In Shakespeare's Hamlet, suicide is treated differently on religious, moral and philosophical aspects. Suicide is the act of deliberately killing oneself against one's best interests. In today's society suicide is greatly looked down upon. But Shakespeare used suicide and violence in almost all of his most popular plays. Many of his tragedies used the element of suicide, some accomplished, others simply contemplated. Shakespeare used suicide as a dramatic device. A character's suicide could foster a wide range of emotions: horror, condemnation to pity, and even respect. Some of his suicides could also take on titles such as the noble soldier, the violated woman, and the star-crossed lovers. In Othello, Othello sees suicide as the only escape from the suffering and misery of life. In The Rape of Lucrece, Lucrece kills herself after being raped because she cannot live with her shame. And in Romeo and Juliet, the two lovers could not find happiness if life, so death was perceived as a way to unite with each other. Shakespeare was tackling a very controversial topic: was it right to end life to escape the cruel and unjust world? At the time of the Renaissance, many factors had an impact on suicide, such as religion, morals, and aesthetic views. In ancient history, suicide was condemned as a morally wrong sin. Plato argued that suicide was shameful and that its perpetrators should be buried in unmarked graves. When Christian Prohibition came into play, a man named St. Thomas Aquinas defended prohibition on three grounds. These are that suicide is contrary to natural self-love, the purpose of which is to preserve ourselves. Suicide hurts the community of which the individual is a part. Suicide... middle of paper... they continue to live in an unjust and cruel world, even if they are capable of taking the easy way out. He brings up the question of afterlife as the main reason why humans do not commit suicide. In conclusion, suicide is used in all of Shakespeare's plays. Suicide is actually used an unfortunate thirteen times in some of his most popular works. In Hamlet suicide is a controversial and questioning issue. Hamlet is a man confused by everything he has experienced in such a short period of time. And even if Hamlet contemplates suicide, he is not the one who suffers from it. Ophelia is actually the victim of the real suicidal act. His morality, religion, and philosophical views on suicide prevent him from committing the feared act. Even though suicide continues today and the questioning of the issue, it has been this way for a long time.