Question

At what point ... and why ... does Hamlet accept that he is going to die? What does the line "There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow" mean?

a) Hamlet accepts his fate when he confronts Claudius in Act 5, driven by revenge.
b) The line indicates Hamlet's acceptance during his soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 1.
c) Hamlet accepts mortality during the graveyard scene, symbolized by Yorick's skull.
d) The acceptance occurs when Hamlet realizes the inevitability of fate during the play.

Answer 1

Hamlet accepts that he is going to die in Act 5, Scene 2, when he talks about the special providence in the fall of a sparrow, indicating his recognition that death is governed by fate and beyond his control.

Step-by-step explanation:

Hamlet accepts the inevitability of his own death after surviving the sea trip to England in Act 5, Scene 2. The line "There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow" signifies Hamlet's realization that everything, even the life of a sparrow, is governed by fate.

This acceptance aligns with the Christian belief that not even a sparrow dies without God's foresight, suggesting that our lives are part of a greater design, and their end is predetermined. Hamlet realizes that his destiny is out of his control and comes to peace with the unpredictable nature of life and death, shown when he says, "If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now" (Act 5, Scene 2).