Death Flashcards
Gertrude
1,2
Death is inevitable
“All that lives must die”
Hamlet
1,2
Suicide / sorrow
I that this too too sullied flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a few
Hamlet
3,1
Soliloquy
To be, or not to be - that is the question; whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles
Purgatory
Souls were purified of their sins
Ghost must have returned to Earth from purgatory
Hamlets unsure what happens after death
3,1 soliloquy
He calls death the “undiscovered country” where “no traveller returns”
He is suicidal but only talks about death in a philosophical way - doesn’t do it as he’s Christian but also because he doesn’t want to suffer in afterlife
Yoricks skull is a reminder of inevitable mortality of man
Memento Mori - “remember you must die”
Death is inescapable
You will end up back in the “womb of earth” to the fertile soil that supports life
Epiphany - he realises that death is inevitable so decided that god with chose his fate : course of action
Suicide was a sin which prevented you from going to heaven
Condemned by Christian teaching
Ophelias dead was expected to be suicide the priest says “shards, flings and pebbles should be thrown on her” - she doesn’t deserve Christian funeral 5,1
Hamlet is troubled by the spiritual problems of suicide
1,2 soliloquy
He’s preoccupied with thought of suicide.
He wants his “flesh” to “melt” and “thaw” into “dew” - talks about it but never considers doing it due to unknown consequences in afterlife
Ophelias last words suggest death
She sings “go to thy deathbed” - death on her mind.
Final words “god by you”
Death restores order in Elsinore
Unconventional end to crime text - element of justice.
Self reflective ending
Shows how easily revenge can spiral out of control
Shows crime breeds crime and regicide destroys natural order.
Everyone deserves to die to some extent ( bar Gertrude)
