ShakespeareEqualsSuicide?

BraveNewWorld,anovelwrittenbyAldousHuxley,isaboutasocietyisunderstrict
controloftenWorldControllers.JohniswhatthepeopleofLondoninthissocietycallasavage.
Thisisbecausehewasbornonareservation,awayfromBraveNewWorldsociety.Heisalso
consideredasavagebecausethepeopleinBraveNewWorldareascienceexperimentsborn
fromabottleJohn,however,wasbornviviparously.AmanfromtheBraveNewWorldsociety
ofLondongoestotheSavageReservationandbringsJohnbacktoLondonwithhim.Inthe
BraveNewWorldsociety,peopleareconditionedintheirbottlesinmanydifferentwaysbutone
thingtheyallhaveincommonisathoughtthatoldreadingssuchastheBibleandShakespeares
workaretaboo.InanargumentbetweenJohnandMustaphaMond,oneoftheworldcontrollers,
Johnsays,IfyouknowGod,whydontyoutellthem?Whydontyougivethemthesebooks
aboutGod?followedbyMondescomment,ForthesamereasonwedontgivethemOthello:
TheyreoldtheyreaboutGodhundredsofyearsago.NotaboutGodnow.(Huxley,231)Since
Johndidnothavetheconditioningotherpeopledid,hewasexposedtothesereadingsandmuch
enjoyedShakespearesworks.JohnreadsandquotesShakespearemanytimesthroughoutthe
bookBraveNewWorld,whichleadsmetobelievethathethinksShakespeareistellinghimto
commitsuicidethroughhisworksandfromthegreatbeyond.

InHamletsfamoussoliloquy(ToBeorNotToBe)Hamletsays,
Whether'tisnoblerin
themindtosuffertheslingsandarrowsofoutrageousfortune,ortotakearmsagainstaseaof
troubles,andbyopposingendthem?(Shakespeare,Hamlet)whichJohnseemstointerpretas
Shakespearesayingwhenlifegetshard,giveup.Johnultimatelygivesupwhenhecommits
suicideattheendofthebook.Itisphrasedquitenicelyinthispassage,Savage!calledthe
firstarrivals,astheyalightedfromtheirmachine.Mr.Savage!Therewasnoanswer.Thedoor
ofthelighthousewasajar.Theypusheditopenandwalkedintoashutteredtwilight.Throughan
archwayonthefurthersideoftheroomtheycouldseethebottomofthestaircasethatledupto
thehigherfloors.Justunderthecrownofthearchdangledapairoffeet.Mr.Savage!Slowly,
veryslowly,liketwounhurriedcompassneedles,thefeetturnedtowardstherightnorth,
northeast,east,southeast,south,southsouthwestthenpaused,and,afterafewseconds,
turnedasunhurriedlybacktowardstheleft.Southsouthwest,south,southeast,east.
(Huxley,259)Inthisfamoussoliloquy,Hamletisjustcontemplatingthe
idea
ofsuicide,not
sayingthathe
will
commitsuicide.JohndoesntrealizethatHamletisquestioningwhichoneis
morenoblepersay,toputupwithallofthebadthingslifethrowsatyouortoshowupallof
yourtroublesbyputtinganendtoyourlife.Aroughtranslationifyouwillofthequotefrom
aboveis,

Isitnoblertoputupwithallthenastythingsthatluckthrowsyourway,ortofight
againstallthosetroublesbysimplyputtinganendtothemonceandforall?
(Crowther)Hamlet
isreallyaskingaquestionaboutsuicide,notdemandingsuicidefromanyoneeverybodydeals

withturmoilsinlifeincludingJohnandHamletanditisverytruethatallofthemarenecessary
tomakeusbetterpeople.

InchapterseventeenofBraveNewWorld,JohnandMustaphaMondgetinanargument
aboutwhythesocietydoesntallowanyreligiontoexist.Whatyouneed,thesavagewenton,
issomethingwithtearsforachange.Nothingcostsenoughhere....exposingwhatismortal
andunsuretoallthatfortune,deathanddangerdare,evenforaneggshell.Isnttheresomething
inthat?heasked,lookingupatMustaphaMond.(Huxley,239)HerewhenJohnquotes
Shakespeare,heisreferringtoMondsthoughtsonwhatpeopleshouldbeexposedtoandhis
reasoningbehindit...
exposingittodangeranddeath,forareasonasthinasaneggshell.
(Crowther)ThisisaroughtranslationofwhatHamletissayinginthepreviousquote.When
observingthiswithcontext,youllseewhyJohnissayingthis.Mondseemstowantpeopleto
notbeexposedtoreligionbecausehethinksitwillpollutetheirmindsthisisnt100percent
false,howeversincethisseemstobehisonlyreasonJohnwouldbecorrectinsayingthatheis
riskingeverythingforareasonasthinasaneggshell.IfeelthatJohnthinksthatthisalsoapplies
tohissomewhatdiscreetwayoffightingsocietyandthathetakesthisquotetoheartandacts
uponit.

Inallhonesty,thisisoneofthosepointsthatexpresseshowdelusionalthehumanrace
canbeandhowvulnerablewearetomisinterpretation.
Johnjustassumesthattheanswertoall
ofhisproblemsistodoawaywithhimselfbutinallreality,Shakespearesaysotherwise.John
thinksthatHamletissayingthroughthesequotesthatsuicideistheanswertoyourproblems,
thatifyourreasonisthinthanyoushouldntactuponit,andthatsometimesgivingupisthe
answer.IpersonallythinkthatJohnisquitewrongandthefactsbackmeuponthis.Hamletwas
askingaquestion,notmakingademandaswellasstatingafactthatsomepeopleputeverything
onthelineforaverythinreason.