Shakespeare "to be or not to be" analysis — Science Leadership Academy @ Center City (2024)

Hamlet, this play is basearound the life of a Danish noble and the struggles he encounters in his life,but most importantly it’s about revenge of someone he loves most dearly. I willbe analyzing a monologue he has in the middle of the play in the palace he isstaying in.

Shakespeare has created the ability to connect the characters andtheir problems and/or situations with common problems and people. This quotefrom the play Hamlet, “To be, or not to be? That is the question—Whether ’tis nobler inthe mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take armsagainst a sea of troubles, And, by opposing, end them?” The idea of whether is it better to live or to die. The topic ofsuicide was frowned and shamed upon this point in time but it was a populartheme in English literature since the idea was very prevalent in the minds ofthe common public at the time. But I have come to the conclusion thatShakespeare himself didn’t mind the thought or the act of suicide. He talksmore about how society brings misfortune more than it does fortune and that itwould be okay to end it since it was indeed very frustrating and unfair. Thispoint can be furthered in the second part of the lines.

“To die, to sleep—No more—and by a sleep tosay we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heirto—’tis a consummation devoutly to be wished! To die, to sleep.” Myassumption about how Shakespeare views death through this play is sleep. Heviews death as a constant sleep in which you can never awaken from. I believethat the concept of death as a long slumber became popular through the Hamlet play. Shakespeare was verypopular at the time this play was shown and passed down through out the years.He also continues the concept of suicide and how it could be an alternative todealing with all the hardships life has to offer.

“To sleep, perchanceto 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 therespect that makes calamity of so long life.” This portion of the famous Hamlet monologue is just aboutthe concept of committing suicide or the thought of that action. But what ismost fascinating about it the quote is the concept of dreaming if you’re dead.The logic of death according Shakespeare through this play is that death isjust a long sleep. With sleep comes dreaming, you might know what you’re goingto dream since you witness sounds, images and colors, but you can’t know whatyou will dream when none of those exist. This really puts a second thought inmind about suicide and is a very philosophical way of looking at the situation,what happens after death?