What is Hamlet saying in To Be or Not To Be?
The soliloquy is essentially all about life and death: “To be or not to be” means “To live or not to live” (or “To live or to die”). Hamlet discusses how painful and miserable human life is, and how death (specifically suicide) would be preferable, would it not be for the fearful uncertainty of what comes after death.
How does Hamlet’s conclusion on the question of to be or not to be develop the reader’s understanding of his character?
His conclusion, that the dreams death may bring are too frightening to face, characterizes him as a coward as well as an intellectual. He is obviously very intelligent, having gone to college, and proves his intelligence by creating a master plan to avenge his father and taking painfully long to make any decision.
Who quoted to be or not to be that is the question?
William Shakespeare’s
Does Hamlet drink the poison?
Laertes tells Hamlet that he, too, has been slain, by his own poisoned sword, and that the king is to blame both for the poison on the sword and for the poison in the cup. Hamlet, in a fury, runs Claudius through with the poisoned sword and forces him to drink down the rest of the poisoned wine.
Does Hamlet end up killing Claudius?
Symbolically, Hamlet’s superego has gained control of his id, thus enabling Hamlet to get on with the business of avenging the Ghost’s death. In Act 5, Scene 3, Hamlet does kill Claudius. What makes Hamlet finally kill Claudius after so long? Hamlet is finally able to kill Claudius because Gertrude has now died.
Is Hamlet a tragic hero?
In Hamlet, Shakespeare uses the tragedies and deaths to make the play a tragedy; Hamlet is a tragic hero because he is a person of high rank who violated a law, and he poses a threat to society and causes suffering to others through violating the law, which are all characteristics of a tragic hero.
Is Claudius a good king in Hamlet?
Throughout “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, the character of the present king, Claudius, behaves and lives in such a manner that he shows himself as a good king, while inversely being a bad person. Claudius is a good king and leads his country wisely.
Did Claudius kill Hamlet’s father?
Hamlet’s father was unjustly MURDERED by Claudius while he slept in the garden. Claudius crept up, and killed Hamlet Sr. by pouring a deadly poison into the “porches” of his ear. This is the most unjust act of the play and it is why Claudius is the antagonist.
Why Claudius is a bad king?
So it seems that the same characteristics that make Claudius a bad man are those that make him a successful king. He has no qualms about manipulating people, and he is unapologetically selfish. Hypocrisy barely bothers Claudius: he pretends to be a loving stepfather to Hamlet even while sending him off to be killed.