He is standing in such a critical situation that life seems painful to bear and death appears to be an escape route from all the sufferings. To die, to sleep. Dear Gertrude, please go as well. In the play, Hamlet the tragic hero expresses this soliloquy to the audience in Act 3, Scene 1. While another pain is inflicted by the wrongs of others. In addition, Hamlet is equally disillusioned by humanity, even . You jig and amble, and you lisp, you nickname Gods. And I think that whatever hatches is going to be dangerous. 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, who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, He sees death as sleeping. The final moment when all the sufferings come to an end is death. Readers have to take note of the fact that Hamlet is referring to time here. quote, Hamlets subconscious mind reminds him about his sufferings. That is the question, Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer. 4888 Views 366 Favorites 77 [To OPHELIA] Beauty, may you forgive all my sins in your prayers. With all my heart, Im glad to hear of his interest. But with much forcing of his disposition. Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs. To sleep, perhaps to dreamyes, but theres theres the catch. Of these we told him, And there did seem in him a kind of joy To hear of it. 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. It comes from the Middle English word, contumelie. Having a conversation with the ghost of his father, he is torn between perception and reality. D. 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. 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 spurns . That patient merit of th'unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make. The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns. viii+176. Farewell. The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of dispised 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 ? It hath made me mad. Hamlet comes to the conclusion (in the previous sentence) that what comes after death must "give us pause". Lets see what Hamlet is saying to the audience. He is mistreated in all spheres, be it on a personal level such as love, or in public affairs. Digging deeper into the soliloquy reveals a variety of concepts and meanings that apply to all human beings. Goodbye. Dont believe any of us. Of these we told him. Explore the greatest Shakespearean poetry and more works of William Shakespeare. Sweet Gertrude, leave us too, For we have closely sent for Hamlet hither, That he, as twere by accident, may here Affront Ophelia. 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? I, Get thee to a nunnery. 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. Love? Being engrossed with such thoughts, he utters this soliloquy. Every single person that visits Poem Analysis has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. In the first line, fardels mean the burdens of life. Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, Therefore, he values death over life. His words are like a whip against my conscience! The speaker talks about the events happening in his life for his misfortune. In this way, his subconscious mind makes him restless and he suffers in inaction. 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. Readers should not take this question at its surface value. We've lost a lot of great minds recently Nora Ephron, Maurice Sendak, David Rakoff, and Hitch himself and we think this end-of-life memoir in essays, full of Hitchens' trademark wit and his. Actions of great urgency and importance get thrown off course because of this sort of thinking, and they cease to be actions at all. The full quotation is regarded as a soliloquy. [to CLAUDIUS] Gracious, so please you, We will bestow ourselves. That is the question. There's the respect That makes calamity of so long life; For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, Th '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 th 'unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin; who My honorable lord, you know very well that you did. And his wordsalthough they were a bit all over the placewerent crazy. And lose the name of action.Soft you now. who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, Beauty, may you forgive all my sins in your prayers. InsertBreak (BreakType. May he get locked in, so he can play the fool in his own home only. 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. To a nunnery, go, and quickly too. Its an alliteration. To die: to sleep: Nor more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to; 'tis a . For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, 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? Must give us pause: there's the respect That 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 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 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? contumely; 2 pages. Why should people like me be allowed to crawl between heaven and earth? Go to a convent. Lets see how our on-screen Sherlock performs Hamlets. In Act 3 Scene 1, Hamlet is seen walking in the hall and musing whether To be, or not be to himself. Soft you now, The fair Ophelia! THE OPPRESSOR'S WRONG, THE PROUD MAN'S CONTUMELY? The comparison is between the vastness of the sea to the incalculable troubles of the speakers life. Oh, what guilt! Goodbye. Goodbye. Later, the 19th-century scholars valued the character for his internal struggles and tensions. And the two of you havent been able to figure out why hes acting so oddly. For this reason, the quote has become a specimen for understanding how Shakespeare thought. Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than with honesty? In Act 3, Scene 1, also known as the nunnery scene, of the tragedy, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, this monologue appears. The harlots cheek, beautied with plastering art, Is not more ugly to the thing that helps it. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, 80 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 85 With a bare bodkin? , , "contumely" . Were all absolute criminals. Madness in great ones must not unwatched go. 80, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad-500033 router bridge mode explained + 91 40 2363 6000 how to change kindle book cover info@vspl.in Who would these fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death Love? When we have shuffled off this mortal coil. Madam, it so fell out, that certain players We oerraught on the way. Tis too much proved, that with devotions visage. The last two lines are often excluded from the soliloquy as those lines contain the mental, The last syllable of the line contains an, There is another metaphor in the phrase, sea of troubles. In the next two lines, Shakespeare uses, After this line, the speaker presents a series of causes that lead to his suffering. Madam, as it happened, we crossed paths with some actors on the way here. 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, At one point, he gives the hint that death seems easier than bearing lifes ills. 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. 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! As for you, Ophelia, I hope that your beauty is the reason for Hamlets insane behavior. 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. No matter how hard we try to be virtuous, our natural sinfulness will always come out in the end. Or if you must get married, marry a fool, because wise men know that women will eventually cheat on them. Before the 18th century, there was not any concrete idea regarding how the character of Hamlet is. Another device is embedded in the line. For this reason, the quote has become a specimen for understanding how Shakespeare thought. I loved you not. The speaker refers to two types of pain. That if youre pure and beautiful, your purity should be unconnected to your beauty. It is considered the earliest version of the play. 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. He has gone through all such pangs while he can end his life with a bare bodkin. Bodkin is an archaic term for a dagger. Nor do we find him forward to be sounded. Most of Shakespeares dramas are written in this form. That is the question. He wishes that she may remember him in her prayers. It is a soliloquy because Hamlet does not express his thoughts to other characters. Besides, it is written in iambic pentameter with a few metrical variations. Or if you must get married, marry a fool, because wise men know that women will eventually cheat on them. When does a person think like that? The first line of the speech, To be, or not to be, that is the question contains two literary devices. It means that Hamlet is trying to take the final step but somehow his thoughts are holding him back. According to the, Such thoughts confuse the speaker more. We oerraught on the way. will have no more marriages. It is not clear whether Hamlets deliriously spoke this soliloquy or he was preparing himself to die. Is sicklied oer with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pitch and moment. There is nothing more he can do to change the course of time as it is against nature. 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? Why should people like me be allowed to crawl between heaven and earth? According to him, dying is like sleeping. I have heard of your paintings too, well enough. The phrase, sea of troubles contains hyperbole. Besides, the repetition of the phrase, to be makes this line easy to remember. Let her be round with him, And Ill be placed, so please you, in the ear Of all their conference. To sleep, perchance to dreamay, theres the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come. The sufferer cannot put an end to such suffering. It is important to mention here that the speaker just wants an answer. The whores ugly cheekonly made beautiful with make-upis no more terrible than the things Ive done and hidden with fine words. My lord, I have remembrances of yoursThat I have longd long to redeliver.I pray you now receive them. If readers strictly adhere to the plot, they can decode this line differently. It has made me angry. He is asking just a simple question. And yet he's talking about proud man's contumely? Perhaps its most famous occurrence is in Hamlet's To be or not to be soliloquy: For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely.. That's not to say the word has no use in modern English. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Gentlemen, try to nurture this interest of his, and keep him focused on these amusements. I proclaim: we will have no more marriages. Copy. If you marry, Ill give you this curse as your wedding presenteven if you are as clean as ice, as pure as snow, youll still get a bad reputation. Oh, what a noble mind is here oerthrown!. Weve sent for Hamlet as a way for him to meet with Ophelia, seemingly by chance. 165. I did love you once. