To be or not to be…?

Philosophy and poor Ophelia are both suspect

Philosophy and its problems
This soliloquy (III.i) exemplifies Hamlet’s The philosophical question is framed as an
intellectual traits - the soliloquy focuses on open-ended question - it is almost socratic in
the philosophical, moral and religious its simplicity. Once again an indication of
problems besetting Hamlet. Hamlet’s learnedness and his intellectualism.
Note his intellectual and mainly objective The objectiveness of the analysis is heightened
analysis of his moral incertitude: “to or not by the use of the plural first person pronoun
to be, that is the question”. - this is not only Hamlet’s concern, but the
The soliloquy is characterised by balanced concern of every person who suffers through
probabilities and almost emotionless the vicissitudes of life.
disregard for both sides of the problem.
The moral debate is centred on whether suicide
is permissible and, later in the speech,
preferable to life.

2
The Fourth Soliloquy - Part A
Note the strong wording of these two opposite
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer ideas:
“slings” and “arrows” imply the world is fighting
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
against its inhabitants, that life itself is
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, hostile to the living, that living is a battle.
“outrageous fortune” shows that life flings
And by opposing end them?
people around willy-nilly, that it is an
outrage against people.
“take arms” implies a certain nobility, heroism in
Is it more noble to live standing up to the injustices of life.
a miserable life or to “sea of troubles” reinforces the magnitude of the
end the pain of suffering in life.
existence in one go? The problem statement ends with a frightening
possibility - fighting against the horrors of
life will most likely end in one’s own death.

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The Fourth Soliloquy - Part B
Note the continued strong wording in
To die: to sleep;
describing life: “a thousand natural shocks”
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
and “heart-ache”
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
The imagery becomes more visceral in this
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
section - an example of Hamlet’s obsession
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
with death and decay and corruption.
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
The “flesh” is heir to pain and suffering.
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come Hamlet desires the release of death
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, (“consummation devoutly...wish’d”).
Must give us pause: there's the respect Also note his nihilistic outlook on life - all flesh
That makes calamity of so long life; suffers from these “slings” and “arrows”.
The conflation of “sleep” and “death” is also
Anadiplosis is the significant (as is their repetition). Sleep is a
repetition of the last word
release, a letting go - death too.
of a preceding clause at the
beginning of the next one. The uncertainty of what lies after death is what
“gives [Hamlet] pause”. 4
The Fourth Soliloquy - Part C
More important to Hamlet than the ethical
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, dilemma of suicide is the consequences of
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, the action:
The pangs of despis'd love, the law's delay. Will one simply “dream” after death?
The insolence of office and the spurns Or is there some kind of punishment awaiting
those who have sinned?
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
Thus, would you suffer a long and miserable life
When he himself might his quietus make if you could end it without repercussion or
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear, are there consequences to your taking your
To grunt and sweat under a weary life, own life?
But that the dread of something after death, He concludes that people bear life simply
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn because no-one knows (it “puzzles the will”)
- it is “undiscover’d country from [where] no
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
traveller returns”.
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Hamlet’s agnostic conclusion is dramatically
Than fly to others that we know not of ?
ironic - he can figure out what to do or how
to do anything about his father’s death. 5
The Fourth Soliloquy - Part D
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all; “conscience does make cowards of us all”
And thus the native hue of resolution Broad meaning of “conscience”: thinking things
over, being aware of what is happening and
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
its consequences.
And enterprises of great pitch and moment Once again note the dramatic irony: Hamlet’s
With this regard their currents turn awry, thoughtfulness makes him delay and not act;
And lose the name of action.-- Soft you now! basically it makes him a coward.
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons The same thought is repeated not 2 lines later
Be all my sins remember'd. (“resolution…of thought”).
Hamlet’s recognition of the “great pitch and
moment” of the situation makes his delay
just more wryly ironic.
Note the foreshadowing of his own greatest
problem: Hamlet will “lose the name of
action”.
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“Breeder of sinners” - a portrait of Ophelia
It is made clear in the first two acts that Hamlet “Ha, ha! Are you honest?” (III.i.103)
and Ophelia are in love. Polonius and Hamlet’s first words to Ophelia are ambiguous
Laertes’ warnings against their relationship and insulting, indicting both her honesty and
her chastity.
(I.iii), Hamlet’s distraught meeting with
He knows that Ophelia is part of Claudius and
Ophelia (II.i) and Hamlet’s love letter (II.ii) Polonius’s plan to discover his intentions
all attest to this. which further heightens his contempt for
However, in Act III Hamlet becomes abusive her.
and contemptuous of Ophelia. Note his scathing epithets for Ophelia:
Hamlet’s change in attitude is based on his “bawd” (III.i.111) - a prostitute
distaste for and hatred of his mother’s “breeder of sinners” (III.i.119)
actions - he conflates Gertrude’s desperate He accuses her, a woman, of being the downfall
and ill-advised decision to marry Claudius of man - his sexual nausea is apparent.
with the characters of ALL women.

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Get thee to a nunnery!
Hamlet’s revulsion at Ophelia, and by extension
all women, is revealed through his several
complaints:
His bitterness at her apparently being the fount
of all things corrupt (“breeder of sinners”) is
highlighted in his first “Get thee to a
nunnery” speech turn.
He is repulsed and horrified at her faithlessness
in his second “Get thee to nunnery” speech
Note that in Elizabethan times
turn. “be thou as chaste as ice,...thou shalt not
makeup was primarily worn to
escape calumny” - she cannot escape
mask dirt and disease which
destruction and damnation.
was common in an era where
He accuses her of being deceptive by referring to
people (even the aristocracy)
how women use makeup to cover their flaws.
rarely bathed.