To be, or not to be
Prince Hamlet stands alone on the stage of Act 3, Scene 1 in William Shakespeare's play. The text describes him as speaking to himself while Ophelia waits nearby to be seen by him. Claudius and Polonius have concealed themselves behind a curtain to listen to his words. This dramatic setting creates tension because the speech is almost universally regarded as a sincere soliloquy despite the hidden observers. Hamlet seems to consider himself alone even though others are present. He contemplates death and suicide without definite indication that the hidden figures hear his thoughts before he addresses Ophelia directly.
Scholars examine three main copies of Hamlet published between 1603 and 1623. The First Quarto appeared in 1603 but remained lost until a copy was discovered in 1823. This early version contains unique characteristics and oddities now considered derivative or pirated. The Second Quarto arrived in 1604 with the whole nunnery scene taking place later than in the earlier text. The First Folio followed in 1623 with differences mostly typographic including increased punctuation and capitalization. These texts show varying quality from the Bad Quarto to the Good Quarto and finally the Folio edition. John Smethwick produced additional reprints known as Q3, Q4, and Q5 between 1611 and 1637.
Critics debate whether the speech represents a sincere internal monologue or a calculated performance for Ophelia. The text remains entirely in an abstract somewhat academic register that accords with Hamlet's status as a recent student at Wittenberg University. It is not clear that Hamlet is thinking of his own situation since the words are philosophical rather than personal. Some scholars argue the presence of hidden observers changes how we interpret his sincerity. Others maintain the speech functions as a genuine soliloquy despite the dramatic irony of eavesdropping. The ambiguity allows multiple valid readings of Prince Hamlet's mental state during this pivotal moment.
A plot point of the 1942 film comedy To Be or Not to Be involves the first line of the monologue. Charlie Chaplin recites the monologue in the shoes of the ambiguous King Shahdov in the 1957 comedy A King in New York. Arnold Schwarzenegger parodies the phrase in Last Action Hero before blowing up a castle behind him just by smoking a cigar. His version has him say To be, or not to be? Not to be. George of the Jungle features Brendan Fraser quoting to the audience To swing, or not to swing when he sees a paraglider dangling off the San Francisco, Oakland Bay Bridge. These cinematic adaptations transform Shakespeare's original lines into modern entertainment contexts while preserving their cultural weight.
Hamlet's line serves as the basis for Kurt Vonnegut's 1962 short story 2 B R 0 2 B where the zero is pronounced nought. The narrative takes place in a dystopian future in which the United States government achieves a cure for both aging and overpopulation. The alphabetical numerical reformulation of Shakespeare's lines functions as the phone number for the Federal Bureau of Termination's assisted suicide request line. Richard Matheson derived his 1978 novel What Dreams May Come from a line within this speech. Malcolm X quoted the first few lines during an Oxford debate in 1963 to make a point about extremism in defense of liberty.
A shorter Hindi version of To be, or not to be was recited by Shahid Kapoor in the 2014 Bollywood film Haider. Stargate Atlantis included Season 4 Episode 10 named This Mortal Coil after the speech alongside Episode 11 named Be All My Sins Remember'd. Carl Michael Bellman described his virtuoso soliloquy Ack du min moder as the to-be-or-not-to-be of Swedish literature. The Japanese band P-Model released a song titled 2D or Not 2D that directly references the original line. The New Zealand television series Outrageous Fortune takes its title from words found in the third line of the speech. These global adaptations demonstrate how the phrase transcends language barriers while maintaining its core meaning across cultures.
Common questions
When was the First Quarto of Hamlet published and when was it discovered?
The First Quarto appeared in 1603 but remained lost until a copy was discovered in 1823. This early version contains unique characteristics and oddities now considered derivative or pirated.
Who concealed themselves behind a curtain to listen to Prince Hamlet's speech in Act 3 Scene 1?
Claudius and Polonius have concealed themselves behind a curtain to listen to his words. This dramatic setting creates tension because the speech is almost universally regarded as a sincere soliloquy despite the hidden observers.
What year did Malcolm X quote the first few lines during an Oxford debate about extremism?
Malcolm X quoted the first few lines during an Oxford debate in 1963 to make a point about extremism in defense of liberty. The text remains entirely in an abstract somewhat academic register that accords with Hamlet's status as a recent student at Wittenberg University.
Which film comedy from 1942 uses the first line of the monologue as a plot point?
A plot point of the 1942 film comedy To Be or Not to Be involves the first line of the monologue. Charlie Chaplin recites the monologue in the shoes of the ambiguous King Shahdov in the 1957 comedy A King in New York.
How does Kurt Vonnegut use Shakespeare's lines in his 1962 short story 2 B R 0 2 B?
The alphabetical numerical reformulation of Shakespeare's lines functions as the phone number for the Federal Bureau of Termination's assisted suicide request line. The narrative takes place in a dystopian future in which the United States government achieves a cure for both aging and overpopulation.
All sources
11 references cited across the entry
- 7journalJesting with Death: Hamlet in the GraveyardIndira Ghose — Routledge Publishing — 2010
- 8web2 B R 0 2 BKurt Vonnegut — The Project Gutenberg
- 9webWatch Malcolm X Debate at Oxford, Quoting Lines from Shakespeare's Hamlet (1964)Dan Colman — 30 August 2009
- 10citationLast Action Hero – Hamlet Parody Scene (1/10) Movieclips20 January 2017
- 11bookIntroductory Essay to Fredmans EpistlesOscar I. Levertin — 1899
- 12web"To be, or not to BE?"BBC — 2016-04-23