Re-read Hamlet’s famous soliloquy.
* Below you'll find the speech.
* Then notes on the speech.
* Then three prompts we'll do together in class (1-3)
* Then a fourth prompt (#4), comparing three different versions of Hamlet & deciding which one you think is best. You will respond to the fourth prompt in the comment box.
To be, or not to be: that is the question (3.1.64-98).
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer (65)
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks (70)
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, (75)
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, (80)
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life, (85)
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of? (90)
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry, (95)
And lose the name of action.-- Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember'd.
NOTES: [Source: http://shakespeare.about.com/od/studentresources/a/tobeornot.htm Amanda Mabillard, B.A. (Honors) is a freelance writer specializing in Shakespeare, Renaissance political theory, theatre history, comparative literary history, and linguistic topics in Renaissance literature.]
slings ] Some argue that "slings" is a misprint of the intended word, "stings". "The stings of fortune" was a common saying in the Renaissance. But in the context of the soliloquy, "slings" likely means "sling-shot" or "missile". This seems in keeping with the reference to "arrows" - both can do great harm.
outrageous fortune ] Fortune is "outrageous" in that it is brazenly defiant.
And by opposing end them ] If you cannot suffer the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" then you must end your troubles with suicide. [Mr. Cook’s note: other critics read this phrase more broadly.]
consummation ] Final settlement of all matters.
rub ] Impediment. The term comes from bowling, where the "rub" is any obstacle the pushes the ball off course.
shuffled off this mortal coil ] To separate from one's body (mortal coil = body).
respect ] Consideration.
of so long life ] So long-lived.
time ] Time = temporal life.
his quietus make ] Settle his own account.
bare bodkin ] A "mere dagger". Bodkin was a Renaissance term used to describe many different sharp instruments, but it makes the most sense here to assume Shakespeare means a dagger.
fardels ] Burdens.
No traveller returns ] Since Hamlet has already encountered his father's ghost, and thus proof of the afterlife, this line has raised much debate. There are four major current theories regarding this line: 1) Shakespeare made an egregious error and simply failed to reconcile the appearance of the ghost and Hamlet's belief that human beings do not return; 2) Hamlet has earlier revealed that he doubts the authenticity of the ghost and, therefore, he does not believe his father has truly returned; 3) Hamlet is referring only to human beings returning in the flesh and not as mere shadows of their former selves; 4) the entire soliloquy is misplaced and rightfully belongs before Hamlet has met his father's ghost. In my estimation, theory #4 seems the most plausible.
bourn ] Limit or boundary.
native hue of resolution ] Natural. Here Hamlet refers to the "natural color of courage".
pale cast of thought ] Sickly tinge of contemplation.
great pitch and moment ] Of momentous significance. The "pitch" was the name given to the highest point in a falcon's flight before it dives down to catch its prey.
With this regard their currents turn awry ] A reference to the sea and its tides: "Because of their thoughts, their currents become unstable".
Soft you now ] "But hush!". Hamlet hears Ophelia begin to pray and he must cut short his private ponderances.
Nymph ] See commentary below.
orisons ] Prayers.
1. Explication (We will discuss this in class.)
Write an explication of this soliloquy. Pay especial attention to Hamlet’s use of metaphorical imagery—“slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,” “a sea of troubles,” “this mortal coil,” “the whips and scorns of time,” “the undiscovered country from whose bourn / No traveler returns,” “the native hue of resolution / Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,” “enterprises of great pitch and moment / With this regard their currents turn awry, / And lose the name of action,” etc.
2. Pronouns (We will discuss this in class.)
Hamlet uses “I” more than a dozen times in his “O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” soliloquy, but no first person singular pronouns are found in this soliloquy. Instead, he uses “we” three times and “us” once. Think a bit about his pronoun use. How does the change of pronouns help explain the change in tone between the two speeches? (Think about which speech is angrier—both towards himself and others—and which speech is more thoughtful and philosophical. Explain how the tone shift is related to the shift in pronouns.) How might the change in pronouns also help explain why this soliloquy is the most remembered of Hamlet’s speeches? (Think about which speech is more particular to Hamlet’s circumstance. Think about which speech is more universal and more applicable to others, including us.) The shift in pronouns helps explain both the shift in tone between the two soliloquies and why the second soliloquy is the more famous of the two. Explain.
