Hamlet’s soliloquy contains what is probably the most-quoted line in all of Shakespeare: ‘to be or not to lớn be.’ TIME’s compilation of the đứng đầu 15 Shakespeare quotes put it at the vị trí cao nhất of their list. It’s likely that you have heard, read, or said the famous opening words of the speech: ‘to be or not khổng lồ be.’
There’s more lớn it, of course, than “to be or not lớn be.” Here are some features the speech that you may not have been aware of.
Bạn đang xem: 'to be or not to be': hamlet's soliloquy with analysis✔️
First, here is Hamlet’s soliloquy in its entirety.
To be, or not lớn be? That is the question—
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings và arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or khổng lồ take arms against a sea of troubles,
And, by opposing, kết thúc them? lớn die, to sleep—
No more—and by a sleep lớn say we end
The heartache và the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to—’tis a consummation
Devoutly lớn be wished! to lớn die, lớn sleep.
To sleep, perchance lớn dream—ay, there’s the rub,
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 & 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, & the spurns
That patient merit of th’ unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country from whose bourn
No traveler returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to lớn others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch & moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And đại bại the name of action. —Soft you now,
The fair Ophelia! —Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remembered.
A modern English translation of Hamlet’s soliloquy
The speech is a stunning work of art and the most-studied of all of Shakespeare’s plays. It is best untampered. However, a modern English rendering can untangle some of the puzzling lines & Elizabethan turns of phrase.
Ben Florman, Lit
Charts’s co-founder, wrote the following modern English translation of Hamlet’s soliloquy:
To live, or khổng lồ die? That is the question.
Is it nobler to lớn suffer through all the terrible things
fate throws at you, or lớn fight off your troubles,
and, in doing so, end them completely?
To die, to lớn sleep—because that’s all dying is—
and by a sleep I mean an kết thúc to all the heartache
and the thousand injuries that we are vulnerable to—
that’s an end to be wished for!
To die, to lớn sleep. Lớn sleep, perhaps to dream—yes,
but there’s there’s the catch. Because the kinds of
dreams that might come in that sleep of death—
after you have left behind your mortal body—
are something to make you anxious.
That’s the consideration that makes us suffer
the calamities of life for so long.
Because who would bear all the trials và tribulations of time—
the oppression of the powerful, the insults from arrogant men,
the pangs of unrequited love, the slowness of justice,
the disrespect of people in office,
and the general abuse of good people by bad—
when you could just settle all your debts
using nothing more than an unsheathed dagger?
Who would bear his burdens, & grunt
and sweat through a tiring life, if they weren’t frightened
of what might happen after death—
that undiscovered country from which no visitor returns,
which we wonder about và which makes us
prefer the troubles we know rather than fly off
to face the ones we don’t? Thus, the fear of
death makes us all cowards, và our natural
willingness lớn act is made weak by too much thinking.
Actions of great urgency và importance
get thrown off course because of this sort of thinking,
and they cease lớn be actions at all.
But wait, here is the beautiful Ophelia!
Hamlet’s soliloquy contains other famous Shakespeare quotes.
In the soliloquy there is more than just the famous line “to be or not to lớn be.” You may have heard these Shakespearean quotes as well.
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind khổng lồ suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune / Or to lớn take arms against a sea of troubles.To die, khổng lồ sleep. / To sleep, perchance lớn dreamAy, there’s the rub,Shuffled off this mortal coilThe pangs of despised loveTo grunt và sweat under a weary lifeThus conscience does make cowards of us allAll my sins remembered.Understanding Hamlet’s Soliloquy, và the meaning of ‘To be or not to be’
What is the meaning of Hamlet’s soliloquy? Here’s a brief explanation of the meaning and themes, drawn from Lit
Charts’s comprehensive literary guide to Hamlet.
While Polonius và Claudius hide and eavesdrop, Hamlet breaks into this most famous soliloquy, perhaps the best-known speech in the English language. Hamlet returns to the question of suicide, wondering if it would be preferable to over his life or not.
Though Hamlet’s language has grown more direct from its earlier references to “dew,” it still speaks to lớn his passivity in the face of desperation. He phrases the question of death in the abstract with the infinitive verb forms “to be, or not to lớn be”—and makes it “the question” of humanity, as opposed to a personal matter. These choices imply that the decision whether or not khổng lồ exist is a constant struggle for each person, a struggle that Hamlet tries to lớn mediate through the metric of what is “nobler in the mind.” This phrase implies that death is evaluated based on the perceived correctness or social value, as opposed to, say, a universal ethical system.
