What is the gist of Hamlets famous, “To be, or not to be” speech?

Soliloquy in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet

Comparison of the "To be, or non to exist" soliloquy in the first three editions of Hamlet, showing the varying quality of the text in the Bad Quarto, the Good Quarto and the Outset Folio

"To be, or not to exist" is the opening phrase of a soliloquy^[a] given by Prince Hamlet in the so-chosen "nunnery scene" of William Shakespeare'due south play Hamlet, Human action 3, Scene ane. In the speech, Hamlet contemplates death and suicide, bemoaning the pain and unfairness of life only acknowledging that the culling might be worse. The opening line is one of the well-nigh widely known and quoted lines in modern English, and the soliloquy has been referenced in innumerable works of theatre, literature, and music.

Text [edit]

This version preserves virtually of the Kickoff Page text with updated spelling and five common emendations introduced from the 2nd ("Good") Quarto (italicised).^[ane]

To be, or not to exist, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take Artillery confronting a Bounding main of troubles,
And past opposing end them: to die, to slumber
No more than; and by a sleep, to say nosotros finish
The heart-ache, and the one thousand natural shocks
That Flesh is heir to? 'Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To dice, to sleep,
To slumber, perhaps to Dream; yes, there'southward the rub,
For in that sleep of decease, what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give united states of america pause. There'due south the respect
That makes Calamity of and then long life:
For who would comport the Whips and Scorns of fourth dimension,
The Oppressor's wrong, the proud homo'southward Contumely,
The pangs of dispised Love, the Law's filibuster,
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, [F: these Fardels]
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something afterwards death,
The undiscovered country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills nosotros take,
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 pitch and moment, [F: pith]
With this regard their Currents plough amiss, [F: away]
And lose the proper noun of Activeness. Soft you now,
The fair Ophelia? Nymph, in thy Orisons
Exist all my sins remember'd.

First Quarto (1603) [edit]

The "First Quarto" (Q1) is the earliest edition of Hamlet but is considered a bad quarto (substantially a theatrical knock-off) rather than a start or before draft, and although some parts of Q1 reverberate the received text of Hamlet well, its version of "To be" does not. "Hope" in place of "dread", for example, considerably changes the significant. For ease of comparison the spelling here is updated as in a higher place.^{[2] [3]}

To exist, or not to be, Ay there's the point,
To Dice, to slumber, is that all? Yes all:
No, to sleep, to dream, yes marry in that location it goes,
For in that dream of decease, when we awake,
And borne before an everlasting Approximate,
From whence no passenger e'er returned,
The undiscovered country, at whose sight
The happy smiling, and the accursed damn'd.
But for this, the joyful hope of this,
Who'd bear the scorns and flattery of the world,
Scorned by the correct rich, the rich cursed of the poor?
The widow beingness oppressed, the orphan incorrect'd,
The taste of hunger, or a tyrants reign,
And m more than calamities besides,
To grunt and sweat under this weary life,
When that he may his total Quietus brand,
With a blank bodkin, who would this endure,
But for a hope of something later death?
Which puzzles the brain, and doth confound the sense,
Which makes us rather bear those evils we have,
Than fly to others that nosotros know non of.
Aye that, O this conscience makes cowards of united states of america all,
Lady in thy orizons, be all my sins remembered.

2nd Quarto (1604) [edit]

The text of the Second Quarto (Q2) is considered the earliest version of the play. In Q2 the whole nunnery scene including "To be" takes place later in the play than in Q1 where information technology occurs directly after Claudius and Polonius have planned it^[4] and the addition of "Soft you lot at present", suggesting that Hamlet has not (or is feigning having not) seen Ophelia thus far during his speech communication.^[5]

To exist, or non to exist, that is the question,
Whether 'tis nobler in the heed to suffer
The slings and arrows of outragious fortune,
Or to take Arms confronting a body of water of troubles,
And past opposing, stop them, to die to slumber
No more, and by a sleep, to say we finish
The centre-anguish, and the g natural shocks
That mankind is heir too; tis a consumation
Devoutly to be wish'd to die to sleep,
To slumber, perhance to dream, ay, in that location's the rub,
For in that slumber of death what dreams may come
When we haue shuffled off this mortal ringlet
Muſt giue vs pauſe, in that location's the reſpect
That makes calamitie of ſo long life:
For who would beare the whips and ſcorns of time,
Thursday'oppreſſors wrong, the proude mans contumly,
The pangs of deſpiz'd loue, the lawes delay,
The inſolence of office, and the ſpurnes
That patient merrit of the'vnworthy takes,
When he himſelfe might his quietas make
With a blank bodkin; who would fardels beare,
To grunt and ſweat vnder a wearie life,
But that the dread of ſomething afterward decease,
The vndiſcouer'd country, from whose borne
No trauiler returnes, puzzels the will,
And makes vs rather beare thoſe ills we haue,
Then flie to others we know not of.
Thus conſcience dooes make cowards,
And thus the natiue hiew of reſolution
Is ſickled ore with the pale caſt of thought,
And enterpriſes of great pitch and moment,
With this regard theyr currents turne awry,
And loose the name of action. Soft you lot now,
The faire Ophelia, Nimph in thy orizons
Exist all my ſinnes remembred.

