To Be Or Not To Be

Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy in Act Three Scene One of William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a pivotal moment in the play that shows the corrosion of his character. The speech shows Hamlet not only contemplating suicide but also presenting it as a valid and common choice. It also shows how Hamlet has some authentic mental problems as he rambles on to himself while reaching no clear conclusion on his opening question. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy evinces the deterioration of his character as it shows his strong desire to commit suicide and his mental instability.

Hamlet's feelings about the ameliorating effects of suicide demonstrate his tremendous dissatisfaction with his life and the weakening of his character. In lines 62-66 Hamlet states "To die, to sleepÐ'--/No moreÐ'--and by a sleep to say we end/The heartache and the thousand natural shocks/That flesh is heir toÐ'--'tis a consummation/Devoutly to be wished!" This quote displays Hamlet's opinion of death as a welcomed way to escape the adversities of life thereby showing Hamlet's desire to simply give up. Hamlet's use of the word "devoutly" is ironic as it is he previously stated that his religious beliefs were preventing him from going through with his desire to commit suicide. In Act One Scene Two, Hamlet expresses his yearning for suicide by saying "O that this too too solid flesh would melt,/Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!/Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd/His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God!/How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable/ Seem to me all the uses of this world!". This comes in Hamlet's first important soliloquy and is his first mention of suicide as an ideal way to free him from life's problems. He mentions that this option is closed off to him because of his religion which further contributes to his depression. Hamlet believes that suicide is not only a desirable escape option but also that the only reason people do not commit suicide is that "conscience does make cowards of us all." Hamlet holds that the only reason humans choose to struggle through life's obstacle is that they fear what will happen to them in death. This fear of the unknown prevents people from nobly killing themselves as we choose to stick with the familiar rather than risk suffering through untried troubles. All of this talk about the benefits of suicide and the cowardice of man may be influenced by Hamlet's overwhelming depression and his genuine mental precariousness.

The entire soliloquy demonstrates Hamlet's real problems with sanity as he emotionally