For the two options themselves, Hamlet chooses evocative images: “To be” is put in relatively more passive terms as a continuous process of “suffering” an onslaught of external attacks from “outrageous fortune”—that is to lớn say, the constant influx of events that cannot be shifted in one’s destiny. Suicide, on the other hand, is presented as an active fight that wages war on “a sea of troubles” and, indeed, is successful in the endeavor. The phrase “by opposing kết thúc them” seems noble or glorious, but what it literally means is to vanquish one’s “outrageous fortune” by ending one’s life. Thus Hamlet presents his lack of suicide not as the result of insufficient desperation, but rather his apathy from wishing lớn take on such a fight. Life becomes, for him, a constant decision of whether he will finally arrive at sufficient motivation to shift course và end his and/or Claudius’s life.
12 Facts about Hamlet’s Famous ‘To be or not khổng lồ be’ Soliloquy
According to lớn legend, Hamlet is being performed somewhere in the world every minute of every day. (I’m unaware of where this bit of trivia originated, but its veracity is dubious.)The ‘to be or not khổng lồ be’ soliloquy is 33 lines long and consists of 262 words.Hamlet’s soliloquy takes up to four minutes lớn perform.As far as historians can ascertain, the first Hamlet performance was in 1600 or 1601. The acting troupe was the King’s Men, và the venue was, of course, the Globe.Watch these famous recitations of the soliloquy.
Mel Gibson as Hamlet performs the soliloquy.
Here is David Tennant, former Doctor Who, and award-winning Shakespearean actor in his critically acclaimed performance.
This is Kenneth Branagh in his performance of the soliloquy.
And, true lớn form, Benedict Cumberbatch, seizes the audience with his interpretation.
It’s a line we’ve all heard at some point (and very likely quoted as a joke), but vì chưng you know where it comes from and the meaning behind the words? "To be or not to lớn be" is actually the first line of a famous soliloquy from William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.
In this comprehensive guide, we give you the full text of the Hamlet "To be or not khổng lồ be" soliloquy and discuss everything there is to lớn know about it, from what kinds of themes và literary devices it has to its cultural impact on society today.
Full Text: "To Be, or Not khổng lồ Be, That Is the Question"
The famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy comes from William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet (written around 1601) và is spoken by the titular Prince Hamlet in Act 3, Scene 1. It is 35 lines long.
Here is the full text:
To be, or not to lớn be, that is the question,Whether "tis nobler in the mind to lớn suffer
The slings & arrows of outrageous fortune,Or khổng lồ take arms against a sea of troubles,And by opposing kết thúc them? to die: to sleep;No more; và by a sleep to lớn say we end
The heart-ache và the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, "tis a consummation
Devoutly to lớn be wish"d. Khổng lồ die, lớn sleep;To sleep: perchance khổng lồ dream: ay, there"s the rub;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,The oppressor"s wrong, the proud man"s contumely,The pangs of despised love, the law"s delay,The insolence of office & the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,To grunt and sweat under a weary life,But that the dread of something after death,The undiscover"d country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o"er with the pale cast of thought,And enterprises of great pith và moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,And thất bại the name of action.—Soft you now!The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember"d.
You can also view a contemporary English translation of the speech here.
"To Be or Not lớn Be": Meaning và Analysis
The "To be or not lớn be" soliloquy appears in Act 3, Scene 1 of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In this scene, often called the "nunnery scene," Prince Hamlet thinks about life, death, và suicide. Specifically, he wonders whether it might be preferable lớn commit suicide to over one"s suffering và to leave behind the pain và agony associated with living.
Though he believes he is alone when he speaks, King Claudius (his uncle) và Polonius (the king’s councilor) are both in hiding, eavesdropping.
The first line và the most famous of the soliloquy raises the overarching question of the speech: "To be, or not to lớn be," that is, "To live, or lớn die."
Interestingly, Hamlet poses this as a question for all of humanity rather than for only himself. He begins by asking whether it is better lớn passively put up with life’s pains ("the slings và arrows") or actively over it via suicide ("take arms against a sea of troubles, / và by opposing over them?").
Hamlet initially argues that death would indeed be preferable: he compares the act of dying to lớn a peaceful sleep: "And by a sleep lớn say we kết thúc / The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks / That flesh is heir to."
