Hamlet drama paper
Use the following topic: (Do NOT start a paragraph with a direct answer to a question and all sources inside or outside “Hamlet” must be sourced)
The question of suicide comes up repeatedly in the play. Hamlet mentions it on multiple
occasions and Ophelia’s death is potentially a suicide and questionable enough that her
funeral rites are “maimed.” Discuss the play’s treatment of suicide, focusing on the
following points:
— How is suicide presented? Is it a good thing or a bad thing?
— Are there universal truths about death and suicide, as Hamlet seems to suggest in the
“To be or not to be” speech? Or does the play contradict that by adding in Ophelia’s suicide?
— Do you think Ophelia does commit suicide? Why or why not?
— Do you think Hamlet is essentially committing suicide at the end of the play? Why or
why not?