3. Blank Verse (We will do this in class.)
Much of Hamlet is written in blank verse meaning most lines do not rhyme but they do follow a particular meter (a pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables). The meter is called iambic pentameter. “Iambic” means unstressed syllables are followed by stressed syllables: “And makes us rather bear those ills we have”. Pentameter means there are five iambs.
a. Practice yourself. Use “/ ” to mark stressed syllables and an elongated “u” to mark unstressed syllables
“…And makes us rather bear those ills we have,
than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all…”
***
But notice the meter can often be ambiguous. Many actors deliver the first line of this famous soliloquy by varying the rhythm:
“To be, or not to be, that is the question” or “To be, or not to be, that is the question”
But it is possible without doing any violence to English language to read the line iambically:
“To be, or not to be, that is the question.”
Notice that the beginning of the line (before the caesura or pause) follows the iambic pattern: unstressed syllable then stressed syllable. Then many actors change the rhythm for emphasis. Where the audience expects an unstressed syllable he places a stressed syllable. Shakespeare puts extra emphasis on the word “that”. The variation in the rhythm makes the stress even more noticeable.
b. Is a slight difference in meaning conveyed by the variation? Explain.
***
Further notes about rhythm.
• A few more points: Notice that Hamlet’s soliloquy ends with the line:
“Be all my sins remembered.”
Then notice that Ophelia’s first words are indented.
“Be all my sins remembered.
Good my lord.”
Her line is indented to indicate that her words complete the iambic pentameter.
If you combine Hamlet’s last line and Ophelia’s first line you’ll find a perfect iambic line:
“Be all my sins remembered. Good my lord.”
You’ll notice this throughout the play!
• Finally flip back to act two scene two.
Notice that the writing changes from blank verse poetry to prose (regular writing) and then back again. Not all of Hamlet is written as blank verse poetry.
As you read on look for both prose and blank verse.
4. Three Hamlets and three Hamlets (*Do this.*)
After watching many interpretations of the 3.1 soliloquy in Hamlet—three from class directed by Kenneth Branagh with Branagh as Hamlet (1996), directed by Franco Zeffirelli with Mel Gibson as Hamlet (1990), and directed by Michael Almereyda with Ethan Hawke as Hamlet (2000) and perhaps the Laurence Olivier and Alexander Fodor versions found at gallagherseniorhonors.blogspot.com—decide which film best conveys the full meaning of the text.
Begin with the text: the meaning of the text and the language in the text. Then, consider how the director’s and actor’s choices influence the meaning and the effectiveness of the speech. Consider the actor’s portrayal of Hamlet. Consider his movements and the delivery of the lines. Consider the director’s choices of props, setting and images, lighting, editing, music and other sounds.
(Think, for example, about Branagh’s hall of mirrors (which creates double meanings and makes the speech not a soliloquy), Zeffirelli’s catacombs (which seems to emphasize Hamlet’s meditations on death), and Almereyda’s Blockbuster video store (which highlights Hamlet’s obsession with action.). Which depictions are most effective?)
Make sure you provide support using both textual details and visual details. Convince me and your peers that you are right.
I think the Hamlet that best conveys the full meaning of the text is the Hamlet movie directed by Franco Zeffirelli. I think this because it makes the most sense that Hamlet would go to the catacombs where his father’s tomb is while he gives his, “to be or not to be” speech. The sounds of this part of the play make it seem really eerie and the lighting is dark which best conveys his speech since it is more of an eerie speech. The language in the text relates to his overall problems that are currently in his life. His father died, his uncle killed him and took the King’s throne, and the girl he loves is not able to see him, Ophelia. This is why the mood should be eerie and sad and this movie shows the most of this setting. Mel Gibson did a very good job portraying Hamlet in this play. He makes it very emotional and eerie. The director influenced this play by making it eerie also. As Mel Gibson delivers his lines to the audience, he takes a little while in between to show that it is a serious matter while some of the other movies and scenes rush through the lines. The tombs in the catacombs have set this mood the best since they make the audience feel the same way as Hamlet does.
