Why would Hamlet allow himself to die if he performs his father’s revenge? It all boils down to the responsible but not guilty attitude Hamlet toys with throughout the game he plays. Hamlet’s responsibility for the death of his family, the woman he loved and her family are things he cannot live with. Yet as discussed, Hamlet is unwilling to be responsible for his own death. This is why he had to plan his own murder, or rather, manipulate someone else into killing him. He could have allowed Rozencrantz and Guildenstern to have killed him earlier, as a maniacally depressed and insane man would have permitted, yet Hamlet was keen enough to know that it wasn’t yet time to die. Though an emotional character, Hamlet’s mind is almost continuously collected and exceptionally sane. As a character, he has fulfilled his raison d’etre and therefore cannot exist beyond the limitations he has created for himself. Hamlet lives and dies as a sane, brilliant, scheming character whose capacity for acting, manipulation, and character assessment are beyond compare.
Bibliography
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Oxford Edition.