Olivier's Speech In 'To Be Or Not To Be'

In Act 3 scene 1 of Hamlet we are faced with the soliloquy that contains one of the most famous lines from English literature: “To be, or not to be – that is the question” (III.i.57). This passage tends to show a large amount of evidence of the theme “Action vs. Contemplation”. Through poetic devices, tone, and sensory imagery we are able to analyze the theme and Hamlet’s tragic flaw: indecisiveness/inability to act.

Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy is conceivably the most prominent soliloquy in the archive of the theatre. Even now, more than 400 years after it was originally written there is still an air of familiarity that reaches others even if they do not know the play itself in detail. In act 3, scene 1, Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” Soliloquy is critical in developing the plot because this is when Hamlet discusses his most suicidal thoughts.

I first want to dissect the 1996 movie in which Kenneth Branagh plays Hamlet. The “To be or not to be” scene is clearly one of the most important scenes of the entire movie, so the directors

Hamlet is considered to be Shakespeare's most famous play. The play is about Prince Hamlet and his struggles with the new marriage of his mother, Gertrude, and his uncle and now stepfather, King Claudius about only two months after his father’s death. Hamlet has an encounter with his father, Old King Hamlet, in ghost form. His father accuses Claudius of killing him and tells Hamlet to avenge his death. Hamlet is infuriated by this news and then begins his thoughts on what to do to get revenge. Hamlet and Claudius are contrasting characters. They do share similarities, however, their profound differences are what divides them.Hamlet was portrayed as troubled, inactive, and impulsive at times. Hamlet is troubled by many things, but the main source of his problems come from the the death of his father. “Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew, or that the everlasting had not fixed his canon 'gainst self-slaughter” (Act 1, Scene 2). In this scene, Hamlet is contemplating suicide, which is caused by the death of his father and the new marriage of Gertrude and King Claudius. This scene shows the extent of how troubled Hamlet is. Even though Hamlet’s father asked him to avenge his death, Hamlet is very slow to act on this throughout the play. “Now might I do it pat. Now he is a-praying. And now I’ll do ’t. And so he goes to heaven. And so am I revenged.—That would be scanned. A villain kills my father, and, for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven” (Act 3, Scene 3). This scene shows King Claudius praying, while Hamlet is behind him drawing his sword but decides not to kill

“To be, or not to be, that is the question,” (3.1.64). This famous line in William Shakespeare's Hamlet perfectly encapsulates Hamlet’s internal struggle throughout the play. Hamlet tells the story of the young prince of Denmark and his desire for revenge on the uncle, Claudius, who murdered his father. As is the case in many works of literature, Hamlet changes greatly throughout the play. However, because of his attempts to act insane, it can be difficult to precisely map the changes in Hamlet’s character. By carefully investigating his seven soliloquies, where he is alone and has no need to “put on an antic disposition,” one can understand and interpret how Hamlet’s character develops throughout the play.

The "To Be or Not To Be" speech in the play, "Hamlet," portrays Hamlet as a very confused man. He is very unsure of himself and his thoughts often waver between two extremes due to his relatively strange personality. In the monologue, he contemplates whether or not he should continue or end his own life. He also considers seeking revenge for his father’s death. Evidence of his uncertainty and over thinking is not only shown in this speech, but it also can be referenced in other important parts of the play.

Hamlet’s Inability “To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer” (Shakespeare 3.2.63). Hamlet never knew what he wanted except for one thing. That was revenge for his father’s death, which came by the hand of his uncle. The narrative in this story revolves around this fact, However with Shakespeare, there will be a twist that will make this story as one of the most memorable stories in literature. Everyone knows the famous or infamous words “To be, or not to be”.

Shakespeare’s famous play Hamlet is a tragic play in which, one of the most famous speeches ever written was said. The speech “To be or not to be” was spoken by hamlet in Act 3, the first scene, in the famous “nunnery scene”. It referred to as soliloquy, the staging of this scene¬ considerably was to test Hamlet by King Claudius and Polonius. They were trying to figure out if Hamlet was truly mad or pretending to be, Hamlet by then surely knew who killed his father because of the earlier appearance of the Ghost. The tragedy of Hamlet is complicated but as it is read increasingly, a knot is untied, and you see hamlet differently every time, the monologue is basically a fluctuating argument Hamlet has with himself over committing suicide or

