"(Don't) Be Hamlet"

   "To be or not to be, that is the question". In Hamlet's soliloquy it is evident that he is being torn in two different directions. He is struggling with what he wants to do and what he feels he should do. "Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them." Hamlet is basically saying life is hard. It is overwhelming, he is stressed, and the easy solution would be to take his own life. However, he feels a sense of responsibility because he is a prince in the noble family and wants to live up to his title. "-And by a sleep to say we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to." If Hamlet were to die he feels his pain would end.
   "Who would Fardels bare to grunt and sweat under a weary life, but that the dread of something after death." Hamlet is concerned about the unknown. What if he dies..and it is worse than what he was dealing with in life? He is being forced by his own conscience to deal with the struggles of life because of his morals, and the question that the after life could be more painful. "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all."
    I definately think fear is a driving force for Hamlet. His beliefs are conflicting with his emotions and thoughts. The fear of damnation makes him reconsider his choices. The fear of letting people down and losing respect also causes him to second guess killing himself. I can relate to Hamlet in a way. I understand what it is like to not want to disappoint people, and I see how it affects the choices and decisions you make. Hamlet has a lot of pressure to deal with at a young age. The revenge he is seeking on his uncle for murdering his father, his mother's quick remarriage to his uncle, Hamlet seeing his father's ghost, and of course his love for Ophelia. I can understand why Hamlet is feeling overwhelmed. He has a lot on his plate, but I don't think suicide would solve his problems. That just seems like quitting to me. He will find out what death is like soon enough but he needs to realize that there is a purpose for the pain in life. Everything happens for a reason and Hamlet should not just give up when things seem to hard. He needs to overcome his challenges and see what the purpose of this whole ordeal was.