To be or not to be

 “To Be or Not to Be” Soliloquy

The “To be or not to be” soliloquy appears in Act III, Scene I of Shakespeare's Hamlet. It is one of the most famous speeches in the play. Important points of this soliloquy are as under:

1.  Hamlet thinks about life and death. He asks:

“To be, or not to be: that is the question.”

“To be” means to live, and “not to be” means to die. Hamlet asks whether it is better to live and suffer the problems of life or to die and end all suffering.

2.  Hamlet compares death with sleep:

“To die, to sleep—
No more.”

But he is afraid of what may happen after death. He calls death “the undiscover'd country” because nobody knows what happens after death.

3.  This fear stops people from choosing death. Hamlet says:

“Thus conscience does make cowards of us all.”

It means that too much thinking and fear can stop us from taking action.

4. The soliloquy shows that Hamlet is thoughtful, confused and hesitant. It deals with universal questions about life, death, suffering and the unknown. It also helps us understand Hamlet's delay in taking action.