This used to be a great puzzle, but now Ive solved it. In the play, Hamlet the, The first line of his soliloquy is open-ended. God gives you one face, but you use make-up to give yourself another. Is sicklied oer with the pale cast of thought, With this regard their currents turn awry. If thou dost marry, Ill give thee this plague for thy dowry. 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? Refine any search. Lets withdraw, my lord. Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou. It is considered the earliest version of the play. One is natural that troubles every human being. The last few lines of the soliloquy present how Hamlet stops his musings when he discovers his beloved Ophelia is coming that way. He does confess he feels himself distracted. The insults of proud men, pangs of unrequited love, delay in judgment, disrespectful behavior of those in power, and last but not least the mistreatment that a patient merit receives from the unworthy pain him deeply. He also refers to the arrogance and insults of proud men; Hamlet . Whereas in the first few lines, he talks about fortune. So, in one way or another, he is becoming realistic. As the plots reflect, Hamlet is facing an existential crisis after coming across the harsh reality of his fathers death and his mothers subsequent marriage with his uncle, Claudius, the murderer of King Hamlet. Must give us pausethere's the respect That makes calamity of so long life. 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, speaker: Hamlet- speaking to: himself (soliloquy)- context: commenting on every corrupt person and their faults; oppressor- claudius; proud man- polonius . who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, God. 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. PHL MISC. 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. Th oppressors wrong, the proud mans contumely. 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? In Act 3 Scene 1, Hamlet is seen walking in the hall and musing whether To be, or not be to himself. It means that when Hamlet thinks about death, his natural boldness fades away and he becomes a coward. Readers should not take this question at its surface value. How now, Ophelia? The text of To be, or not to be is taken from the Second Quarto (Q2) of the play, Hamlet which was published in 1604. Best Answer. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. The following lines also contain aporia. There, my lord. . I used to love you. [To OPHELIA] Hello, Ophelia. Let the doors be shut upon him, that he may play the fool no where but in s own house. In such a critical mental state, a single blow of fortune can end his life. In this section of the soliloquy, To be, or not to be Hamlets utterings reflect a sense of longing for death. 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 To be, or not to be by William Shakespeare describes how Hamlet is torn between life and death. My lord, I have remembrances of yoursThat I have longd long to redeliver.I pray you now receive them. Goodbye. 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, Believe none of us. which we wonder about and which makes us prefer the troubles we know rather than fly off to face the ones we dont? Farewell. 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. Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, And hes not willing to be questioned. Must make us stop and think: there's the thing. They are at the court now, and I think theyve been told to perform for him tonight. The speaker refers to two types of pain. and he slips away from our questions when we try to get him to tell us about how hes feeling. [To CLAUDIUS] My lord, do whatever you like. 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? In the earliest version of the play, this monologue is 35 lines long. You call Gods creations by pet names, and claim you dont realize youre being seductive. 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. The glass of fashion and the mould of form. Contumely, okay, is a bit of scornful speech - which, granted, can cut a person to the quick. Get yourself to to a convent. According to the narrator, life seems an exhausting journey that has nothing to offer instead of suffering and pain. Get yourself to a convent, now. To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer. In the last line, Shakespeare uses a rhetorical question to make readers think about what the speaker is trying to mean. Ophelia, walk you here. Besides, it is written in iambic pentameter with a few metrical variations. He had a courtiers persuasiveness, a soldiers courage, a scholars wisdom. There is nothing more he can do to change the course of time as it is against nature. These lines reveal how the mental tension is reaching its climax. Yes, definitely, because the power of beauty is more likely to change a good girl into a whore than the power of purity is likely to change a beautiful girl into a virgin. Writeln ("For who would bear the whips and scorns of time," + "The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,"); builder. I shall obey you . 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. His insanity is sly and smart, and he slips away from our questions when we try to get him to tell us about how hes feeling. Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than with honesty? Director Laurence Olivier Writers William Shakespeare (by) Laurence Olivier (uncredited) Stars Laurence Olivier Jean Simmons John Laurie See production, box office & company info Watch on HBO Max with Prime Video Channels Hamlet's disappointment with the state of affairs in his life currently is best shown in his soliloquy To be or not to be, wherein he clearly addresses the issue of living in a corrupt world and the consequences of it. 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? What are these shocks? It is a bit difficult to understand what the question is. 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. It is considered the earliest version of the play. who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life? 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. According to him, dying is like sleeping. A person has to bear whatever it sends and react accordingly. Alongside that, the natural boldness metaphorically referred to as the native hue of resolution, becomes sick for the pale cast of thought. In pale cast of thought, Shakespeare personifies thought and invests it with the idea of casting pale eyes on a person. Let his queen mother all alone entreat him, And Ill be placed, so please you, in the ear. Hamlet says: "There's the respect That makes calamity of so long life. My honorable lord, you know very well that you did. 80, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad-500033 router bridge mode explained + 91 40 2363 6000 how to change kindle book cover info@vspl.in Wissahickon Shs . Those that are married, already, all but one, shall live. J. M KELLY. What Will You Be Building? https://poemanalysis.com/william-shakespeare/to-be-or-not-to-be/, Poems covered in the Educational Syllabus. My honored lord, you know right well you did, And with them, words of so sweet breath composed. If thou dost marry, Ill give thee this plague for thy, dowry. According to him, none can bear the whips and scorns of time. In the last line, Shakespeare uses a. begins with an epigrammatic idea. It hath made me mad. Before reading this soliloquy, readers have to go through the plots that happened in the play. 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. net. 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 With a bare bodkin? Read this prayer book, to make youre being alone seem natural. 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? Pp. I have heard of your paintings too, well enough. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely. , , "contumely" . viii+176. If readers strictly adhere to the plot, they can decode this line differently. must in a sense give us peace from the toils of life. creatures and make your wantonness your ignorance. Here is a list of some thought-provoking Shakespearean quotes that are similar to Hamlets soliloquy, To be, or not to be. In Act 3, Scene 1 of the play, Hamlet seems to be puzzled by the question of whether to live or die. He is asking just a simple question. I hope also that your virtues will get him to return to normality, for both of your benefits. #1 Longbow: Official purchase date 16.3.16 (actually paid and collected earlier but I liked the symmetry of the date, so that's what's on the Warranty Card - thank you Omega, your great sports! Later, the 19th-century scholars valued the character for his internal struggles and tensions. I mean, because you can go, "Well, that guy's proud, maybe too proud, so his putting me down is some weird ego trip." Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1966. Why wouldst thou be a breeder ofsinners? To prevent that danger, Ive made a quick decision: hell be sent to England to try to get back the tribute money they owe to us. Who would fardels bear, Oh, what guilt! That patient merit of th' unworthy takes, contumely; 2 pages. 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. who would these fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after . You jig and amble, and you lisp, you nickname Gods creatures and make your wantonness your ignorance. In Act 3, Scene 1, also known as the nunnery scene, of the tragedy, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, this monologue appears. My lord, I have some mementos of yours that Ive been wanting to return to you for a while. What do you think? They have to understand what is going on in his mind. With the partial exception of the Sonnets . Please take them back. Hamlet speaks in Act 3, Scene 1 of William Shakespeares tragedy, Hamlet. Is it nobler to suffer through all the terrible things fate throws at you, or to fight off your troubles, and, in doing so, end them completely? And I, of ladies most deject and wretched, That sucked the honey of his music vows, Now see that noble and most sovereign reason Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh; That unmatched form and feature of blown youth Blasted with ecstasy. Weve sent for Hamlet as a way for him to meet with Ophelia, seemingly by chance. I wont allow it anymore. Her father and Ispying for justifiable reasonswill place ourselves so that we cant be seen, but can observe the encounter. Why should people like me be allowed to crawl between heaven and earth? But that the dread of something after death, The undiscovered country, from whose bourn, And makes us rather bear those ills we have.