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To die—to sleep, Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; That makes calamity of so long life. With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear, Than fly to others that we know not of? And lose the name of action. Confronting and coping with uncharted terrains through poetry.
- Sonnet 18
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in...
- Poems of Anxiety and Uncertainty
Speech: “To be, or not to be, that is the question ... [I...
- William Shakespeare
[Jump to poems by genre: Plays | Poems | Sonnets] We know...
- Sonnet 18
‘To be or not to be, that is the question’ is the most famous soliloquy in the works of Shakespeare – quite possibly the most famous soliloquy in literature. Read Hamlet’s famous soliloquy below with a modern translation and full explanation of the meaning of ‘To be or not to be’.
Read our selection of the very best Hamlet quotes below, along with speaker, act and scene: “ O, that this too, too solid flesh would melt , Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!”
At the heart of Hamlet lies profound uncertainty and doubt. These are Hamlet’s last words. Unlike many of Shakespeare’s tragic heroes, Hamlet never resigns himself to death or embraces it. He spends his final moments imagining the world after his death and begging Horatio to ‘report me and my cause aright’ (V.ii.323).
This soliloquy from Act 3, Scene 1 is the single most famous speech in Hamlet, and probably in all of dramatic history. Even audiences unfamiliar with Shakespeare have heard these words.
" To be, or not to be " is a speech given by Prince Hamlet in the so-called "nunnery scene" of William Shakespeare 's play Hamlet (Act 3, Scene 1). The speech is named for the opening phrase, itself among the most widely known and quoted lines in modern English literature, and has been referenced in many works of theatre, literature and music.
Some of Shakespeare’s best and most recognisable lines are found in his monologues, and his play Hamlet is no exception to this rule. Below we list the most well-known monologues from Hamlet, along with the speaker, act and scene in the order they appear in the play.
