Early Modern Attitudes and Views of Suicide -Hamlet

I chose this topic because it appealed to my interests. I am currently in a HNS suicide psychology forum, with which we discussed the contemporary social views, predictors, and statistics of suicide. I felt that most people ignore social issues that were still prominent in the Early Modern period. When researching suicide within this culture it was interesting to compare it to the modern cultural view. The differences were big, but the feelings of the individuals with regard to their circumstances were similar. I was able to analyze Hamlet and Ophelia in a deeper context due to my prior knowledge of the topic of suicide and depression.

When learning more about the cultural attitudes, it allows for a deeper appreciation of not only the play, but the characters as well. Each character in Hamlet was distinct and unique to the plays plot. Out of each play we read, I enjoyed Hamlet the most. The dark tones and themes were something I was used to analyzing in my Major. This paper became a topic of interest as I did my research and I was glad I got to learn so much on the historical context of suicide. SHAKESPEARE FINAL PAPER-28pjynl