First Folio (1623) [edit]

Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, published by Isaac Jaggard and Ed Blount in 1623 and better known equally the "First Folio", includes an edition of Hamlet largely like to the Second Quarto. The differences in "To be" are mostly typographic, with increased punctuation and capitalization.^[half-dozen]

To be, or not to be, that is the Question:
Whether 'tis Nobler in the heed to suffer
The Slings and Arrows of outragious Fortune,
Or to take Armes confronting a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing cease them: to dye, to sleep
No more; and by a sleep, to say we finish
The Eye-ake, and the thouſand Naturall ſhockes
That Flesh is heyre likewise? 'Tis a consummation
Deuoutly to exist wiſh'd. To dye to sleepe,
To slumber, perchance to Dream; I, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of decease, what dreams may come,
When we haue ſhufflel'd off this mortall coile,
Muſt giue united states of america interruption. There's the respect
That makes Calamity of long life:
For who would beare the Whips and Scornes of fourth dimension,
The Oppreſſors wrong, the poore mans Contumely,
The pangs of diſpriz'd Loue, the Lawes delay,
The inſolence of Office, and the Spurnes
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himſelfe might his Quietus make
With a bare Bodkin? Who would theſe Fardles beare
To grunt and ſweat vnder a weary life,
Merely that the dread of ſomething after expiry,
The vndiſcouered Countrey, from whoſe Borne
No Traueller returnes, Puzels the will,
And makes vs rather beare those illes nosotros haue,
And then flye to others that we know non of.
Thus Conſcience does make Cowards of vs all,
And thus the Natiue hew of Resolution
Is ſicklied o're, with the stake caſt of Idea,
And enterprizes of great pith and moment,
With this regard their Currants turne abroad,
And looſe the name of Action. Soft yous at present,
The faire Ophelia? Nimph, in thy Orizons
Be all my ſinnes remembred.

Cultural impact [edit]

"To exist, or not to exist" is one of the most widely known and quoted lines in mod English language, and the soliloquy has been referenced in innumerable works of theatre, literature and music. Hamlet is commonly depicted every bit reciting the first line while belongings a skull, although both occur at dissever times; the soliloquy is done in Act III, Scene I, while the contemplation of the skull is done in Act V, Scene I.^[7]

Much of the plot of the 1942 sophisticated comedy To Exist or Not to Be is focused on the monologue of Hamlet. In the 1957 comedy flick A King in New York, Charlie Chaplin recites the famous monologue in the shoes of the cryptic King Shahdov.

Village's famous line inspired the championship of Kurt Vonnegut's 1962 short story "ii B R 0 two B" (the zero is pronounced "nothing"). The narrative takes place in a dystopian future in which the U.s. government, through scientific advancement, has accomplished a "cure" for both aging and overpopulation. The alphabetical/numerical reformulation of Shakespeare's lines serves in the story as the phone number for the Federal Bureau of Termination's assisted suicide request line.^[8]

In 1963 at a contend in Oxford, Black liberation leader Malcolm Ten quoted the first few lines of the soliloquy to make a bespeak about "extremism in defence force of liberty."^[9]

P.D. James' dystopian novel The Children of Men (1992) refers to expected or forced mass suicides of the elderly every bit "Quietus". The film accommodation Children of Men (2006) portrays a self-administered home suicide kit, labelled "Quietus".

Last Action Hero (1993) has Jack Slater parody the phrase earlier bravado up a building behind him just by smoking a cigar. His version has him say "To be, or not to exist? Not to be."

Star Trek 's 6th film (1991) was named after the "Undiscovered Country" line from this soliloquy, admitting the Klingon estimation in which the title refers to the future and not death. References are fabricated to Shakespeare during the film including Klingon translations of his works and the use of the phrase "taH pagh, taHbe' ", roughly meaning "whether to continue, or not to continue [existence]."

The 1978 novel by Richard Matheson and its 1998 film adaptation What Dreams May Come derive their name from a line from this soliloquy.