However, he quickly changes his tune when he considers that nobody knows for sure what happens after death, namely whether there is an afterlife & whether this afterlife might be even worse than life. This realization is what ultimately gives Hamlet (and others, he reasons) "pause" when it comes to taking action (i.e., committing suicide).
In this sense, humans are so fearful of what comes after death và the possibility that it might be more miserable than life that they (including Hamlet) are rendered immobile.
Inspiration Behind Hamlet and "To Be or Not to lớn Be"
Shakespeare wrote more than three dozen plays in his lifetime, including what is perhaps his most iconic, Hamlet. But where did the inspiration for this tragic, vengeful, melancholy play come from? Although nothing has been verified, rumors abound.
Xem thêm: Tòa nhà hemisco xa la - mua bán căn hộ chung cư chung cư hemisco xa la
Some claim that the character of Hamlet was named after Shakespeare’s only son Hamnet, who died at age 11 only five years prior khổng lồ his writing of Hamlet in 1601. If that"s the case, the "To be or not khổng lồ be" soliloquy, which explores themes of death và the afterlife, seems highly relevant khổng lồ what was more than likely Shakespeare’s own mournful frame of mind at the time.
Others believe Shakespeare was inspired khổng lồ explore graver, darker themes in his works due to the passing of his own father in 1601, the same year he wrote Hamlet. This theory seems possible, considering that many of the plays Shakespeare wrote after Hamlet, such as Macbeth and Othello, adopted similarly dark themes.
Finally, some have suggested that Shakespeare was inspired lớn write Hamlet by the tensions that cropped up during the English Reformation, which raised questions as to whether the Catholics or Protestants held more "legitimate" beliefs (interestingly, Shakespeare intertwines both religions in the play).
These are the three central theories surrounding Shakespeare’s creation of Hamlet. While we can’t know for sure which, if any, are correct, evidently there are many possibilities—and just as likely many inspirations that led khổng lồ his writing this remarkable play.
3 Critical Themes in "To Be or Not khổng lồ Be"
There are many critical themes và questions contained in Hamlet’s "To be or not to lớn be" soliloquy. Here are three of the most important ones:Doubt và uncertaintyLife and death
Madness
Theme 1: Doubt and Uncertainty
Doubt và uncertainty play a huge role in Hamlet’s "To be or not to be" soliloquy. By this point in the play, we know that Hamlet has struggled lớn decide whether he should kill Claudius & avenge his father’s death.
Questions Hamlet asks both before & during this soliloquy are as follows:
Was it really the ghost of his father he heard và saw?Was his father actually poisoned by Claudius?
Should he kill Claudius?
Should he kill himself?
What are the consequences of killing Claudius? Of not killing him?
There are no clear answers to lớn any of these questions, & he knows this. Hamletis struck by indecisiveness, leading him khổng lồ straddle the line between action and inaction.
It is this general feeling of doubt that also plagues his fears of the afterlife, which Hamlet speaks on at length in his "To be or not to lớn be" soliloquy. The uncertainty of what comes after death is, to lớn him, the main reason most people vì chưng not commit suicide; it’s also the reason Hamlet himself hesitates to kill himself & is inexplicably frozen in place.
Theme 2: Life và Death
As the opening line tells us, "To be or not khổng lồ be" revolves around complex notions of life và death (and the afterlife).
Up until this point in the play, Hamlet has continued to lớn debate with himself whether he should kill Claudius to lớn avenge his father. He also wonders whether it might be preferable khổng lồ kill himself—this would allow him to lớn escape his own "sea of troubles" và the "slings and arrows" of life.
But like so many others, Hamlet fears the uncertainty dying brings & is tormented by the possibility of ending up in Hell—a place even more miserable than life. He is heavily plagued by this realization that the only way to lớn find out if death is better than life is to go ahead & end it, a permanent decision one cannot take back.
Despite Hamlet"s attempts to lớn logically understand the world and death, there are some things he will simply never know until he himself dies, further fueling his ambivalence.
Theme 3: Madness
The entirety of Hamlet can be said to revolve around the theme of madness and whether Hamlet has been feigning madness or has truly gone mad (or both). Though the idea of madness doesn’t necessarily come to lớn the forefront of "To be or not lớn be," it still plays a crucial role in how Hamlet behaves in this scene.
Before Hamlet begins his soliloquy, Claudius & Polonius are revealed lớn be hiding in an attempt to eavesdrop on Hamlet (and later Ophelia when she enters the scene). Now, what the audience doesn’t know is whether Hamlet knows he is being listened to.
