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The issue of suicide in Shakespeare has recently come to the fore because of the popular book Resolution and the Briefest End: Suicide in Shakespeare's Tragedies. The author of this book, Ra'ed Ali Al-Qassas, suggests that there are a larger number of suicides than ordinarily thought because there are indirect cases of suicide. See the related link for a review of this book.

In the tragedies there are fifteen suicides including Lady Macbeth, Ophelia and Iras in Antony and Cleopatra, who may not actually be suicides. (Lady Macbeth dies offstage and all we hear is "who, it is thought, took her own life" from a unreliable hearsay source. Ophelia's "death was doubtful" but she was clearly insane at the time of her death and probably did not know what she was doing.) See the related question for a list.

In the comedies, very few people die at all (a pirate captain dies in Measure for Measure) and in the histories people who die are either executed (like Joan la Pucelle), or die in battle (like Talbot or Richard III), are murdered (like Richard II or the Duke of Clarence), or die in their beds (like Falstaff or Henry IV)

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12y ago
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12y ago

Yes he does. Hamlet's famous "To be, or not to be" soliloquy is essentially his contemplation of suicide.

It is possible to argue that Hamlet does not seriously contemplate suicide as an option for himself. In an earlier soliloquy he says, "that the Everlasting had not fix'd his canon 'gainst self-slaughter", suggesting that as much as he feels like it, it is not worth the risk of damnation. He has already considered the issue of "for in that sleep of death, what dreams may come" in Act 1 Scene 2 and is not likely to revisit it in Act 3 Scene 1. Besides, there are a number of peculiar things about the "To Be or Not to Be" speech that make one wonder whether this is Hamlet talking about his own problems. One is that he not once uses the pronouns "I" or "me", which are so common in all of his other soliloquys, making the speech sound like a general philosophical musing, not a consideration of his own situation. Also, he talks about "death, the undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveller returns"--what?! Has he forgotten that he has actually met the ghost of his father who has testified that there certainly is an existence after death? I don't think so somehow--this sounds more like a prepared speech designed to convince Claudius and Polonius, who Hamlet should suspect are lurking about somewhere, that Hamlet is mad and suicidal.

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15y ago

No, He became Sick after eating and drinking at a party.

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14y ago

Yes, he kills himself with a dagger to avoid being arrested for the murder of his wife Desdemona

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13y ago

No. Hamlet dies from poison that was on Laertes's blade.

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14y ago

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Q: Did Hamlet kill himself
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Related questions

What is Hamlet trying to decide in his To be?

Hamlet is contemplating suicide. He is deciding whether he should kill himself, "not to be", or to live, "to be". He doesn't kill himself because it would be a sin.


What is Hamlet's to be or not to be dealing with?

Whether he should kill himself of not


What did the saying To Be Or Not To Be come from?

This is a quotation from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. It is part of a soliliquy Hamlet makes when deciding whether to kill himself.


What favor does hamlet ask of horatio?

He asks Horatio not to kill himself so there will be someone left to explain to Fortinbras what happened.


Who is plotting Hamlet's death?

Claudius and Laertes plot to kill Hamlet.


Where is hamlet being send?

Claudius was suspicious that Hamlet knew of his crime after the players had put on their show. After Claudius hears that Hamlet had stabbed Polonius, Claudius was certain that Hamlet was trying to kill him. To protect himself, he sends Hamlet to England with a letter and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to deliver him. The letter contains instructions for the king of England to have Hamlet executed.


What is the horatio dose to Hamlet?

he tells king cladios that hamlet want to kill his and King claudiouse kills hamlet


What is the plot of Hamlet ?

Hamlet is about a young man (Hamlet) who is told by the ghost of his father that Hamlet's uncle and stepfather murdered him. Hamlet acts crazy while waiting for the right moment to kill his uncle, but his uncle is spying on him and guesses the truth. In the end the uncle's plot to kill Hamlet almost succeeds, but before he dies, Hamlet completes his revenge.


Is it true or false Hamlet is the reason rosencrantz and guildenstern are put to death?

True. Hamlet changed the king's orders to the English from "Kill Hamlet" to "Kill Rosencrantz and Guildenstern." He didn't have to do that; he could have changed the orders to "Give Hamlet some flowers".


What line spoken by Gertrude indicates that she was not involved in King Hamlet's murder?

"Hamlet: To kill a king and marry with his brother. Gertrude: To kill a king? Hamlet: Ay, lady, that was my word."


What is Hamlet's character flaw and explain how it causes his downfall.?

Hamlet's character flaw is that he is too patient about waiting for the perfect moment in time to kill King Claudius. His patience is what leads to the death of him and the ones he and the audience care about. The Queen, Polonius, Ophelia, Laertes, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern perhaps, and Hamlet himself.


How didn't anyone know Hamlet was going to kill king Claudius?

Claudius knew. That's why he conspired with Laertes to kill Hamlet first.