A shorter Hindi version of "To be, or non to be" was recited by Shahid Kapoor in the 2014 Bollywood movie Haider.

Stargate Atlantis, the Flavour 4 Episode 10 named "This Mortal Curl" (2008) after the soliloquy, as well as Flavour iv Episode 11 named "Be All My Sins Remember'd" (2008). These episodes involved learning nigh and fighting the artificial intelligence species Replicator.

There are numerous snowclones based on the phrase, such every bit "To hack or non to hack", etc.

The virtuoso soliloquy in Carl Michael Bellman'due south Fredman's Epistle "Ack du min moder" was described past the poet and literary historian Oscar Levertin as "the to-be-or-not-to-exist of Swedish literature".^{[ten] [eleven]}

Notes [edit]

1. ^ Though it is called a soliloquy, Hamlet is not alone when he makes this spoken communication because Ophelia is on stage pretending to read while waiting for Hamlet to notice her, and Claudius and Polonius, who have placed Ophelia in Village's way in social club to overhear their conversation and find out if Hamlet is actually mad or only pretending, have concealed themselves. Even and then, Hamlet seems to consider himself lonely and there is no indication that the others on stage hear him before he addresses Ophelia.

Farther reading [edit]

• Bruster, Douglas. (2007). To exist or not to exist. London: Continuum. ISBN 9781441125002. OCLC 729252852.
• Dillane, Richard. "Making Sense of 'To be or not to be'", in Shakespeare and Montaigne edited by Lars Engle, Patrick Grayness, William M. Hamlin. Edinburgh Academy Press 2021. ISBN 9781474458238

References [edit]

1. ^ Perseus Project. "Perseus:image:1998.04.0773 Prototype:1998.04.0773". Tufts University. Accessed 24 August 2013.
2. ^ Shakespeare, William. The Tragicall Historie of Village Prince of Denmarke. As information technology hath beene diuerse times acted by his Highnesse seruants in the Cittie of London : as besides in the 2 Vniuersities of Cambridge and Oxford, and else-where [The "First Quarto"], pp. 35 ff. Nicholas Ling & J. Trundell (London), 1603. Reprinted as The First Edition of the Tragedy of Hamlet: London, 1603. The Shakespeare Printing, 1825.
3. ^ Shakespeare, William. [The "First Quarto"]. Hosted at The Shakespeare Quartos Archive as Hamlet, 1603. Re-create 1. Huntington Library, image 17. Accessed 13 December 2013.
4. ^ Tronch Pérez, Jesús. "Dramaturgy of the Interim Version of the Outset Quarto of Hamlet". SEDERI VII (1996), p. 219.
5. ^ Shakespeare, William. The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke. Newly imprinted and enlarged to almost equally much againe as information technology was, according to the true and perfect Coppie [The "Second Quarto"]. Nicholas Ling, 1604. Hosted at The Shakespeare Quartos Archive equally Hamlet, 1604. Copy one. Folger Library, images 27 & 28. Accessed 13 December 2013.
6. ^ Shakespeare, William. The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies Published according to the True Originall Copies [The "Get-go Folio"], p. 265. Isaac Jaggard & Ed Blount (London), 1623. Hosted at the Internet Shakespeare Editions equally First Page, Folio 773. Brandeis University. Accessed 13 December 2013.
7. ^ Ghose, Indira (2010). "Jesting with Expiry: Hamlet in the Graveyard" (PDF). Textual Practice. Routledge Publishing. 24 (six): 1003–18. doi:ten.1080/0950236X.2010.521668. ISSN 0950-236X. S2CID 145808185 – via Taylor & Francis.
8. ^ Vonnegut, Kurt. "2 B R 0 two B". gutenberg.org. The Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
9. ^ Colman, Dan (thirty August 2009). "Lookout man Malcolm X Debate at Oxford, Quoting Lines from Shakespeare's Hamlet (1964)". Open up Culture . Retrieved 3 December 2017.
10. ^ Britten Austin, Paul. The Life and Songs of Carl Michael Bellman: Genius of the Swedish Rococo. Allhem, Malmö American-Scandinavian Foundation, New York, 1967. ISBN 978-3-932759-00-0 page 61
11. ^ The original source is mentioned in Levertin, Oscar I. (1899). Introductory Essay to Fredmans Epistles (in Swedish).

External links [edit]

• Village's To Be Or Non To Be soliloquy translated into modern English
• The Fishko Files: The Many Faces of Hamlet from WNYC's Sara Fishko, a radio slice and accompanying blog post about the many interpretations of the soliloquy.

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_be,_or_not_to_be

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