Hamlets Understanding Of Death And The Afterlife

Throughout the play, Hamlet’s understanding of death and the afterlife shifts to accommodate his emotional state and the needs of his conscience. Deep down, Hamlet doesn t believe in a true â€Å"afterlife†. After seeing the sins of man, he has a hard time believing that we deserve such a fate and seems to almost hope that all that awaits is peaceful nothingness. However, certain situations cause Hamlet to shift his views as a way to console his conscience and help him to avoid facing his own problems. Hamlets complex conscience can be dissected through the shifting views on the afterlife. Before we can understand what Hamlet s conscience shifts mean, we must first understand what Hamlet’s true feelings are on the subject of the afterlife.†¦show more content†¦After the drama of the play and reveal of Claudius as the murderer, Hamlet comes across his uncle in a vulnerable position, praying. He knows that he has a window of opportunity, but muses â€Å"Now might I do it pat. Now he is a-praying./ And now I’ll do ’t. And so he goes to heaven. . . To take him in the purging of his soul/ When he is fit and seasoned for his passage?/ No.†(3.3.74-88). Prior to this scene Hamlet gave no indication of believing in â€Å"heaven† in the typical sense. His view of death centers primarily around the decay and destruction of the fate, not of the glorious awaiting opportunity. In this sense, Hamlet s conscience shifts his personal beliefs in order to keep his morality in check. Hamlet is presented with the perfect opportunity to avenge his father s death after just confirming his suspicions of Claudius but yet his conscience still paralyzes him. To cope with his utter inability to act in this matter, Hamlet uses religion as an excuse to avoid facing his problems. If he can convince himself that taking advantage of this moment would counteract his revenge, he can convince himself that his stifling morality is a well thought out choice, and not a frustrating inner struggle. In this way, his conscience uses religious afterlife views as a crutch rather than a genuine belief system. With the heat of the moment passed, Hamlet returns to his pessimistic views of death. When Claudius questions the whereabouts of Polonius’sShow MoreRelatedComparing The Novel Atonement By Ian Mcewan And The Play Hamlet By William Shakespeare1428 Words   |  6 Pagescharacters in order to addresses varying issues within the texts. These issues within the text In the novel Atonement by Ian McEwan and the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the writers’ use of juxtaposition is used to accomplish a more profound understanding of the internal relationships of the characters and external relationships with the other characters in the texts. 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