"To Be or Not To Be": A Reflection

Personally, I believe that anyone who reads Hamlet will be able to emphasize with this speech. While it is about contemplating whether or not he should continue on living, it is easy to relate this speech to many things. I believe the speech continues to be well known because people who read it have witnessed similar feelings to which Hamlet is experiencing. While it may not be about suicide in specific, The reader has no doubt at some point in their life questioned the path they are on and whether or not what they are doing is worth it.

Throughout the speech, Hamlet discusses many issues that he is facing in his life. With the use of strong metaphors and emotion, the reader is able to get an insight to what exactly is going through his mind. Hamlet expresses how he feels betrayed by his mother, how his love for Ophelia has wounded him, but most importantly, why he cannot choose to continue living or to kill himself. It is clear through his speech that Hamlet is afraid of death because he is unsure what will happen to him in the afterlife. Above all, Hamlet makes a strong argument: because we will eventually all die, does it matter who has killed us? This is a turning point in Hamlet’s speech. When he makes this point, many readers will assume that Hamlet will choose to end his life, but instead he continues on living. In my opinion, this is another reason why this speech has stayed so famous throughout the years. Hamlet has many relatable emotions and is clearly indecisive.

Because this is such a personal topic and in the form of a soliloquy, the reader can assume that Hamlet is being completely honest with himself. This may not have been the case if he was talking to either Horatio, Ophelia, or even the Queen for example. Furthermore, Hamlet starts off his speech with very plain and simple language. Then as it progresses, and he talks about deeper concepts, his vocabulary becomes more complex. This not only shows how troubled and sophisticated Hamlet is, but it also shows the complexity of Shakespeare's writing. As Hamlet indulged and became more passionate during the speech, Shakespeare challenges the audience and the actor by advancing Hamlet’s language.    

                        I believe that Hamlet’s speech will continue to stay relevant and famous for many years. Shakespeare was able to create a relatable soliloquy that allows anyone watching or reading “Hamlet” to get a closer look at who the antagonist truly is.