ipl-logo

Shakespeare's Hamlet Speech To Be Or Not To Be

1301 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Hamlet death symbolism

Question 2: Shakespeare's Hamlet has a famous speech called "To be or not to be". Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, and the central character of the play delivered this speech. Hamlet suspected his uncle, Claudius for the death of his father. However, the ghost of his father confirmed that his brother (Claudius) is the man behind his murder. Hamlet promises his father's ghost that he would murder his brother and forgets about it. He pretends to be a mad person to gather more information against his uncle. Claudius and Polonius, Claudius advisor, believe Hamlet to be crazy because Ophelia, Polonius daughter rejected him. “To be, or not …. name of action” (3.1.57-90) is thirty-three lines speech given by Hamlet. In the speech, Hamlet asks to live …show more content…

Shakespeare puts us in a dilemma saying whether to live or not. That is the only imagery I could find in the whole speech. Hamlet delivers this speech when Polonius sends Ophelia to talk to Hamlet because he convinces king and queen that Ophelia rejecting his love is the reason behind Hamlet acting like a mad person. Hamlet delivers this speech to act like he is a crazy person to convince people that he is insane such that he can focus on revenge (killing Claudius). The speech is more than two lines because it is more efficient in showing out his emotions …show more content…

Ophelia stops loving Hamlet when her brother and father told her. Also, the news that Hamlet turned into a mad person weakened her more. Her father's death makes her more insane. Ophelia kills herself because she could not take the death of her father being killed by her love. And Hamlet asked her to become a nun which weakened her and eventually made her kill herself. Also, Ophelia's brother Laertes is entirely weakened by his father's death and his sister's suicide; he decides to kill Hamlet. In this case, we see that Ophelia was too weak to go with what life offered her so he killed

Show More
Related
1570 Words | 7 Pages

Hamlet test Choice 4: Option 2 Quote: Literal level: This quote appears in Act 5 Scene 2 on lines 385 to 395 and is said by Fortinbras. 1. The quote develops the plot and is said by Fortinbras after the royal family of Denmark is murdered. When Fortinbras was entering the courtyard, Horatio is the first to tell Fortinbras about the tragedy that has happened to Hamlet. This quote develops the character of Fortinbras because previously through the play he is perceived as an enemy by everyone else.

Read More
798 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet has come to see his mother, Queen Gertrude, and ends up stabbing Lord Polonius, which ultimately leads to his death. Lord Polonius’ final words include “O, I am slain!” Even though this provides a slight amount of comic relief to the reader, it has a reverse effect on Ophelia’s mental state. Her father’s death seems to be the potent punch in this fight because she officially goes mad after this final event. This is apparent in Scene IV Act I, when Laertes has come back to visit his sister and check on her well being.

Read More
701 Words | 3 Pages

Then Hamlet lies to her saying he never really loved her which made her situation worse. And she was set up to see why hamlet is acting crazy and is spied on by Claudius to see where hamlet is week. So, as you can see Ophelia is put

Read More
732 Words | 3 Pages

Laertes believes Hamlet is to blame not only for his father’s death, but also for Ophelia’s death because the death of her father is ultimately what drove her to killing herself. Once Laertes returns, he asks King Claudius who is responsible for the death of his father and is informed that Hamlet is the one to blame. Ophelia enters and reveals to everyone that she has gone crazy and ends up killing herself. Hamlet returns to Denmark and is surprised to find out that Ophelia has died. Laertes and Hamlet start fighting at her burial service and Hamlet says he wants to be

Read More
711 Words | 3 Pages

That does not help the fact that Ophelia needs guidance and wisdom. Her father never her gave that to her during his lifetime. He was so infatuated with making sure his children do not mess up his agenda, that he totally threw their needs as humans to the side. Ophelia never learned how to cope with struggles that come up during one’s lifetime. Ophelia also lets her relationship with hamlet dictate her self worth.

