Death in Literature
In any event, where life is involved, death has to be involved. Death literary surrounds every living thing and the perception of death vary between different individuals. The meaning of death to any individual depends entirely on the perception build, and the effect of death cannot be similar for everyone. Individuals who have been living in despair and suffering might view death as a source of eternal rest whereas individuals who had been living a life of comfort and happiness will consider the same end as a loss. Several works of literature have incorporated the theme of death, not by mistake, but because death is unavoidable.
The subject of death has been used in literature to give different viewpoints of the authors, characters, and even the readers to represent the different perceptions in the community. Different authors give a different interpretation to death, but most have presented death as a source of loss and a symbol of failed goals in life. “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” by William Shakespeare is based on death and represents the different perspectives that are shared by different individuals about death.
Death can be a source or a result of evil. The opening scene of the Hamlet is permeated by death. Shakespeare uses a ghost to represent the idea of death and the consequences that follow an event of death. The use of the Ghost is symbolic in representing the capability of death to disrupt the social order of society. The appearance of the Ghost who takes the form of the dead king appears to bring fear among the living and a sort of confusion: “In the same figure, like the king that’s dead… [you are] a scholar; speak to it, Horatio…,” (Shakespeare, 7). The first part of the play gives the two most common perspectives of death. The protagonist to the play, referred to as Hamlet is presented to have been possessed by death and that his life revolves around death. One, death is viewed on the physical perspective as the loss of life. The physical aspect of death is represented by a lifeless skull that is said to belong to Yorick. Also, the ghost that took the form of the dead king is a physical being and causes fear and confusion in the castle. Shakespeare symbolically uses the cemetery and the dead bodies to create an atmosphere of loneliness that is always created by the occurrence of death. Individuals still have a way of justifying psychical death, and the author considers that as well. The use of soliloquy by the author serves well to present the second perspective of death as a spiritual event. Hamlet appears completely possessed by the spirit of death after his father dies. The third act of the play presents the scrutiny done by Hamlet on himself concerning his view of the ability of a human being to take their own life. Also, her bride-to-be, Ophelia dies in what is suspected by different scholars to have been a case of unreported suicide. The perspectives given in the first part of the play provides a hint of the power of death over living beings.
Death represents a gradual but a slow end to a period of prosperity and thriving. The play opens forth act with the view of Hamlet being presented as a man obsessed with the idea of death to the extent of hiding the body of Polonius. Hamlet brings out another perspective of death when death is viewed as the last stage of human life. Death is seen as a mark of the ending of man’s powerful dominion. The act of Hamlet killing Polonius accidentally could mean that Hamlet is out of control of the spirit of death haunting him. Hamlet goes ahead to relate his deed to the act of his mother marrying his father’s brother after the death of the king. The perspective about death that is being brought about is that the effects of death go far beyond the idea of losing a life. Individuals left behind suffer from the impacts of death and not the dead. The impacts of the death of the king and Hamlet’s bride-to-be affect other characters adversely and even lead to the development of the theme of revenge. The desire for revenge leads Laertes killing Hamlet; hence bringing out the perception of the society that death should be used as the ultimate price paid for causing death.
In sum, death is a theme that is used in different forms, and for different purposes in the work of literature. Several authors use the theme of death to represent the different perceptions held by society concerning death. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is dominated by the theme of death, and the perceptions of death by the general community are presented by the different characters used in the play.