Why didn't Hamlet commit suicide?

[jessicashim2013]

"O, this too too solid flesh would melt.." , "To be, or not to be.." these two monologues show that Hamlet wanted to commit suicide. He was trying to decide whether or not to die. But we know that he did not.

So what do you think the reason was?Despite the pain and disgust he felt, why did he choose to live?

I think he was first afraid of death. He was only 16 or 17 years old so death can be scary. I knew that if he dies, he cannot return back. And my second assumption is that he did not commit suicide for revenge.

[jinwooprk]

When we look at his "TO be or not to be" solioquy it shows that Hamlet does think of commiting a suicide to end his "heartache and his thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to" However, then he starts to question about death. Death is an one way ticket so Hamlet is now afraid an unsure that he can truly rest and step aside from hardships. SO basically he is worried that death might bring him more pain and sufferings than his current pain and disgust towards humanity.

[rebeccahan0613]

I disagree that Hamlet didn't commit suicide because he was afraid of death. I mean, if he really was afraid of death, then why would he even risk his life to take revenge on Claudius? Hamlet even attempted to kill Claudius in Gertrude's room where he actually killed Polonius. Ins't that like treason or something back then? And I don't think treason was dealt lightly back then.. like they were but to death or something. Anyways, I think Hamlet did not commit suicide not only because he had to carry out his duty to take revenge on Claudius (I think Hamlet took this whole revenge thing as a duty because it's like his father's last words, of course as a ghost, but anyways) and committing suicide as a Christian is a huge sin. Committing suicide is a guarentee to hell and if he kills himself, Claudius will be left alone with no one knowing about all the bad things he did and stuff. So I don't think Hamlet did not commit suidice because he was afraid of death.

[jessicak016]

I agree with Rebecca. In the first paragraph of his monologue "O, this too too solid flesh would melt..." Hamlet is kind of upset that God forbid Christians from committing suicide because it would be counted as a crime just like murdering someone. And Hamlet does not want that especially since his father gave him a mission to revenge for his father, bring justice to the palace, and kill Claudius for his sins.

[seongrae]

The two monologues that you wrote shows that Hamlet wants to commit suicide. However, he didn’t commit suicide but killed. The reason why I think Hamlet didn’t commit suicide is that when he think about the death and what happen if he commit suicide. As Hamlet was Christian, committing suicide is a sin so he does not want to have a sin and go to hell. He wants to go to where Hamlet’s father is. So he was basically afraid of death. Other reason that I thought about is that he didn’t revenged yet. Maybe he might have committed suicide if he killed Claudius and knew about his sins.

[minjaeyang]

I think Hamlet did not choose suicide for revenge. Even though he was in a lot of pain, Hamlet still had to prove that Claudius killed his father. Therefore, he could not leave knowing that there would be no revenge of any kind after he dies. So, I think revenge against Claudius is what kept Hamlet alive.

[kiranshoaib]

I guess if he would have committed suicide than his death would have been meaningless or like as if he would have simply given up on his life for nothing. His first priority from the beginning was to take revenge from Claudious. Also, its not that easy to commit suicide, you really need to be extremely 100% emotional and crazy or loose your mind in order to actually die like that.

[sojounggg]

come on. hamlet is same age as us.
i am sure that every have felt that do not wanna live anymore once in our teenage life.
but did we really meant it?
i know that hamlet is in the worst situation but he is scared.
i does not mean i really wants to kill him self.
he need his mum back to him.
he needs protection and love.
that is what all he needs.
everyone is looking at hamlet as a crazy kid.
how har that would be?
he just needs someone to listen to him and someone believable who does not betray

[stormy44]

He had unfinished work to do. He had to kill Claudius for his father, but for himself as well. But I don't think he was afraid of death at all. Yes, he is a teenager. Because he was a teenager, I feel like he was less scared of death compared to old people. He doesn't really understand the concept of death yet. The only person he saw dying was his father King Hamlet, who told Hamlet to murder Claudius. Not to mention that his religion says that no one has a chance to go to heaven if he commits suicide!

[juliekim]

I think he thought it a disgraceful thing to do to himself and to his father. He specifically got orders from his dad to take revenge against Claudius, and to kill himself right now would be trying to avoid that responsibility. He thought it to be a cowardly thing to do. He didn't want to fail to do the last thing that his father wanted him to do.

[cathysjun]

I think he couldn't kill himself because he needed to fulfill his father's wish. That was the main reason that prevented him from committing suicide apart from the fact that Christianity banned it.

[ginayang]

Hamlet decided not to commit suicide because he had to get revenge for his father. He was sick of the incest of his mother and uncle but he could not just leave them alone without receiving punishment or even feeling guility. As it said in the book, Denmark was like a prison for him. A place that was full of corruption and restraining him from doing anything. Thus, Hamlet wanted to change all of that.

[cesar]

Yeah, he definitely was afraid of death, especially with all the christian background that the play has; death was something to be feared, especially suicide. But more then that, I think Hamlet was afraid of letting himself down. Because even if he let the ghost down it wouldn't really matter. but knowing that everything he planned would be left unfinished and Claudius's plans would go on about unhindered, was probably too much for Hamlet. He wanted to act against Claudius and that gave him purpose, it have him a reason to repress that thought.

[sujeonggg]

In his "O, this too too ..." monologue, it seemed like he was not even afraid of anything and seriously wanted to commit sucide for the first time in his life, showing disgust at the world. But he said suicide is a sin in his religion, so he could not try. But when he said "To be or not to be...," it seemed like he became afraid of the death. Here, he started to put meanings to the death in depth, and tried to make excuses. Though it looked like he was criticizing others, but I thought he was criticizing himself, who himself is a coward, afraids death.

[sarahlee2]

I definitely agree with you that he was afraid of death. He might have felt like he wanted to die because of some problems that he had been having but I think he didn't have the courage to kill himself. Hamlet knew it was wrong because of his Christian faith and so he didn't want to commit suicide. I think most teenagers have a temporary point in their lives where they want to die and this was exactly what Hamlet was feeling.