Suicide in Hamlet: Ophelia, Hamlet, and the Death Wish

Introduction

Hamlet was authored by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1601. It was celebrated in its own time and remains so today. The play is as much a mystery to contemporary critics as it was over 400 years ago when it was first written and produced. Some describe Hamlet as one of Shakespeare's "most famous tragedies." Though attempts have been made to interpret it for centuries, it remains one of the most complex plays ever written.

This essay addresses several questions surrounding the theme of suicide in Hamlet: Why were Ophelia and Hamlet each drawn toward suicide? Could Hamlet's behavior be described as "suicide by king"? And why does Ophelia ultimately die by suicide while Hamlet does not? These questions will be examined through direct quotations from the text, supplemented by scholarly articles and book references.

Plot Overview and the Context of Suicide

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the story begins with the ghost of King Hamlet walking the halls of Elsinore Castle in the middle of the night. As dawn approaches, the ghost disappears. The audience learns that King Hamlet has recently died, that his brother Claudius has inherited the throne, and that Claudius has married the king's widow, Queen Gertrude. When people become aware of the dead king's presence, they bring Prince Hamlet — son of King Hamlet and Queen Gertrude — to speak with his father's ghost. King Hamlet orders his son to take revenge for his murder. Prince Hamlet then devotes himself entirely to avenging his father's death. It is suggested that Hamlet is in love with Ophelia, but he denies it and attempts to send her away. Prince Hamlet accidentally kills Ophelia's father when he mistakes him for his stepfather hiding behind a curtain in his mother's room. He is sent away as a consequence, and Ophelia, overcome with grief, drowns herself in a river.

King Claudius devises a plan to kill Hamlet, enlisting Ophelia's brother Laertes. He arranges a fencing match between the two men, poisoning the tip of Laertes' blade and also lacing a goblet of wine intended for Hamlet. Prince Hamlet does not drink from the poisoned goblet, but his mother, Queen Gertrude, does — and she dies immediately. Hamlet is wounded by the poisoned blade, but Laertes is also cut by it and dies from the poison. Hamlet stabs Claudius with the poisoned sword and forces him to drink the remaining poisoned wine. Claudius dies, and Hamlet dies not long afterward.

There is considerable mystery surrounding Ophelia's death. Queen Gertrude claims that Ophelia died because a branch broke away and swept her down the river; however, the church denies Ophelia a full Christian burial, claiming instead that she took her own life.

The line "To be or not to be" is among the most famous in all of literature. In the play, Prince Hamlet is openly questioning whether he should commit suicide. Hamlet is regarded as an exceptionally complex literary character. Many critics have questioned the nature of his relationship with his mother, arguing that it can be interpreted in several ways. Could Hamlet have sought to kill Claudius not to avenge his father's death, but out of love for his mother? In 1948, Ernest Jones wrote a psychoanalytic study of Hamlet, arguing that when a person cannot bring himself to act, there must be some hidden meaning behind his reluctance.

The Mystery of Ophelia's Death

The controversy surrounding Ophelia's death is consistent with many of Shakespeare's other writings. It was not uncommon for Shakespeare to introduce inconsistencies into his work, and Hamlet is considered by some to be less internally contradictory than others. One could argue that Gertrude may not have known the full truth about Ophelia's death — or that she was attempting to conceal it.

There is speculation that Ophelia may have been pregnant, and since the audience understands that Hamlet loved her even as he denied it, some scholars believe Ophelia was pregnant when she died and that she chose to end her life. Ophelia had already been abandoned by the man she loved, who had told her he would renounce marriage and sent her away to a nunnery. That same man — Hamlet — then accidentally killed her father, leaving Ophelia completely grief-stricken. A central question remains: if Ophelia was pregnant with Hamlet's child, why would she kill herself? Perhaps she was uncertain about the pregnancy and chose to end her life before finding out, so as not to be trapped by her circumstances.

In response to Hamlet's statement — "You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I loved you not" — Ophelia simply replies, "I was the more deceived." It is clear that Ophelia felt betrayed by the man she loved.

A sexual relationship between Ophelia and Hamlet is only implied; Shakespeare does not state it directly. Early in the play, Ophelia's father and brother urge her to guard her virtue and to ignore Hamlet's letters and advances. Ophelia agrees, but she later says to Hamlet: "Before you tumbled me, you promised me to wed." The word "tumbled" was a common Elizabethan expression for sexual intercourse. The fact that Ophelia alludes to a prior promise of marriage speaks for itself.

Conclusion

Hamlet is a deeply complex love tragedy, and as with many of Shakespeare's plays, numerous questions remain unanswered. The play alludes to many things without confirming any of them. It is easy to speculate today about Hamlet, Gertrude, and Ophelia, but no one can truly know what Shakespeare intended.

It is very likely that Hamlet was confused about his relationship with his mother. He probably did love Ophelia and began with good intentions toward her, but after his father's death and the shock of his mother choosing his uncle — and refusing to believe that uncle had committed murder — Hamlet moves in the wrong direction and tries to push Ophelia away. He later realizes that he does love her, but by then it is too late.

Ophelia was left with an impossible choice. After Hamlet accidentally kills her father — who had not approved of their relationship to begin with — Ophelia must decide whether to remain with the man she loved, who had earlier rejected her, or to have nothing at all. Without love, many people feel they have nothing. Had Ophelia chosen to stay with Hamlet, she would have been giving her heart to the man who killed her father, which would have been unacceptable on every level. Ophelia very likely committed suicide for these reasons — and perhaps especially out of fear of discovering she was pregnant before she could find a way forward.

Ultimately, both Hamlet and Ophelia are destroyed by the same interlocking forces: grief, betrayal, and love that cannot be acted upon honestly. Hamlet endures as one of the most powerful explorations of psychological torment in all of Elizabethan literature precisely because these forces remain as recognizable today as they were four centuries ago.

Jones, Ernest. "The Death of Hamlet's Father." The International Journal of Psychoanalysis 29 (1948): 174–176. Print.

Preston, South G. The Secret of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. St. Louis: Abbey Press, 1901. Print.