ReplyDeleteThe “to be or not to be” soliloquy in Hamlet’s is by far the most well known. This is because Shakespeare decided for the soliloquy to not use the word “I”, instead he uses “we” and “us” this is to show the audience/readers Hamlet’s emotions on a deeper level, it lets the reader really put themselves into his place. The over all tone of this soliloquy is rather dreary, and depressing. Hamlet uses death and sleeping together in many different instances. In class we saw three different film interpretations of this piece. All three attacked to soliloquy in a different manner. There were factors in each that I liked. The 1996 film directed and staring Kenneth Branagh incorporated the use of mirrors. While reciting the soliloquy he looks into a mirror where he sees himself but on the other side Polonius and Claudius are watching him. I thought that, that was a clever approach. In the 2000 version directed by Michael Almereyda and staring Ethan Hawk as Hamlet, the piece takes place in the action section of a blockbuster. I liked the use of the signs behind him, and the film on the screen. The use of a video store works for this version because instead of a play to guilt trip Claudius he plans on making a collage with clips from movies. That over all idea to me is very original and creative. Lastly there is the version from 1990 in which the soliloquy takes place in a catacomb. To me this reenactment was the best; I felt it really showed Hamlet’s emotions the best. The fact of it being in a catacomb gave it a rather creepy and eerie feeling that I thought this part should have. His emphasis on the word “death” I found to be very fit as well. Though all interpretations were done well for me the Mel Gibson version was the best.
ReplyDeleteThe “To be or not to be” speech in Hamlet is very well known. This speech is one of Shakespeare’s biggest speeches. The hamlet that gets the main idea across in a good way was the one played out by Mel Gibson. Mel Gibson did an awesome job of saying the context nice and slow. Gibson also threw emotion into it and makes facial gestures to get the real meaning of this speech across. The other thing that made this act the best was because of the setting that it was in. the setting was a dark cave like area and had a tomb stone in the middle. This tomb stone would be there to make out his dead father and the darkness of the setting was to show the glum mood of the speech. With this setting and the speeches context it really makes the most scenes because hamlet is very depressed and wants to kill him and this dark surrounding and tomb in the middle fits in with this emotion he is feeling. The other speeches like the one done in the book store were just too corny. The nook store wasn’t getting the emotion across that hamlet was feeling. This one was just a guy walking threw a movie store in the action section saying Shakespeare’s speech with no emotion at all. And last the hamlet where he is saying the speech in a two way mirror. This speech was alright but had no emotion like Mel Gibson did in his. The only reason the mirror one made a little sense was he was saying it to him and since he wanted to hurt himself this fit in well. therefore the other two did not have any emotion in the way the people were saying the speech and therefore the Mel Gibson one I believe was the best presented.
ReplyDeleteThe popular ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy, although to some extents variable throughout time does indeed teach people in general a thing or two about philosophy. And although Shakespeare may often times be misinterpreted, I feel fairly certain that it was his intention for this soliloquy in particular to be heard on a much larger scale. Notice the suggestive word substitutes of ‘I’ to ‘we’ and ‘us’ which further involves a more general statement, in contrast to earlier soliloquies which were more centrally focused. However, as rightfully popular as this section may be, it doesn’t deter from the fact that its main focus is upon suffering, retribution, and even the possibility of death. Although all three categories were placed in the first few phrases, and the three renditions of this speech we watched in class were conveniently focused on by each actor, the only category to seemingly drag on was of death. That is why I’d have to pick Mel Gibson’s attempt as the one which had the closest representation of what Shakespeare was perhaps trying to get at. Mel (or at least the directors’) point of view starts out in a catacomb. Already you begin to notice the subtle ease in to a setting that is death oriented (to say the least). Mel at this point seemed to have took a special interest in the agony Hamlet was feeling and played the part as though it pained him to even go on speaking; hence the drawn-out pauses. In the speech, Hamlet references life and death as two entities that may never cross paths. Death being one known solely on a one sided view; an ‘undiscover’d country for whose bourn no traveller returns’, and life being known as something we all have to deal which would include the occasional roadblocks (some people more than others; especially in Hamlet’s case). But what we really get stuck on, what Hamlet gets stuck on, is the uncertainty of what may come when that day finally arrives. Will the afterlife be any better than this constraining livelihood, does it even exist? For someone like Hamlet these questions will constantly come up solely on the fact that he may quite possibly be on the verge of death. Whether it is self inflicted or by other means, the questions would appear relentlessly and odds are will drive him to paranoia, as well as eventual madness. Mel, who by the end of his soliloquy had the gaze of someone ‘with the pale cast of thought,’ seemed to understand the battles that would’ve probably went on in Hamlet’s head over such a sensitive argument. So in the end Mel’s interpretation seemed best fit in my opinion, although the two others were well acted and within their own right; correct, Mel seemed to have an almost unspoken connection to the thought process of Hamlet.
