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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. To die—to sleep, No more; and by a sleep to say we end. The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks. That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation.
- Sonnet 19
By William Shakespeare. Share. Devouring Time, blunt thou...
- Sonnet 19
Which Shakespeare play asks, “To be, or not to be”? In Shakespeare’s tragedy “Hamlet,” the central figure asks this question to himself. It is the first line of Hamlet’s widely known soliloquy.
"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.
William Shakespeare, regarded as the foremost dramatist of his time, wrote more than thirty plays and more than one hundred sonnets, all written in the form of three quatrains and a couplet that is now recognized as Shakespearean.
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...
‘To be, or not to be’ is the opening line of a monologue spoken by the character Hamlet in Act III, scene 1, of William Shakespeare’s revenge tragedy Hamlet (c. 1599–1601).
Learn the meaning and context of Hamlet's famous speech on life and death, with a modern translation and full explanation. Explore the themes, language and performances of this soliloquy in Shakespeare's tragedy.
