A far less common literary device, anadiplosis is when a word or phrase that comes at the end of a clause is repeated at the very beginning of the next clause. Hamlet is well aware that suicide is condemned by the church as a mortal sin. What happens in this incident? To be, or not to be, that is the question,Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to sufferThe slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,And by opposing end them? And by opposing end them? Why didn't Hamlet kill Claudius when he had the chance at the end of act 3, scene 3? A metaphor is when a thing, person, place, or idea is compared to something else in non-literal terms, usually to create a poetic or rhetorical effect. The rub or obstacle Hamlet faces is the fear of what dreams may come (74), i.e. Was his father actually poisoned by Claudius? The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet (/ ˈ h æ m l ɪ t /), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. ©2021 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hamlet’s "troubles" are so numerous and seemingly unending that they remind him of a vast body of water. When Hamlet says “there’s the rub,” he means that the problem with dying is that the afterlife may not be peaceful. You can also view a contemporary English translation of the speech here. Now, what the audience doesn’t know is whether Hamlet knows he is being listened to. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points, How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer, Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests. William Shakespeare's Hamlet follows the young prince Hamlet home to Denmark to attend his father's funeral. Hamlet is a Shakespearean tragedy about Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, who discovers that his father was murdered and seeks revenge on Claudius, the one who killed him to become the king of Denmark.  Hamlet knows that he is risking his life with his enterprise, but it is worth it because he does it for his father. clowns (bc they level truth) What does Hamlet confide his plan? Hamlet is well aware that suicide is condemned by the church as a mortal sin. Hamlet comes back, Hamlet, as we have just heard, is on his way back, and will soon be here, i.e. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of the most popular, well-known plays in the world. Get free homework help on William Shakespeare's Hamlet: play summary, scene summary and analysis and original text, quotes, essays, character analysis, and filmography courtesy of CliffsNotes. Thanks for the A2A. Name: Hamlet. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 30,557 words. Another metaphor that comes later on in the soliloquy is this one: "The undiscover'd country from whose bourn / No traveller returns." While is Hamlet playing crazy, this speech actually demonstrates that he is not. Up until this point in the play, Hamlet has continued to debate with himself whether he should kill Claudius to avenge his father. what is the undiscovered country. What is iambic pentameter? And it’s not just quoted, either; some people use it ironically or sarcastically. Nymph, in thy orisonsBe all my sins remember'd. Are you a teacher? The first person to perform Hamlet’s soliloquy was the actor Richard Burbage. From 2013 to 2015, she taught English in Japan via the JET Program. Why isn’t this line just a regular metaphor? Between November 1912 and February 1913, Joyce gave a series of 12 lectures on the Shakespeare play, at the Università del Popolo, in Trieste. A sea of troubles. Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here: © PrepScholar 2013-2018. … (Act 3, Scene 1). Finally, some have suggested that Shakespeare was inspired to 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). He is in one sense drawn towards the active side of heroism by his father's legacy ("He smote the sledded Polaks on the ice") and the need for revenge ("now could I drink hot blood. 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 to his writing this remarkable play. In this sense, humans are so fearful of what comes after death and the possibility that it might be more miserable than life that they (including Hamlet) are rendered immobile. In the speech, Hamlet contemplates death and suicide , bemoaning the pain and unfairness of life but acknowledging that the alternative might be worse. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com, allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. By the last act, he has come to view death as: He believes God controls all and things work out the way their supposed to. In "To be or not to be," Hamlet uses this device when he proclaims, "To die, to sleep; / To sleep: perchance to dream." All rights reserved. If that's the case, the "To be or not to be" soliloquy, which explores themes of death and the afterlife, seems highly relevant to what was more than likely Shakespeare’s own mournful frame of mind at the time. Before Hamlet begins his soliloquy, Claudius and Polonius are revealed to be hiding in an attempt to eavesdrop on Hamlet (and later Ophelia when she enters the scene). The famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy comes from William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet (written around 1601) and is spoken by the titular Prince Hamlet in Act 3, Scene 1. Hamlet addresses her as Nymph, a courtly salutation common in the Renaissance 1. to hold a mirror up to nature. Think about it: we often describe death as an "eternal sleep" or "eternal slumber," right? This soliloquy, probably the most famous speech in the English language, is spoken by Hamlet in Act III, scene i (58–90). Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. Log in here. Shakespeare uses several metaphors in "To be or not to be," making it by far the most prominent literary device in the soliloquy. What literary devices are used in the "To be or not to be" soliloquy in Shakespeare's, What is the importance of the gravedigger scene in the story of. Yorrick- Dies of (presumably) old age, years before the play. the king. This soliloquy represents the turning point. The soliloquy contains three main themes: It also uses four unique literary devices: Even today, we can see evidence of the cultural impact of "To be or not to be," with its numerous references in movies, TV shows, music, books, and art. Hamlet discusses how painful and miserable human life is, and how death (specifically suicide) would be preferable, would it not be for the fearful uncertainty of what comes after death.  He fully has his wits about him while he is surrounded by death. In order to analyze other texts or even other parts of, Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Score, named after Shakespeare’s only son Hamnet, tensions that cropped up during the English Reformation, Learn all about this type of poetic rhythm here. Hamlet doesn’t even see what it is she has to give to him before insisting he never gave Ophelia anything. By this point in the play, we know that Hamlet has struggled to decide whether he should kill Claudius and avenge his father’s death. William Shakespeare's Hamlet follows the young prince Hamlet home to Denmark to attend his father's funeral. Ophelia insists that Hamlet gave her many gifts and sweetly-composed letters—but says that the joy they once brought her is gone, and she doesn’t want them anymore. Doubt and uncertainty play a huge role in Hamlet’s "To be or not to be" soliloquy. To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come … (Act 3, Scene 1)Â, When Hamlet says “there’s the rub,” he means that the problem with dying is that the afterlife may not be peaceful.  While living itself involves pain, death is a great unknown.  You do not know what will happen to you after you die, and it may not be the release you expect.  If you dream, will it be a constant parade of bad dreams?Â, As Hamlet wrestles with the reality of his father’s death and his uncle’s part in it, he is depressed and worried.  His father’s death would certainly lead him to question his actions.  As difficult as life can be, death is the great unknown. Â, … 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 bournNo traveller returns, puzzles the willAnd makes us rather bear those ills we haveThan fly to others that we know not of? the dread of something after death (86). As you can see, over the more than four centuries since Hamlet first premiered, the "To be or not to be" soliloquy has truly made a name for itself and continues to play a big role in society.. According to Mr. Arthur Schopenhauers, in this sentence the word "shuffle" was misread from "shuttle," so you can understand my question.' 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 to dreaming because we don’t know what kind of afterlife (if any) there is. What is the "undiscovered country"? Many movies and TV shows have references to "To be or not to be," too. I totally disagree with any claim that we are to understand that Hamlet is obese. He begins by asking whether it is better to passively put up with life’s pains ("the slings and arrows") or actively end it via suicide ("take arms against a sea of troubles, / And by opposing end them?"). What is the "mortal coil" your body. The first line and the most famous of the soliloquy raises the overarching question of the speech: "To be, or not to be," that is, "To live, or to die.". What are the consequences of killing Claudius? This expression comes from Shakespeare 's Hamlet: ‘To sleep: perchance to 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’. In "To be or not to be," Shakespeare uses the notion of sleep as a substitute for death when Hamlet says, "To die, to sleep.". Hamlet conceives a way to prove Claudius murdered his father through a play. In this scene, often called the "nunnery scene," Prince Hamlet thinks about life, death, and suicide. These are the three central theories surrounding Shakespeare’s creation of Hamlet. Rub means "obstacle or impediment," and perchance means "perhaps" in context. Was it really the ghost of his father he heard and saw? Need help understanding other famous works of literature? William Shakespeare's Hamlet follows the young prince Hamlet home to Denmark to attend his father's funeral. Many who’ve never even read Hamlet (even though it’s said to be one of the greatest Shakespeare plays) know about "To be or not to be." Although nothing has been verified, rumors abound. “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.” ― William Shakespeare, Hamlet Hamlet is most worried about what characters speaking his lines exactly? He also wonders whether it might be preferable to kill himself—this would allow him to escape his own "sea of troubles" and the "slings and arrows" of life. This is mainly due to the fact that the iconic line is so often quoted in other works of art and literature⁠—even pop culture. Since the two concepts are closely related, this line is a metonym instead of a plain metaphor. Shakespeare wrote more than three dozen plays in his lifetime, including what is perhaps his most iconic, Hamlet. 