Gentlemen, try to nurture this interest of his, and keep him focused on these amusements. And I, of ladies most deject and wretched, That sucked the honey of his music vows, Now see that noble and most sovereign reason Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh; That unmatched form and feature of blown youth Blasted with ecstasy. And drive his purpose on to these delights. The courtiers, soldiers, scholars, eye, tongue. Soft you now, The fair Ophelia! The insults of proud men, pangs of unrequited love, delay in judgment, disrespectful behavior of those in power, and last but not least the mistreatment that a patient merit receives from the unworthy pain him deeply. Haply the seas and countries different With variable objects shall expel This something-settled matter in his heart, Whereon his brains still beating puts him thus From fashion of himself. The first line of the speech, To be, or not to be, that is the question contains two literary devices. In this part of the To be, or not to be quote, Hamlets subconscious mind reminds him about his sufferings. He is asking just a simple question. It is spoken by Queen Gertrude. Her father and Ispying for justifiable reasonswill place ourselves so that we cant be seen, but can observe the encounter and judge from Hamlets behavior whether love is the cause of his madness. Benedict Cumberbatch performed Hamlet at the Barbican Centre in London in 2015. His theory of terministic screens helps us to understand how the arguments we and evidence that we use to support our arguments (i.e., the creation of knowledge) can depend upon how we interpret this evidence. I hear him coming. In the play, Hamlet the, The first line of his soliloquy is open-ended. Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, p. 129 80 The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, 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? It means that he cannot decide what is better, ending all the sufferings of life by death, or bearing the mental burdens silently. Of those who are married alreadyall but one personwill live on as couples. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1966. He had a courtiers persuasiveness, a soldiers courage, a scholars wisdom. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. It is through you visiting Poem Analysis that we are able to contribute to charity. Death is like sleep, he thinks, that ends this fitful fever of life. They wait for Ophelia to enter the scene. That is the question, Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer. It should work. Theres something in his soul Oer which his melancholy sits on brood, And I do doubt the hatch and the disclose Will be some danger which for to prevent, I have in quick determination Thus set it down: he shall with speed to England For the demand of our neglected tribute. He is torn between life and death, action and inaction. Rather he discusses what he thinks in that critical juncture with his inner self. The unmatched beauty he had in the full bloom of his youth has been destroyed by madness. Teachers and parents! He had a courtiers persuasiveness, a soldiers courage, a scholars wisdom. Ophelia, walk you here. There, my lord. Explore To be, or not to be1 Context2 Full Soliloquy3 Summary4 Structure5 Literary Devices6 Detailed Analysis7 Historical Context8 Notable Usage9 FAQs10 Similar Quotes. net. The line, To be or not to be inspired the title of the. William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1 With a bare bodkin? The first line of Hamlets soliloquy, To be, or nor to be is one of the best-known quotes from all the Shakespearean works combined. T have seen what I have seen, see what I see! And the two of you havent been able to figure out why hes acting so oddly. - J. M. Kelly: Roman Litigation. Hamlets soliloquy begins with the memorable line, To be, or not to be, that is the question.. Is it nobler to suffer through all the terrible things fate throws at you, or to fight off your troubles, and, in doing so, end them completely? Explore the greatest Shakespearean poetry and more works of William Shakespeare. The sufferings that time sends are out of ones control. And hes not willing to be questioned. "For who would bear the whips and 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, and the spurns / That patient merit of th' unworthy takes, / When he himself might his quietus make" (Lines 15-20) C. Hopefully the sea and all the new things to see in a different country will push out these thoughts that have somehow taken root in his mind, making him a stranger to his former self. For example, lets have a look at the metrically scanned opening line of the soliloquy: To be,/ or not/ to be,/ that is/ the quest(io)n: The last syllable of the line contains an elision. Director Laurence Olivier Writers William Shakespeare (by) Laurence Olivier (uncredited) Stars Laurence Olivier Jean Simmons John Laurie See production, box office & company info Watch on HBO Max with Prime Video Channels With all my heart, and it doth much content me To hear him so inclined. There, my lord. Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than with honesty? It is the first line of Hamlets widely known soliloquy. But, if you think its a good idea, after the play let his mother the queen get him alone and beg him to share the source of his grief. The following lines also contain aporia. Of those who are married alreadyall but one personwill live on as couples. He does confess he feels himself distracted. from The Merchant of Venice In this monologue of Ophelia, Shakespeare describes how mercy, an attribute of God, can save a persons soul and elevate him to the degree of God. Everyone else will have to stay single. Every single person that visits Poem Analysis has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. Readers have to take note of the fact that Hamlet is referring to time here. In Hamlets case, his aware mind makes him confused regarding the happenings after death. Through this sleep that will help him to end the mental sufferings, he can get a final relief. His affections do not that way tend. To be, or not to be by William Shakespeare describes how Hamlet is torn between life and death. Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns. While not being refers to death and inaction. Meanwhile, if you think its all right, Ill hide and listen to what they say. Next, by "the oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely," Hamlet refers to a general abuse of power by superiors or oppressors. Oh, his great mind has been overcome by insanity! 2beornot2be color coded trans..docx. And by opposing end them. The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? Likewise, not everybody will understand the evidence in the same way. Lets have a look at some of the works where the opening line of Hamlets soliloquy is mentioned. In this existential crisis, Hamlet utters the soliloquy, To be, or not to be, that is the question.. Who would bear his burdens, and grunt and sweat through a tiring life, if they werent frightened of what might happen after deaththat undiscovered country from which no visitor returns. from Macbeth This famous soliloquy of Macbeth describes how he is taken over by guilt and insanity. In Hamlets case, losing his dear father tragically is a natural shock. In the first line, fardels mean the burdens of life. is taken from the Second Quarto (Q2) of the play, Hamlet which was published in 1604. 165. The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of disprized love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all. It makes them stretch out their sufferings for so long. Will so bestow ourselves that, seeing unseen, If t be the affliction of his love or no. CLAUDIUS, GERTRUDE, POLONIUS, OPHELIA, ROSENCRANTZ, and GUILDENSTERN enter. Just a moment can end, all of his troubles. Here, the speaker says the conscience doth make cowards of us all. It means that the fear of death in ones awareness makes him a coward. Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, Dear Gertrude, please go as well. That patient merit of th' unworthy takes, You dance and sway as you walk, and talk in a cutesy way. The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of disprized love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? To be, or not to be; that is the question; Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them. I proclaim: we will have no more marriages. With the partial exception of the Sonnets . The whores ugly cheekonly made beautiful with make-upis no more terrible than the things Ive done and hidden with fine words. William Shakespeare wrote, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, best-known as only Hamlet sometime between 1599 and 1601. Im arrogant, vengeful, ambitious, and have more criminal desires than I have thoughts or imagination to fit them inor time in which to commit them. Actions of great urgency and importance get thrown off course because of this sort of thinking, and they cease to be actions at all. who would these fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after . Believe none of us. He wishes that she may remember him in her prayers. Poem Solutions Limited International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct,London, EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom. Beautiful gifts lose their value when the givers turn out to be unkind. In this way, his subconscious mind makes him restless and he suffers in inaction. However, death can end both of these pains. Why is it so? You call Gods creations by pet names, and claim you dont realize youre being seductive. To be, or not to be, the opening line of Hamlets mindful soliloquy, is one of the most thought-provoking quotes of all time. It hath made me mad. Their perfume lost, Take these again, for to the noble mind Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind. At that time, Hamlet is seen walking alone in the hall asking whether to be or not to be.. Somehow, it seems to him that before diving deeper into the regions of unknown and unseen, it is better to wait and see. What Will You Be Building? Through this soliloquy, readers can know a lot about Hamlets overall character. His words are like a whip against my conscience! Get yourself to to a convent. I am the most miserable of all the women who once enjoyed hearing his sweet words. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. Nor do we find him forward to be sounded. Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns. They have to understand what is going on in his mind. There is an epigram in the line, Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all. The following lines contain this device as well. In Act 3, Scene 1, also known as the nunnery scene, of the, Before reading this soliloquy, readers have to go through the. Or if you must get married, marry a fool, because wise men know that women will eventually cheat on them. To prevent that danger, Ive made a quick decision: hell be sent to England to try to get back the tribute money they owe to us. Is sicklied oer with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pitch and moment. After reading his. My honored lord, you know right well you did, And with them, words of so sweet breath composed. 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 others that we know not of?