ReplyDeleteThe “To be or not to be?” passage from Hamlet is by far one of the most recognizable and most quoted passages from all of Shakespeare’s work. The directors and actors in the three versions of Hamlet all portrayed the soliloquy differently. Mel Gibson’s was in the catacombs, Lawrence Olivier was on a cliff over looking the water and Kenneth Branagh was looking in the mirror. For me, Kenneth Branagh’s was the best. It was portrayed as if he was having the conversation with himself. He did not use I, he said us or we. He was looking in the mirror and talking to what he saw. First he was whispering but when he pulled the dagger out it got intense. He could see Polonius and Claudius watching him. Hamlet kept stepping closer and closer to the mirror and when he got closer he tapped the dagger on himself and on the mirror. This was to show the confusion. “to be or not to be”, to kill myself or to kill my uncle, that is the question.
ReplyDeleteThe passage “to be or not to be” in hamlet is the most known out of all of Shakespeare play. The three films that we watched in class about this passage were all portrayed differently. Out of the three my favorite was Kenneth Branagh’s. It looked like he was talking to himself. At first he was whispering to himself and as soon as he took the dagger out it got a bit more intense. He kept getting closer to the mirror then he tapped the mirror with the dagger kind of like he was stabbing himself through the mirror to show his confusion. But the real question is should he kill himself or his uncle? I am looking forward to finding out what he does.
ReplyDeleteThe “to be or not to be” speech is a very popular and well known, and can teach people about philosophy. This is one of Shakespeare’s biggest speeches. Shakespeare is frequently misinterpreted, and this speech could easily be meant the wrong way than what he really meant. In this soliloquy, Shakespeare used words such as “we” and “us”, but in his first soliloquy, he used the word “I”. It shows the audience Hamlet’s emotions on a deeper level and lets the reader see his point of view at a deeper level. The Hamlet that gets the main idea across the best is the one with Mel Gibson. Gibson’s gestures and emotion helped get the word across and show the true meaning. The setting in the Gibson version also made it be the best one. The setting is that he is in a dark cave-like area and had a tomb in the middle. The tomb stone of his dead father darkened the mood of the scene and showed the glum attitude of Hamlet. The way that Gibson is talking is really showing his depressed, angered, glum mood. Some of the other versions that used this speech did not get the word across as well. The Ethan Hawke version did not get the word across very well because it didn’t set the tone because he didn’t use as much emotion that any of the other actors used. In the Kenneth Branagh version, all he was doing was talking to a two way mirror and not showing some emotion or movements at all. The Branagh version made a little bit of sense because he was talking to himself and because he wanted to hurt himself and the mirror showed that well. No one showed as much emotion that the Mel Gibson version showed and that is why I think the Mel Gibson version is the best one presented.
ReplyDeletethe quote "to be or not to be" is the most know out of all of shakespears plays. we watched three different films in class and the one i liked most was kenneth Branagh while he was looking into the mirror haveing a conversation with himself, asking himself "to be or not to be". At first he talked low but when he pulled out the dagger he got louder. Polonius and Claudius were watching him. the question of "to be or not to be" is really should i kill myself of my uncle. in the other two slides we saw my secound favorite was Mel Gibsons in the catacombs and my least favorite was Lawrence oliver standing on a cliff looking down at the water.
