"To be or not to be"

Hamlet's soul is weighed down by the moral dilemma of choosing to live or to die. He reminisces between the "flesh to heir", calamities, and fear of the afterlife; all of which, rationalize his thoughts in his mind to continue living. Hamlet is a very conflicted being, he keeps seeing apparitions of his dead father who asks him to avenge his death. Furthermore, his mother married his father's murderer, Hamlet's uncle, Claudius. He is also torn between the responsibilities of his position in Denmark and showing affection to his loved ones. In this soliloquy, Hamlet enumerates some of the negative aspects of human existence. The "proud man' or "the impudence of office", for instance, are prominent negative figures in life.

On the contrary, Hamlet begins to question whether or not he should die. At first, dreams are acceptable until he reflects on what will happen to him when he enters
into a deep sleep. He ponders about life after death. Hamlet establishes that human beings are comfortable with the known and fear the unknown. Moreover, his dead father's commentary about the afterlife has been overwhelmingly disastrous. To conclude his soliloquy, Hamlet discusses how our conscience makes us cowards. It is our thoughts which cast us from great things.

Hamlet Act I Overview

In class, we have started Shakespeare's play Hamlet, a story of a prince who's duty is to seek revenge his father's death. Scene I commences with officer Bernardo switching positions with the watchman Francisco. Both men are frightened at the sound of footsteps. For the past couple nights, the men have been seeing the apparition of Hamlet. Scene II introduces King Claudius, Hamlet's brother who is engaged to Gertrude, Hamlet's wife. Hamlet (the son) is still mourning his father's death. Claudius advises Hamlet to stop moping and that everyone loses their father at one point. Alone, Hamlet exclaims that he wishes he could die, that he could evaporate and cease to exist.

In scene III, Laertes prepares to leave for France. Before he departs, he cautions Ophelia, his sister, to not fall for Hamlet. According to Laertes, Hamlet is too far above her by birth to be able to love her honorably. Ophelia agrees to keep his advice but also calls him a hypocrite. Polonius enters bidding his son farewell. Polonius advises Laertes on how to behave with integrity and practicality.

In scene IV, Hamlet is keeping watch outside the castle with Horatio and Marcellus, waiting for the ghost to appear. The ghost appears and Hamlet follows it. His companions urge him not follow it but after a moment, Horatio and Marcellus follow after the ghost and Hamlet. In scene V, the ghost speaks to Hamlet. The spirit reveals that King Claudius murdered him with poison and has corrupted Denmark and Gertrude. The ghost urges Hamlet to seek revenge but not on his mother. The ghost disappears and Hamlet swears to remember and obey it. Horatio and Marcellus arrive and ask what has happened. Hamlet insists that they swear upon his sword to not share the events that occurred. The men take to oath. Hamlet is now set on revenge.

Doyle Schoalrship

As a young woman, I seek primary role models in my life such as Jane Austen. She once stated that “If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.” Her writing has inspired me to seek my own adventures by standing out and challenging myself academically. The ability to easily problem-solve in stressful situations has bolstered my career path to becoming a Clinical Psychologist. I challenge myself frequently by taking AP and honors courses. Thus, I will be prepared for college and will have developed strong academic skills.

My educational aspirations consist of attending the University of Nevada, Reno and acquiring a bachelor's degree or higher in psychology. Becoming a clinical psychologist will allow me to specialize in physical health concerns and help patients to manage stress or chronic illnesses. My kindness and empathy inclines me to work with people and help them overcome hardships. I developed a service-learning project at the Lemelson STEM Academy. My project encouraged elementary students to engage in learning and to release stress. This project is just one example of my community involvement.  I have always been highly motivated to improve and better the lives of others.

This past fall, I secured an internship at Renown. There, I interacted with patients of varying ages, backgrounds, and health concerns. Interning at Renown has been a great experience and has ameliorated my desire to help those in need. A hospital is a fast-paced and collaborative environment that I am drawn to.  

       

  This scholarship will financially assist me in my future endeavors by opening new doors for me. Attending UNR will help me attain academic excellence and benefit my personal study as a Clinical Psychologist. I will seek abroad and find my own adventure as Jane Austen once did.