If he is unaware, as most might assume he is, then we could view his "To be or not khổng lồ be" soliloquy as the simple musings of a highly stressed-out, possibly "mad" man, who has no idea what to think anymore when it comes to lớn life, death, & religion as a whole.
However, if we believe that Hamlet is aware he"s being spied on, the soliloquy takes on an entirely new meaning: Hamlet could actually be feigning madness as he bemoans the burdens of life in an effort to lớn perplex Claudius & Polonius and/or make them believe he is overwhelmed with grief for his recently deceased father.
Whatever the case, it’s clear that Hamlet is an intelligent man who is attempting to grapple with a difficult decision. Whether or not he is truly "mad" here or later in the play is up lớn you lớn decide!
4 Key Literary Devices in "To Be or Not lớn Be"
In the "To be or not lớn be" soliloquy, Shakespeare has Hamlet use a wide array of literary devices to lớn bring more power, imagination, & emotion khổng lồ the speech. Here, we look at some of the key devices used, how they’re being used, and what kinds of effects they have on the text.
#1: Metaphor
Shakespeare uses several metaphors in "To be or not lớn be," making it by far the most prominent literary device in the soliloquy. A metaphor is when a thing, person, place, or idea is compared khổng lồ something else in non-literal terms, usually to lớn create a poetic or rhetorical effect.
One of the first metaphors is in the line "to take arms against a sea of troubles," wherein this "sea of troubles" represents the agony of life, specifically Hamlet’s own struggles with life và death & his ambivalence toward seeking revenge. Hamlet’s "troubles" are so numerous & seemingly unending that they remind him of a vast body of water.
Another metaphor that comes later on in the soliloquy is this one: "The undiscover"d country from whose bourn / No traveller returns." Here, Hamlet is comparing the afterlife, or what happens after death, to lớn an "undiscovered country" from which nobody comes back (meaning you can’t be resurrected once you’ve died).
This metaphor brings clarity to the fact that death truly is permanent và that nobody knows what, if anything, comes after life.
#2: Metonymy
A metonym is when an idea or thing is substituted with a related idea or thing (i.e., something that closely resembles the original idea). In "To be or not lớn be," Shakespeare uses the notion of sleep as a substitute for death when Hamlet says, "To die, to lớn sleep."
Why isn’t this line just a regular metaphor? Because the act of sleeping looks very much lượt thích death. Think about it: we often describe death as an "eternal sleep" or "eternal slumber," right? Since the two concepts are closely related, this line is a metonym instead of a plain metaphor.
#3: Repetition
The phrase "to die, to sleep" is an example of repetition, as it appears once in line 5 and once in line 9. Hearing this phrase twice emphasizes that Hamlet is really (albeit futilely) attempting to logically define death by comparing it to what we all superficially know it to be: a never-ending sleep.
This literary device also paves the way for Hamlet’s turn in his soliloquy, when he realizes that it’s actually better to compare death lớn dreaming because we don’t know what kind of afterlife (if any) there is.
#4: Anadiplosis
A far less common literary device, anadiplosis is when a word or phrase that comes at the kết thúc of a clause is repeated at the very beginning of the next clause.
In "To be or not to be," Hamlet uses this device when he proclaims, "To die, lớn sleep; / to sleep: perchance khổng lồ dream." Here, the phrase "to sleep" comes at the over of one clause and at the start of the next clause.
The anadiplosis gives us a clear sense of connection between these two sentences. We know exactly what’s on Hamlet’s mind and how important this idea of "sleep" as "death" is in his speech và in his own analysis of what dying entails.
The Cultural Impact of "To Be or Not lớn Be"
The "To be or not to be" soliloquy in Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of the most famous passages in English literature, and its opening line, "To be, or not to lớn be, that is the question," is one of the most quoted lines in modern English.
Many who’ve never even read Hamlet (even though it’s said khổng lồ be one of the greatest Shakespeare plays) know about "To be or not to lớn be." This is mainly due khổng lồ the fact that the iconic line is so often quoted in other works of art & literature—even pop culture.
And it’s not just quoted, either; some people use it ironically or sarcastically.
For example, this Calvin và Hobbes comic from 1994 depicts a humorous use of the "To be or not to be" soliloquy by poking fun at its dreary, melodramatic nature.
Many movies và TV shows have references lớn "To be or not lớn be," too. In an episode of Sesame Street, famed British actor Patrick Stewart does a parodic version of the soliloquy ("B, or not a B") to lớn teach kids the letter "B":
