Mortality, humanity, and fate

The interconnecting themes of mortality, humanity, and fate all relate to Hamlet’s perception of the human experience, which further highlights his internal conflicts. The tone of Hamlet is very existential, especially Hamlet’s dialogue. He is stricken with grief due to his father’s death and develops a sense of ennui. As a result, he begins to question his existence, as seen in the “to be or not to be” soliloquy. Hamlet is asking whether to live or die, but also is considering a more abstract concept of life and death, influenced by Shakespeare’s subjective framework of Renaissance Humanism. This is exacerbated with his discovery of Yorick’s skull; he tries to give a voice to the skull and personify it, but ultimately it is futile. After all, everyone, no matter if they’re nobility or a commoner, ends up in the same place. When Hamlet draws this conclusion, it is at the height of his in madness during which the most resonant truths are exposed.