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Overall, this soliloquy and hamlet’s questioning of the biggest philosophical question of existence is significant because it is key in reflecting his tragic flaw and overthinking nature, but it also sets up his character as a moral thinker. Therefore, he reaches the conclusion that the unknown is what prevents us from committing suicide and ending all the suffering of existence and that maybe it is better to bear all the ‘ills’ of life that we know of rather than leaving it for something worse. The second interpretation would be more likely for the Jacobean audience as they had a fear of the supernatural and would’ve considered it the devil playing with Hamlet’s mind. The audience is forced to either think of the ghost as not a full-fledged return to life as he also did not tell his son about the afterlife or the audience could interpret it as a confirmation that Hamlet’s doubts of the nature of the ghost have grown as it ‘may be the devil’. This statement sounds straightforward and logical till you remember his father’s ghost. Worse than bearing the pain and existing.Īfter listing a list of all the pains and suffering of life which creates a breathless tone, he extends the earlier question of suicide however he immediately counters it with his incoming thought of the “undiscovered country” which is metaphorical for death from which ‘no traveler returns’. Sleep always brings the possibility of unknown dreams and those could be nightmares which are. The noun ‘rub’ shows that there is a difficulty for suicide and the ultimate pause, as even if death is like sleep, it does not represent an escape from the suffering of existence.
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He says, “there’s the rub :/ for in that sleep of death what dreams may come”. However, he further contemplates showing his overthinking character and his tragic flaws as he looks at the negatives of suicide. He continues to think and contemplate the ‘not to be’ option and comparing suicide to ‘sleep’ where all of ‘the heart-ache’ will end in the ultimate sleep. The metaphor ‘sea of trouble’ reflects his life and conflicted mind. This famous quote is ambiguous and is one of the biggest philosophical questions, it also is significant as the ambiguity reflects the psychological state of Hamlet and makes the audience question his sanity. In this soliloquy, Hamlet questions the purpose of existence and whether ‘to be or not to be’.