1789 depiction of Horatio, Hamlet, and the ghost. Here, the phrase "to sleep" comes at the end of one clause and at the start of the next clause. let us be prepared for his return, accept it as certain that he is returning. "To be or not to be" is actually the first line of a famous soliloquy from William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. The mousetrap play depicts the murder scene exactly … 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 perplex Claudius and Polonius and/or make them believe he is overwhelmed with grief for his recently deceased father. A Comprehensive Guide. "To be, or not to be, that is the question.". In an episode of Sesame Street, famed British actor Patrick Stewart does a parodic version of the soliloquy ("B, or not a B") to teach kids the letter "B": There’s also the 1942 movie (and its 1983 remake) To Be or Not to Be, a war comedy that makes several allusions to Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Others believe Shakespeare was inspired to explore graver, darker themes in his works due to the passing of his own father in 1601, the same year he wrote Hamlet. Of not killing him. He is heavily plagued by this realization that the only way to find out if death is better than life is to go ahead and end it, a permanent decision one cannot take back. The phrase "to die, to sleep" is an example of repetition, as it appears once in line 5 and once in line 9. Explain the significance of Hamlet's soliloquy in act 2, scene 2 of William Shakespeare's. Learn all about this type of poetic rhythm here. It truly has a life of its own! The rub or obstacle Hamlet faces is the fear of what dreams may come (74), i.e. Fortinbras Sr. - Before the play begins, King Hamlet kills him. If he is unaware, as most might assume he is, then we could view his "To be or not to 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 life, death, and religion as a whole. 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 be, that is the question," is one of the most quoted lines in modern English. What is the "mortal coil"? Choose from 500 different sets of hamlet flashcards on Quizlet.  Hamlet says, if death is an eternal sleep, what would happen when we dream?Â, The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks, That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation. 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). your body. But where did the inspiration for this tragic, vengeful, melancholy play come from? His most logical and powerful examination of the theme of the moral legitimacy of suicide in an unbearably painful world, it touches on several of the other important themes of the play. What does Hamlet realize after talking to the Ghost in Hamlet? The "To be or not to be" soliloquy appears in Act 3, Scene 1 of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. In Hamlet, why does Polonius send Reynaldo after Laertes. Why does Hamlet tell Ophelia to go "to a nunnery," and what does he give as his reason? When Hamlet, in his famous To be or not to be says thus conscience doth make cowards of us all he is literally referring to what he has just said and he clarifies with what comes next. The College Entrance Examination BoardTM does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with the owner or any content of this site. Get free homework help on William Shakespeare's Hamlet: play summary, scene summary and analysis and original text, quotes, essays, character analysis, and filmography courtesy of CliffsNotes. Questions Hamlet asks both before and during this soliloquy are as follows: There are no clear answers to any of these questions, and he knows this. To hold a mirror up to nature. Despite Hamlet's attempts to logically understand the world and death, there are some things he will simply never know until he himself dies, further fueling his ambivalence. Hamlet’s self-deprecation is another symptom of melancholia that Freud explains, indicating Hamlet is not in a state of mourning. "To be, or not to be" is the opening phrase of a soliloquy given by Prince Hamlet in the so-called "nunnery scene" of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1. Students of Hamlet theorize that the irregularity of the feminine ending lines represents stress or turbulence, which Hamlet is obviously experiencing as he soliloquizes. But what trouble, exactly? What does Hamlet call Polonius? Then check out our expert guides to F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Arthur Miller's The Crucible, and quotations in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Whether or not he is truly "mad" here or later in the play is up to you to decide! Hamlet is not seeing the world as terrible; rather, he is seeing himself as inadequate, which according to Freud is a symptom of melancholia. