To be, or not to be Is that the Question? OzmerIn William Shakespeares Hamlet, Act III, Scene I, the title character, Hamlet, performs his most famous soliloquy, started To be, or not to be. This speech comes in the midpoint of the main action of the play. In the conclusion of Act II, Hamlet purveyed a more rational attitude and outlook, and this soliloquy contradicts such a persona. He seems to have reverted to his dark, contemplative state. The opening, and most famous line of this soliloquy, To be, or not to be, suggests death or possible suicide; however, the subsequent lines pose the two courses of action which he, or one, may take in life. He poses two ways to proceed with his life. He asks if it is a nobler course to follow to accept outrageous fortune. The second course of action requires Hamlet taking arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them. This passage indicates Hamlets personal vendetta to rid the state of Denmark of what plagues it. Next Hamlet considers suicide. This notion contradicts his earlier solutions for a seemingly rational approach to his inner and external conflicts. Hamlet also expresses his fear of death in the line But that the dread of something after death, but suggests that conscience, or introspection, leads to cowardice. This line could also suggest that Hamlet has difficulty with such an action as suicide because it goes against his moral standings. Hamlet could also refer to his incapability to take revenge on Claudius because of his morality. In the course of the play, Hamlet is faced with multiple internal and external battles. In this soliloquy all of Hamlets conflicts are culminated and his possible solutions and theories are exposed. This may be the central point of the play as it signifies a progression in Hamlets thought concerning his stance with Claudius and with Ophelia as well, as in the last line he says to her Be all my sins remembered. He says this as sh...