ReplyDeleteThe famous "To Be or Not To Be" Soliloquy can be represented on screen and stage in many ways, no matter what the time period may be. Each version we watched is set to a different time in history. Mel Gibson's Hamlet is set during the time is supposed to be set somewhere around 1490-1500. Kenneth Branagh's is set to the mid-Victorian Period and Etahn Hawke is in our time. However, the only version that seems to really work is Keneth Branagh's. Mel Gibson recites his speech in a tomb, not true to the original flow of the story. So, naturally, he's going to have a dark soliloquy in a dark place. The "tomb thing" seemed only to be added for a dramatic shallow effect. Ethan hawke's Hamlet, is in Blockbuster (where I have to admit,I've recited some of my own best soliloquies)and it only seems to flow because it's also dark and nightime and he's alone. But we have Kenneth in a beautiful hall of mirrors which echoes Versailles. Now, this is a place where one would tend to think more lighter thoughts. But Hamlet's dark speech in the Hall or Mirrors shows us that Hamlet is so depressed that his dark thoughts follow him everywhere. Also, it's almost like he knows he's not alone. Whether he knows his Uncle is there or it's the presence of the dark spirits that follow him, it leads us more to the question of is he really insane? or is he just playing?
ReplyDeleteThe soliloquy in this scene is one of the most famous sections of anyone of his plays. People who do not know a lot of Shakespeare have still heard the opening lines. “To be or not to be: that is the question”. Out of all the scenes we watched I thought the Modern day version was the best. It was very interesting how they put hamlet in a blockbuster to do this soliloquy. Also I just think it is overall interesting to put Shakespearian plays into modern day roles it helps get the point across easier sometimes and allows directors to intemperate it in more advanced ways. The other two were also very affective as well but the most recent was the one that got the point across to me the most.
ReplyDeleteIn the “to be or not to be” soliloquy Hamlet looks deep in to his soul to find out what he should do and wheat kind of person he is. He talks about avenging his father’s murder but not doing it because of his conscience. Then he talks about if he does kill Claudius then what will happen to he after? Just like in the beginning of the book Hamlet talks about killing himself but has an epiphany on what happens to you when you die(you dream when you sleep and when your dead you sleep so wouldn’t you dream when you die?). Hamlet does however keep the fact of if he does want to keep Claudius close is by going through Ophelia. Through out all of the sconces we watched of the soliloquy is in the Mel Gibson one were he’s roaming through the catacombs like he to is exploring the after life(line 87). Then in the one where Hamlet is walking through the action row at the video store to emphasize the action of what he will do to avenge his father or live with it(line 91). The best scene I thought though was when Hamlet is looking into the double sided mirror and Claudius is looking back at him. It symbolizes that even though Claudius might look normal on the outside to everyone else but Hamlet can see through his illusion and see Claudius for the monster he really is. If some how all of these scenes could be combined into one scene then it would get the point across about what Hamlet is saying in his soliloquy but it would kind of be confusing.
ReplyDeleteI think the meaning of Hamlet`s 3.1 To Be speech includes Hamlet`s idea of thinking about the idea of suicide and convincing to his parents and Polonius that he is actually insane. Because Hamlet is trying to convince his parents and Polonius that he is insane it seems like he is almost putting on a performance for them and keeps repeating the words calamity, scorns, despised, oppressor, dread, and weary to try to put emphasis on how he is feeling about what his parents and Polonius have done to him. I think by Hamlet doing this it makes him seem more frustrated with his elders and out of his mind. Hamlet also uses metaphors in his speech to show how he feels that he is basically enslaved mentally and physically by his parents and Polonius. These metaphors in the speech include when Hamlet refers to “fortunes slings and arrows” which shows that his life is a source of pain or wounds. Later in Hamlet`s speech he also mentions “the whips of scorns of time” which shows how he feels that his existence and life makes him feel worn down or weak. Later in the speech it seems Hamlet continues to repeatedly list off all the miseries he has in his life when he talks about the oppressor, proud men, love and the law. I feel like by Hamlet saying these things in his speech he is trying to convey to his parents that he does not care about his sanity and that he doesn’t care if he is crazy or not. This version of Hamlet`s speech would have been shown in the first film by Kenneth Branagh. In this version Hamlet is shown as being spied on during his speech which is part of why I think he was not actually crazy but just trying to convince his parents he is. This is why I think that Kenneth`s version of Hamlet is best portrayed because the Mel Gibson version has the speech performed away from anyone who could spy on Hamlet meaning that in that version hamlet was actually crazy and wasn’t trying to convince anyone or mess with anyone mentally with his speech. I also think by Hamlet talking into the mirror in Kenneth`s version of Hamlet`s speech it further tries to put the idea of Hamlet being insane into his parents mind because talking into a mirror isn’t just thinking about ideas out loud with himself but it is actually talking to himself face to face which can seem bizarre and crazy.
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