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, 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 That patient merit of th'unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make Therefore, he has to bear the ills of life throughout the journey than flying to the unknown regions of death. Oh, woe is me, T have seen what I have seen, see what I see! Here is a list of some thought-provoking Shakespearean quotes that are similar to Hamlets soliloquy. They are at the court now, and I think theyve been told to perform for him tonight. Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind. Firstly, he is consciously protestant in his thoughts. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To be, or not be is an intellectual query that a princely mind is asking the readers. What Will You Be Building? 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. 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? Read this prayer book, to make youre being alone seem natural. . With this regard their currents turn awry. To be, or not be means Hamlets mind is torn between two things, being and not being. Being means life and action. Lets see what Hamlet is saying to the audience. 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 . Oh, his great mind has been overcome by insanity! 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 am the most miserable of all the women who once enjoyed hearing his sweet words. Go to a convent. Thats what well do. To be, or not to be by William Shakespeare describes how Hamlet is torn between life and death. God. Refine any search. There is another metaphor in the phrase, sea of troubles. In the next two lines, Shakespeare uses enjambment and internally connects the lines for maintaining the speechs flow. Benedict Cumberbatch performed Hamlet at the Barbican Centre in London in 2015. 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. It is a bit difficult to understand what the question is. The greatest English writer of all time, William Shakespeare wrote: To be, or not be. This quote appears in his tragedy Hamlet written sometime between 1599 and 1601. I shall obey you . In such a critical mental state, a single blow of fortune can end his life. Not only that, Hamlet is quite depressed by the wrongs inflicted upon the innocents by the haughty kings. Goodbye. I wont allow it anymore. in possessionem against the man who simply refused to defend, or the judgement debtor, was open to the same objection (no physical help), and the praetor's Now hes fallen so low! which we wonder about and which makes us prefer the troubles we know rather than fly off to face the ones we dont? Pp. For all the things happening in his life, he feels it is better to die rather than living and mutely bearing the pangs that life is sending him in a row. Farewell. 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 slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles. 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? . To live, or to die? At the same time, the lines explore some of the deeper concepts such as action and inaction, life and death. Though in the, In the earliest version of the play, this monologue is 35 lines long. Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, Of those who are married alreadyall but one personwill live on as couples. In such a critical situation, Hamlet feels extremely lonely as there are no other persons to console him. The rest shall keep as. It is through you visiting Poem Analysis that we are able to contribute to charity. [to OPHELIA] Read on this book That show of such an exercise may color Your loneliness. Firstly, he is consciously protestant in his thoughts. You dont have to tell us what Lord Hamlet said. The last two lines are often excluded from the soliloquy as those lines contain the mental transition of the speaker, from thoughts to reality. These are antithesis and aporia. It is possible that even after his death, he will not be relieved. After rereading the line, it can be found that there is a repetition of the r sound. To be or not to beFor who would bear the whips and scorns of time, the oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, the pangs of despis'd love, the law&#, 530 0 3 2 3 0, , . Meanwhile, if you think its all right, Ill hide and listen to what they say. Just before committing suicide or yielding to death wholeheartedly, such thoughts appear in a persons mind. Please take them back. He uses a rhetorical question, With a bare bodkin? at the end to heighten this dramatic effect. 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? Instant PDF downloads. This was sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof. How smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience! In this part of the To be, or not to be quote, Hamlets subconscious mind reminds him about his sufferings. 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. So, its a consummation that is devoutly wished. Undoubtedly, it is the thoughts of death. No more. Theres the respect That makes calamity of so long life. According to him, life means a concoction of troubles and shocks. Gupta, SudipDas. Love? When we mentioned them to Hamlet, he seemed to feel a kind of joy. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Why would you want to give birth to sinners? Poem Analysis, https://poemanalysis.com/william-shakespeare/to-be-or-not-to-be/. THE OPPRESSOR'S WRONG, THE PROUD MAN'S CONTUMELY? And he beseeched me to entreat your Majesties, With all my heart, and it doth much content me. Here, Shakespeare uses the word consummation in its metaphorical sense. Its interesting to know how Moriarty delves deeper into the character through this soliloquy. Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death