Read More
1154 Words | 5 Pages

Polonius explains Hamlet 's madness to Claudius and Gertrude, “Mad call I it, for, to define true madness. What it 't but to be nothing else but mad? But let that go (Act 2, Scene 2, lines 93-94). Polonius then goes on to describe his ides of the stages of Hamlet 's madness and his inability to sleep, “And he, repelled-a short tale to make- Fell into a sadness, then into a fast, Thence to a watch, thence into a weakness, Thence to a lightness, and by this declension Into the madness wherein now he raves, And all we mourn for” (Act 2, Scene 2, lines 146-151).

Read More
932 Words | 4 Pages

Ophelia goes mad throughout the story. She is overwhelmed by the loss of her father and the rejection of Hamlet. Her character is seen spiraling down a dark path that also ends in death. Ophelia is depicted as not having control over her actions; speaking and acting erratically. While Hamlet is speaking erratically and behaving oddly, he still maintains control over his actions and movement throughout the story.

Read More
1234 Words | 5 Pages

Ophelia was the daughter of polonius, the love interest of hamlet who was brutally torn up mentally throughout the novel. At the beginning of the novel all was well for her as well, her boyfriend was off at college and she was perfectly fine at home with her father. It was until her father took away a note from hamlet to her that things started going downhill. She was a weak person not like hamlet who when faced with injustice takes thing into his own hands to seek justice or revenge. She was a quite simple girl who had a gentler soul.

Read More
575 Words | 3 Pages

There are many reasons for Hamlet to truly go mad including the death of his father, his mother’s remarriage and the relationship he holds with Ophelia, leading many away from the fact that he is “not

Read More
937 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet once again fails to understand that Ophelia much like himself is only trying to stay loyal to her father, much like what he is doing himself. In addition, Hamlet blames woman for giving birth to such evil and deceiving men like Claudius and himself. When he was talking to Ophelia he told her "Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better

Read More
745 Words | 3 Pages

Ophelia’s death results from Hamlet's madness, his telling Ophelia that she needs to go to a nunnery, and Polonius's death. Hamlet telling Ophelia to go to a nunnery made Ophelia feel insecure. Especially when Hamlet told Ophelia that he would marry her just so she would sleep with him. Then, Hamlet comes back to Ophelia telling her that she needs to go to a nunnery. Which is basically calling Ophelia a whore, because a nunnery is like a whorehouse. Ophelia at this point felt very insecure about herself and she questioned her relationship with Hamlet.

Read More
805 Words | 4 Pages

(3.4.24). The readers could wonder if Hamlet knew all along who was behind the curtain and choose to kill him anyway to get his own type of justice against Ophelia. With these turn of events, Ophelia becomes crazy and not being able to bear her father 's death takes her own life. Ophelia 's own type of decay begins to seep its way

Read More
1198 Words | 5 Pages

According to International Suicide Statistic, over one million people die by suicide worldwide each year. The global suicide rate is 16 per 100,000 population. On average, one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds somewhere in the world. Global suicide rates have increased 60% in the past 45 years. It seems that the characters found that the simplest and best way of avoiding life struggles is through suicide.

Read More
1056 Words | 5 Pages

Hamlet does not value Ophelia 's feelings he belittles her. In Hamlets defense this is the way he was brought up to treat women, during that time this was a common way to treat a women. Even though in today 's society it is not at all ok to treat women with such disrespect. He also likes for everything to go as planned and this may result in why he can not have a stable relationship with a woman. This also causes him to have many stumbling blocks in his life that causes some emotional pain

Read More
962 Words | 4 Pages

I am writing this essay to deal with the question how and why is Hamlet regarded as Shakespeare’s most compelling tragic hero. First of all, I am going to define a tragic hero. Afterwards, I would like to outline my opinion towards this question. According to Aristotle a hero of a tragedy must awake in the audience a feeling of pity or fear.

Read More

More about Shakespeare's Hamlet Speech To Be Or Not To Be

Related Topics

Open Document