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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 5 page research paper examines the opening lines of Hamlet's famous soliloquy, 'To Be or Not to Be' to determine why those particular words are featured in Shakespeare's play. Specifically discussed are what the impact of this phrase on the scenes which follow. Bibliography lists 1 source.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_Tobe.doc
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
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 heartache, and
the thousand natural shocks / That flesh is heir to. Tis a consummation / Devoutly to be wishd. To die- to sleep. / To sleep- / Perchance to dream: ay,
theres the rub!" (III.i.53-62) It is admittedly a beautiful speech, but what does it mean, both literally and in the context of the plays remaining action. Since the murder of
his father, the King, Prince Hamlet has been the quintessential "angry young man." As if his fathers death was not enough to contend with, Hamlet must also deal with
his mothers remarriage soon after to her brother-in-law, the ambitious Claudius. Then, Hamlet is visited by the ghost of his father, who implicates Claudius, now King of Denmark, of
his murder. To avenge his fathers death, Hamlet feigns madness to reveal the true identity of the killer, and has alienated himself from his family, friends, and true love
Ophelia in the process. The burden of these struggles is more than the emotionally fragile prince can bear, and when he utters the words, "To be or not to
be," he is contemplating suicide as an alternative to his anguish. With "To be or not to be," Hamlet is not only questioning human existence, but his own
continued existence in the world. If he opts to continue living, he will inevitably suffer from the outrageous fortune which he is certain fate has in store for him.
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