Value Of Life

Value Of Life


The value of life is life itself. These two literary works, Hamlet’s Soliloquy ( from Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act III, Section 1), and It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, use the format of the Hero’s Journey and give the reader an idea of how others may value their life. In Hamlet’s Soliloquy, William Shakespeare, the play writer, uses a character named Hamlet’s struggles to demonstrate how one can learn to the value of life. In It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, Lance Armstrong exchanges his views towards the importance of his life. Both Shakespeare and Armstrong incorporate the Heroes Journey in their writing to explain the importance and value of life.
In the beginning of Hamlet’s Soliloquy, Hamlet questions whether or not he wants to live. “To be or not to be-that is the question: whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of trouble and by opposing to end them. Hamlet wants to know if it is better to live or die. He believes if he chooses to live, he will continue to suffer but if not, he will be at peace. This is an example of step 8 in the Hero’s Journey which is “Temptation”. This step is the temptations that lead the hero to leave their quest. Hamlet’s quest is to stay alive but he is very tempted to end his life because of his troubles and pain he is going through while mortal. In lines 11-21, Hamlet discusses his thoughts on death. “For in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause. There’s the respect that makes calamity of so long life. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, th' oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, the pangs of despised love, the law’s delay, the insolence of office, and the spurns that patient merit of th' unworthy takes, when he himself might his quietus make with a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear.” Hamlet is curious about what will happen...

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