible fate that his father has been dealt. He fears that by saving himself, he will be further damning his father. In order to free his father, he must act. But in acting, he risks being thrown into the terrible world his father inhabits. He is unable to move beyond this conflict and is hence paralyzed by uncertainty and fear. This interpretation characterizes Hamlet as a tortured man, unable to move beyond his grief, unable to act in the face of that grief, unable to reconcile thought with action because of his fear.
That Hamlets musings are a result of his fathers death is but one interpretation of the speech. Perhaps the most common interpretation is the idea that Hamlet is contemplating suicide. This contention probably results from an isolated reading of the soliloquy. Taken out of context, it seems evident that Hamlet is considering taking the path of “self-slaughter” (1.2.136). It is the most basic interpretation of the speech, especially considering the words, “To be or not to be–that is the question” (3.1.64). However, Hamlet knows that suicide is contrary to the law of God and is concerned with what will happen to him after his death, should he choose this sin. In his speech he is conflicted between being and not being or, if one accepts the suicide interpretation, between whether he should choose to live or whether he should choose to die. His life is unbearable but it can be ended. However, the question of the afterlife remains. Hamlet is torn between living a tortured life or risking a tortured eternity. By the end of the speech, Hamlet seems to have come to the conclusion that it is better to live an intolerable life than to risk the unknown world of death and the punishment one might suffer there. Thus does his fear result once more in his inability to act as he wants. But Hamlet is not blind to this, his tragic flaw. He is well aware of his shortcomings and understands that his tendency to overanalyze does not lead to action, but rather stops his intended actions cold. This reading of the soliloquy serves to emphasize Hamlets depression and hopelessness. It also paints the picture of Hamlet as something of a coward, as willing to die himself as to live and deliver vengeance upon his fathers murderer.
Although it may seem clear on the surface that Hamlet is contemplating suicide, that interpretation does not fit well into the plot of the play. Considering that Hamlet has just decided to trap Claudius into a confession, it does not follow that he would flirt with suicidal thoughts. Nevertheless, it is clear that Hamlet has cause to fear death. The last main interpretation of this soliloquy is that Hamlet does not fear death because of the sin of suicide but rather, that of murder. This explication of the speech makes the most sense given Hamlets character and the direction of the plot to that point.
Hamlet clearly intends to kill Claudius. This irrefutable fact has been continuously illustrated throughout the play. Hamlet, however, is indecisive, hesitant, and slow to act. He thinks too long and too deeply. And the thought that most occupies his mind is that of death. It is not too difficult to guess why. Not only has he had to suffer the sudden death of his father, but he has also suffered through the tortured moanings of that fathers ghost. He has promised the ghost that he will avenge his fathers death and kill Claudius, his fathers murderer. It is no wonder Hamlet is plagued with thoughts of death.
In the “To be or not to be” soliloquy, Hamlet is haunted by what may happen to him after he kills Claudius. He seems to have accepted that he too may die. But he fears what will happen after death more than he fears the death itself. He has heard his fathers terrifying portrait of the afterlife. He has been raised to believe that murder will result in eternal damnation. These are the thoughts that plague him as he weighs his options. He can kill Claudius and risk an infinity of punishment, or he can live a tortured life at Claudius side, and be assured of his place in heaven. At the end of the speech Hamlet has not come to any solid conclusions. His only realization
is to feel hopeless, and then he is gone, and the ghost of his father returns with the ghosts of Claudius and Hamlet. As a result of this strange scene, Hamlet is dead.
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As an aside, the last chapter tells us that Hamlet’s desire to be left alone in the cold for the last several minutes as he was left feeling suicidal was only partially realized. In any case, this isn’t a story about Hamlet, nor what he felt on that night. Hamlet is still haunted by what might or might not happen to him after the fact, and it’s quite apparent that he would rather not die than accept the reality of death. However, Hamlet doesn’t have the necessary will power to stop this scenario, so he just has to make choices.
As an aside: before I give further comments on what is the “worry in the middle,” consider a couple of examples: the first episode has, as I said during my last post on the series, the feeling of dread and guilt that Hamlet has for being stuck in a horrible situation. For the first, Hamlet is left with a feeling of dread for almost an entire day- it’s unbearable if you’re stuck in the cold, because the cold seems to drive him crazy. In the second episode his fear, which was always an important part of his childhood, is actually just an emotion. Not necessarily an individual aspect either, only a part of Hamlet. In the episode before I ended with the “losing the man,” the person Hamlet had been sitting in the dark was now left with guilt in his stomach (just as the other characters who’d been sitting away were now in the dark and still had guilt about his choices). It was a simple but powerful feeling to have become trapped in what many call the “haunted man.” In my opinion a very real, and understandable one, is that Hamlet feels at home here, and, if he were trapped in it, is completely willing to accept it. Here, though, is something we often forget: Hamlet is now in a world where his family is not so bad and his own life is almost all good, even if the ones he has made the most are in some way worse. So much for his desire to take over the world.
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