Hamlet’s personality, while hinted at by other characters and his own actions, remains something of an enigma throughout the play. His soliloquies are necessary, therefore, to gain a fuller understanding of it. One of two main aspects of his personality revealed this way can be found in the most iconic lines of the play. Hamlet is shown to be depressed before the “to be or not to be” soliloquy, but it is this speech in which he shows the depth of his grapple with life. He contemplates killing himself outright, questioning “[w]hether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer [t]he slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, [o]r to take arms against a sea of troubles, [a]nd, by opposing, end them?” (Act 3, Sn. 1, ln. 58-61). This soliloquy exposes the depressed mood he has had throughout the play up to this point and shows it for what it really is. Another key point of Hamlet’s personality emphasized through soliloquy is his devout loyalty to his father, the king. When Hamlet speaks to the ghost of his father, his suspicions seem to be true: Claudius, the king’s brother, murdered the king in order to gain his crown. Upon learning this, Hamlet is initially shocked, but then flies into a rage, cursing his uncle and calling him a “smiling, damned villain” (Act 1, Sn. 5, ln. 25-112). The fact that Hamlet is willing to kill his own uncle in order to avenge his father goes great lengths to show his devotion. It is clear from this that loyalty is a crucial element of Hamlet’s character. As well as allowing the audience a much better understanding of what type of person Hamlet is, this insight into his personality gives a glimpse of his

Progressing through the play, Hamlet continually experiences existential thoughts, as Hamlet’s logic and sanity slowly unravel scene by scene, revealing snippets of Hamlet’s emotion and feeling. As Hamlet’s thoughts actions become increasingly erratic and his inability to cope with his father’s death worsen, Hamlet dives deeper into the realm of existentialism. As he is continually provoked by others telling him to cope with his father’s death, he utters, “Now I am alone. O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! (2.2. 48).” Hamlet reaches his pinnacle of despondency; he begins to lose hope. As Hamlet delves deeper into the story of his father’s murder and the correlation of Claudius and the murder, his actions become more wild. Contemplating death and the immorality of the world, Hamlet then utters his famous speech “To bee or not to be… To die to sleep… That makes calamity of so

Hamlet Mental Disorder “To be or not to be” is a worldly recognized phrase from one Shakespeare's masterpiece; Hamlet. The story revolves around prince Hamlet whom his life changes gradually into a tragedy after his father’s death. The story starts two months after King Hamlet’s death. At the time, prince Hamlet was filled with disgust at the current king who happens to be his uncle and his marriage to his mother to that king. King Hamlet appears as a ghost to prince Hamlet and asks the prince to revenge his death.

The character of Prince Hamlet, in Shakespeare's Hamlet, displays many strong yet justified emotions. For instance, the "To be or Not To Be" soliloquy, perhaps one of the most well known quotes in the English language, Hamlet actually debates suicide. His despair, sorrow, anger, and inner peace are all justifiable emotions for this troubled character. Hamlet's feeling of despair towards his life and to the world develops as the play moves on. In Hamlet's first soliloquy he reveals that his despair has driven him to thoughts of suicide; "How weary (horrible) ... His law 'gainst self slaughter." Likewise, when Hamlet talks to his friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Act 2, scene 2, Hamlet wishes they tell the King and Queen that he has

Michael Almereyda’s variation on Hamlet’s famous “To Be, Or No To Be,” soliloquy uses mundane setting, in a Blockbuster movie store, and authentic, life-like fluorescent lighting to contrast Hamlet’s inner battle of madness and isolation amongst his kingdom. Almereyda use of such an ordinary setting makes the entire scene dramatically more relatable for the viewer. The contrast between Hamlet and his surroundings truly emphasize the disconnect going on in his mind.

Hamlet is a tragic play, written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1602, but as years have gone by, there have been made many movies produced in order to visually illustrate how the events of the play occurred. This allows the film director's interpretation of Hamlet to have an effect on the audience's understanding of the play, because they understand the play the same way as the director. One of the most significant act and scene in the whole play is Act I Scene V. The film work of Hamlet orchestrated by the director really focuses on being exactly as the written play by William Shakespeare. The written work of Hamlet and the movie directed by Franco Zeffirelli have many similar scenes. Act I Scene V is one of the most important

Hamlet's classsic "To be or not to be..."(Hamlet, prince of Denmark, 3.1.57) speech really shows who he is. Obviously Hamlet is horribly depressed. We have already seen several examples of this, but this speech gives us a clear picture of his sadness. More importantly however, his speech shows his weakness and indecisiveness. Hamlet is consistently melancholy, but he never really acts on it; he just kind of wallows around, full of self-pity and loathing. Finally, it gives us Hamlet's reason for not committing suicide. Throughout the play he seems to wish for death and here we find out why he doesn't bring it on himself. This also gives us a window into his personality. This