Monday, April 11, 2011

Hamlet Blog 4

"Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay, / Might stop a hole to keep the wind away. / O, that that earth which kept the world in awe / Should patch a wall t' expel the winter’s flaw!" (5.1. 220-223)

Hamlet finds it interesting that even the mighty Caesar has now been reduced to dust. Hamlet uses this and the comparison with Alexander the Great to show how definite death is. No matter who a person is in life, everyone is equal in death. He finds it extremely interesting that death is the end to life, and to the end of advancement. Once a person dies, they are the same as others who have died, no matter their status. This is significant because Hamlet had been pondering what comes after death and this kept him from killing himself. But now he relies that death is the ultimate equalizer. It isn't really the end, it just brings everyone back to the same level.

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