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. Though the idea of madness doesn’t necessarily come to the forefront of "To be or not to be," it still plays a crucial role in how Hamlet behaves in this scene. Here’s the trailer for the 1983 version: Finally, here’s one AP English student’s original song version of "To be or not to be": As you can see, over the more than four centuries since Hamlet first premiered, the "To be or not to be" soliloquy has truly made a name for itself and continues to play a big role in society. But there’s a catch, which Hamlet calls a rub. While living itself involves pain, death is a great unknown. It’s a line we’ve all heard at some point (and very likely quoted as a joke), but do you know where it comes from and the meaning behind the words? A ‘rub’ is a bowls term meaning an obstacle on the bowls lawn that diverts the bowl, so the fear of the life hereafter is the obstacle that makes us pause and perhaps change the direction of our thinking. For Cantor, the character of Hamlet exists exactly where these two worlds collide. In such a man, he can't be to blame for some small defect that he received when he was born, yet the world ignores all of the good such a man does and focuses instead on the one small defect. And Hamlet himself is tortured by his indecision and his inability to kill his father's murderer, Claudius, throughout the play. Here, Hamlet is comparing the afterlife, or what happens after death, to an "undiscovered country" from which nobody comes back (meaning you can’t be resurrected once you’ve died). Hamlet’s inability to avenge the murder of his father drives the plot and leads to the deaths of most of the major characters, including Polonius, Laertes, Ophelia, Gertrude, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The anadiplosis gives us a clear sense of connection between these two sentences. hbspt.cta.load(360031, '4efd5fbd-40d7-4b12-8674-6c4f312edd05', {}); Have any questions about this article or other topics? Although Hamlet was written by William Shakespeare over 400 years ago, it continues to reign as one of the most imitated and relevant plays of our time. Hamlet's soliloquy is interrupted by Ophelia who is saying her prayers. This theory seems possible, considering that many of the plays Shakespeare wrote after Hamlet, such as Macbeth and Othello, adopted similarly dark themes. As the opening line tells us, "To be or not to be" revolves around complex notions of life and death (and the afterlife). What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are characters in William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet.They are childhood friends of Hamlet, summoned by King Claudius to distract the prince from his apparent madness and if possible to ascertain the cause of it. Get free homework help on William Shakespeare's Hamlet: play summary, scene summary and analysis and original text, quotes, essays, character analysis, and filmography courtesy of CliffsNotes. We know exactly what’s on Hamlet’s mind and how important this idea of "sleep" as "death" is in his speech and in his own analysis of what dying entails. to dream. Get the latest articles and test prep tips! To die: to sleep;No more; and by a sleep to say we endThe heart-ache and the thousand natural shocksThat flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummationDevoutly to be wish'd. Learn hamlet with free interactive flashcards. ... What is the purpose of plays / drama according to Hamlet? 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 be" soliloquy. To many readers, Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most personal play expressing his most intimate thoughts. What is the only catch "rub"? Against what? This realization is what ultimately gives Hamlet (and others, he reasons) "pause" when it comes to taking action (i.e., committing suicide). Top subjects are Literature, History, and Social Sciences, Hamlet fears the nightmares that might plague a person in the sleep of death.Â, Hamlet is having a hard time processing his father’s death.  He even had a visit from his father from beyond the grave, where King Hamlet spoke to him as a ghost, explaining to him that he was murdered and that he wanted Hamlet to avenge his death by killing his murderer—the current King Claudius.Â, Hamlet ponders life and death in his famous soliloquy, where he asks himself about the meaning of death.  Part of his conversation with himself is a comparison of death and sleep. Sign up now, Latest answer posted June 30, 2010 at 11:23:33 AM, Latest answer posted December 08, 2020 at 1:46:08 PM, Latest answer posted May 04, 2020 at 7:02:28 PM, Latest answer posted August 25, 2008 at 5:00:00 PM, Latest answer posted May 14, 2008 at 11:04:07 AM. And do such bitter business as the day/ Would quake to look on"). Because the act of sleeping looks very much like death. The point of this line is that Hamlet seeks oblivion, which he has likened to a deep slumber. ... What is the purpose of plays/drama according to Hamlet? See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Hamlet says that this bad habit of occasionally getting drunk is a lot like a birth defect in another man. The Shakespearean critic A.C. Bradley, in arguing against the case that Hamlet lacked the strength of will to do the deed (i.e. The uncertainty of what comes after death is, to him, the main reason most people do not commit suicide; it’s also the reason Hamlet himself hesitates to kill himself and is inexplicably frozen in place. 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. there's ( or here's) the rub. Hamlet asks Ophelia if she’s being “honest,” or pure. and find homework help for other Hamlet questions at eNotes How does Ophelia describe Hamlet's behavior to Polonius in Act 2 of Hamlet by William Shakespeare? The pangs of despised love, the law's delay. Though he believes he is alone when he speaks, King Claudius (his uncle) and Polonius (the king’s councilor) are both in hiding, eavesdropping. the dread of something after death (86). 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. ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score, How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League, Is the ACT easier than the SAT? For example, this Calvin and 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. