Hamlet Essay

To be, or not to be, truly, that is the question is it not. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is centred around this one simple question. But is this question as simple as it seems. I would say, no, it is not. While some interpret this question as hamlet simply contemplating suicide, it is much more than that. Hamlet is not simply thinking aloud as to what the consequences of his killing himself will be. No, hamlet is not only questioning his existence, but also the reason for this existence, because as hamlet well knows, to some of the people around him, the most notable of whom is the new king, Claudius, Hamlet is nought but a relic of the past order that needs to be disposed of; this is why Hamlet asks this significant question, because he is looking for a reason to justify his existence. To quote a character from a favourite TV show of mine, Naruto, relevant to Hamlet: “At the time I thought of myself as being… No, I had to think of myself as being… And I realised that that was the hardest thing one can feel… The feeling that you are not needed by anyone in this world”, when you consider these words it is not hard to see that Hamlet must be feeling the same way, and hence we can see the true meaning of his “To be, or not to be”.  
This pre-occupation with the worth of his existence rules Hamlet throughout the play, influencing his every decision as he tries to make others recognise and necessitate his existence, though it can be seen that he goes about this the wrong way.
While Hamlet seriously contemplates killing himself in this scene, he cannot; this is because despite it being clear that he suffers greatly in his life, the suffering is drowned out by his obvious fear of what will transpire after death. It is clear that more than anything else in the world, Hamlet fears death. Even though Hamlet suffers in life, He refuses to let himself cease to exist. This is evident in the line:” For who would bear the whips and scorns of time” as only someone who greatly feared...