Hamlet's greatest soliloquy is the source of more than a dozen everyday (or everymonth . We oerraught on the way. Gentlemen, try to nurture this interest of his, and keep him focused on these amusements. Oh, poor me, to have seen Hamlet as he was, and now to see him in this way! Being engrossed with such thoughts, he utters this soliloquy. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. And for your part, Ophelia, I do wish That your good beauties be the happy cause Of Hamlets wildness. Because who would bear all the trials and tribulations of timethe 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 badwhen you could just settle all your debts using nothing more than an unsheathed dagger? The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Again, Shakespeare uses the repetition of the phrase, To die, to sleep. It is the second instance where Hamlet uses these words. Madam, it so fell out, that certain players We oerraught on the way. These are antithesis and aporia. Through this sleep that will help him to end the mental sufferings, he can get a final relief. Besides, it also clarifies what the dominant thought of his mind is. The opening line of Hamlets soliloquy, To be, or not to be is one of the most-quoted lines in English. Explore To be, or not to be1 Context2 Full Soliloquy3 Summary4 Structure5 Literary Devices6 Detailed Analysis7 Historical Context8 Notable Usage9 FAQs10 Similar Quotes. Besides, the repetition of the phrase, to be makes this line easy to remember. O heavy burden! In such a critical mental state, a single blow of fortune can end his life. The pronunciation is kn - tym - le with the accent on the first syllable. Because who would bear all the trials and tribulations of timethe 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 badwhen you could just settle all your debts using nothing more than an unsheathed dagger? Read this prayer book, to make youre being alone seem natural. "To be, or not to be from Hamlet". Page 251 - 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. To live, or to die? The rest shall keep as. He is in such a critical juncture that it seems death is more rewarding than all the things happening with him for the turn of fortune. The glass of fashion and the mould of form. That your good beauties be the happy cause. For example, political columnist Mona Charen expressed the opinion that . In the play, Hamlet is going through a tough phase. VIEWS. To be, or not be means Hamlets mind is torn between two things, being and not being. Being means life and action. Off: Plot No. Actions of great urgency and importance get thrown off course because of this sort of thinking, and they cease to be actions at all. [To CLAUDIUS] Your Majesty, if you agree, lets go hide. If readers strictly adhere to the plot, they can decode this line differently. I never gave you anything. Shakespeare derived the story of Hamlet from the, Before the 18th century, there was not any concrete idea regarding how the character of Hamlet is. What should such fellows as I do crawling between earth. I used to love you. Those that are married already, all but one, shall live. Who would fardels bear, 85 To grunt and sweat under a weary life, The 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 That patient merit of the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? 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," (67-73) In regard to these lines, the mindset of Hamlet changes again because of his approach to appreciating life. In Hamlets case, his aware mind makes him confused regarding the happenings after death. He is just thinking. You call Gods creations by pet names, and claim you dont realize youre being seductive. https://poemanalysis.com/william-shakespeare/to-be-or-not-to-be/, Poems covered in the Educational Syllabus. Contumely, okay, is a bit of scornful speech - which, granted, can cut a person to the quick. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1966. Those situations not only make his mind bruised but also make him vulnerable to the upcoming arrows. 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 the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? In William Shakespeares play Hamlet, the titular character, Hamlet says this soliloquy. Accessed 4 March 2023. His mental struggle to end the pangs of his life gets featured in this soliloquy. According to him, such thoughts stop him from taking great action. But that the dread of something after death, The undiscovered country from whose bourn, And makes us rather bear those ills we have. The lady doth protest too much, methinks is a famous quote used in Shakespeares Hamlet. You know, this is actually something people can be blamed for doing all the timeacting as if theyre religious and devoted to God as a way to hide their bad deeds. The last few lines of the soliloquy present how Hamlet stops his musings when he discovers his beloved Ophelia is coming that way. Not only that, Hamlet is quite depressed by the wrongs inflicted upon the innocents by the haughty kings. A. personal anecdote. The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles. On the other hand, he is a philosophical character. Love? Whatsoever, through this dramatic device, Shakespeare projects how Hamlets mind is torn between life and death. Im as good as the next man, and yet I could accuse myself of such horrible crimes that it wouldve been better if my mother had never given birth to me. who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, 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, which we wonder about and which makes us prefer the troubles we know rather than fly off to face the ones we dont? Everyone else will have to stay single. Of those who are married alreadyall but one personwill live on as couples. The following lines also contain aporia. Struggling with distance learning? He was the perfect rose and great hope of our countrythe model of good manners, the trendsetter, the center of attention. That patient merit of th'unworthy takes, One looks to the law of procedure, to see the mechanisms by which 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? : " The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, " , . The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despis'd 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? 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. Pp. Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despis'd 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; who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, There, my lord. Previously, death seems easier than living. [To OPHELIA] Read this prayer book, to make youre being alone seem natural. Oh, that's all too true! In Hamlets case, his aware mind makes him confused regarding the happenings after death. who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life? I proclaim: we will have no more marriages. Let her be round with him, And Ill be placed, so please you, in the ear Of all their conference. The harlots cheek, beautied with plastering art, Is not more ugly to the thing that helps it Than is my deed to my most painted word. It is considered the earliest version of the play. My lord, do as you please. That is the question. It is through you visiting Poem Analysis that we are able to contribute to charity. To be, or not be is an intellectual query that a princely mind is asking the readers. I wont allow it anymore. It seems that the, From these lines, it becomes clear what questions are troubling the tragic hero, Hamlet. It seems that the hero is asking whether it is right to be a murderer for the right cause or be merciful for saving his soul from damnation. Let the doors be shut upon him, that he may play the fool no where but in s own house. Through this soliloquy, readers can know a lot about Hamlets overall character. Because the kinds of dreams that might come in that sleep of deathafter you have left behind your mortal bodyare something to make you anxious. Beautiful gifts lose their value when the givers turn out to be unkind. Therefore, this quote is a soliloquy that Shakespeare uses as a dramatic device to let Hamlet make his thoughts known to the audience, addressing them indirectly. The Oppressor's Wrong, the Proud Man's Contumely? Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than with honesty? But, he has not submitted himself to fate yet. In the earliest version of the play, this monologue is 35 lines long. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Our work is created by a team of talented poetry experts, to provide an in-depth look into poetry, like no other. It has made me angry. In addition, Hamlet is equally disillusioned by humanity, even . 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. I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more offences at my beck than I have thoughts to put them in,imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in. In this way, his subconscious mind makes him restless and he suffers in inaction. 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?