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points, How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer. Hamlet is most worried about what characters speaking his lines exactly? 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 and death and his ambivalence toward seeking revenge. Shakespeare often used it in his plays—including Hamlet. We’ve discounted annual subscriptions by 50% for COVID-19 relief—Join Now! What ACT target score should you be aiming for? Hannah received her MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California. Appearance: Ready to take arms. Hamlet initially argues that death would indeed be preferable: he compares the act of dying to a peaceful sleep: "And by a sleep to say we end / The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks / That flesh is heir to.". 4th sil. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of the most popular, well-known plays in the world. Some claim that the character of Hamlet was named after Shakespeare’s only son Hamnet, who died at age 11 only five years prior to his writing of Hamlet in 1601. Whatever the case, it’s clear that Hamlet is an intelligent man who is attempting to grapple with a difficult decision. In this comprehensive guide, we give you the full text of the Hamlet "To be or not to be" soliloquy and discuss everything there is to know about it, from what kinds of themes and literary devices it has to its cultural impact on society today. Many movies and TV shows have references to "To be or not to be," too. King Hamlet - Before the play begins, he was dead. In what ways might Hamlet be relevant to a modern audience? Ask questions; get answers. Hamlet is struck by indecisiveness, leading him to straddle the line between action and inaction. The soliloquy is essentially all about life and death: "To be or not to be" means "To live or not to live" (or "To live or to die"). Â. In order to analyze other texts or even other parts of Hamlet effectively, you'll need to be familiar with common poetic devices, literary devices, and literary elements. Ask below and we'll reply! This metaphor brings clarity to the fact that death truly is permanent and that nobody knows what, if anything, comes after life. What is the only catch "rub" TO dream. Some critics argue that Hamlet's greeting … that is the crucial difficulty or problem. Orthographic irregularities. 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). However, he quickly changes his tune when he considers that nobody knows for sure what happens after death, namely whether there is an afterlife and whether this afterlife might be even worse than life. ACTING THE PRINCE: GIACOMO JOYCE AND HAMLET 105 of Hamlet’s beloved.7 Hamlet appears, either echoed, mis- or directly quoted, and distorted everywhere in Joyce, as we know: Giacomo Joyce is no exception. In order to determine if Claudius, his uncle, has killed his father, Hamlet has actors perform a play in front of him and Claudius. To die, to sleep;To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;For in that sleep of death what dreams may comeWhen we have shuffled off this mortal coil,Must give us pause: there's the respectThat 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 and the spurnsThat patient merit of the unworthy takes,When he himself might his quietus makeWith a bare bodkin? a piece of work. But like so many others, Hamlet fears the uncertainty dying brings and is tormented by the possibility of ending up in Hell—a place even more miserable than life. literary. In the "To be or not to be" soliloquy, Shakespeare has Hamlet use a wide array of literary devices to bring more power, imagination, and emotion to the speech. Start your 48-hour free trial and unlock all the summaries, Q&A, and analyses you need to get better grades now. Specifically, he wonders whether it might be preferable to commit suicide to end one's suffering and to leave behind the pain and agony associated with living. Burbage was one of the most sensational actors ever to grace the Globe. It is 35 lines long. SAT® is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination BoardTM. That’s the idea. Hamlet, Claudius, Laertes, and Gertrude all die from: poison: Hamlet’s attitude towards Laertes in the last scene include all of the following except: … Hamlet has had many views on death during this play. Age: 30. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. Metrically, you can hear Hamlet working through the logic based on the stresses. Its iconic "To be or not to be" soliloquy, spoken by the titular Hamlet in Scene 3, Act 1, has been analyzed for centuries and continues to intrigue scholars, students, and general readers alike. Interestingly, Hamlet poses this as a question for all of humanity rather than for only himself. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel. 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 bournNo traveller returns, puzzles the willAnd makes us rather bear those ills we haveThan fly to others that we know not of?Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;And thus the native hue of resolutionIs sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,And enterprises of great pith and momentWith this regard their currents turn awry,And lose the name of action.—Soft you now!The fair Ophelia! To Be or Not to Be: Analyzing Hamlet's Soliloquy. Conclusion: The Legacy of Hamlet’s "To Be or Not to Be". Already a member?