THE GENERAL PORTRAYAL OF SUICIDE IN WESTERN LITERATURE

Abstract

This study investigates the literary representation of suicide across the history of Western literature, with a focus on key works from antiquity to the 21st century. The paper applies a comparative and philosophical approach, examining the changing attitudes toward suicide from a moral, religious, psychological, and existential perspective. Drawing on primary texts by authors such as Sophocles, Shakespeare, Goethe, Camus, and Woolf, this research identifies recurring motifs and ideological frameworks that shape the literary treatment of suicide. The study argues that suicide functions not only as a narrative device but also as a lens through which deeper socio-cultural, ethical, and metaphysical dilemmas are explored. It contributes to the broader discourse on how literature reflects and challenges dominant moral paradigms concerning life, death, and agency.