I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me. The truth, like arrows bolting directly toward his mind, made him so vulnerable that he was just a step behind madness or death. Wheres your father? He is broken to know the fact that his uncle Claudius killed his father treacherously and married his mother, Gertrude. Contumely is a very old word that means disrespectful, offensive or abusive speech or behaviour. One looks to the law of procedure, to see the mechanisms by which It comes from the Middle English word, contumelie. In addition, Hamlet is equally disillusioned by humanity, even . One is natural that troubles every human being. Why would you want to give birth to sinners? The unmatched beauty he had in the full bloom of his youth has been destroyed by madness. Prerequisites; Help, I'm Stuck! After rereading the line, it can be found that there is a repetition of the r sound. While another pain is inflicted by the wrongs of others. Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh; That unmatched form and feature of blown youth. Not knowing a solid answer, he makes a coward of himself. The phrase, No more emphasizes how much he longs for this eternal sleep. Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, p. 129 80 The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of th' unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? "For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, / Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely / The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, / The insolence of office, and the spurns / That patient merit of th' unworthy takes, / When he himself might his quietus make" (Lines 15-20) C. Goodbye. According to the, Such thoughts confuse the speaker more. That patient merit of th' unworthy takes, Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou. from As You Like It In this monologue, the speaker considers the nature of the world, the roles men and women play, and how one turns old. The text of To be, or not to be is taken from the Second Quarto (Q2) of the play, Hamlet which was published in 1604. The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, 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? PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. I have heard of your paintings too, well enough. [To OPHELIA] Hello, Ophelia. And he beseeched me to entreat your Majesties, With all my heart, and it doth much content me. What think you on t? Oh, what guilt! Theres something in his soul Oer which his melancholy sits on brood, And I do doubt the hatch and the disclose Will be some danger which for to prevent, I have in quick determination Thus set it down: he shall with speed to England For the demand of our neglected tribute. Yes, my lord, you made me believe you did. who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life? I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I, could accuse me of such things that it were better my, I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more. J. M. KELLY: Roman Litigation. : " The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, " , . To be, or not to be, the opening line of Hamlets mindful soliloquy, is one of the most thought-provoking quotes of all time. He badly wants to end the troubles but he thinks by choosing the safest path of embracing death, he can also finish his mental sufferings. The pronunciation is kn - tym - le with the accent on the first syllable. He is ready to fight against those troubles and end them all at once. Th observed of all observers, quite, quite down! But, he has not submitted himself to fate yet. Accessed 4 March 2023. I am the most miserable of all the women who once enjoyed hearing his sweet words. Firstly, he is consciously protestant in his thoughts. They have to understand what is going on in his mind. The "whips and scorn of time, Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of disprized love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient. To be, or not be is an intellectual query that a princely mind is asking the readers. Please take them back. It puzzles his will to do something that can end his mental pain. But with much forcing of his disposition. The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despis'd love, the law's delay, 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? But, what dreams are stored for him in the pacifying sleep of death. Not death, to be specific. His mental struggle to end the pangs of his life gets featured in this soliloquy. Hamlet, torn between life and death, utters the words to the audience revealing what is happening inside his mind. He is mistreated in all spheres, be it on a personal level such as love, or in public affairs. Roman: Litigation. He is asking just a simple question. Go thy ways to a nunnery. His words are like a whip against my conscience! With this regard their currents turn awry. But that the dread of something after death, The undiscovered country from whose bourn, And makes us rather bear those ills we have. The sixth movie of Star Trek, Undiscovered Country was named after the line, The undiscoverd country, from whose borne from the soliloquy. creatures and make your wantonness your ignorance. There, my lord. For this reason, the quote has become a specimen for understanding how Shakespeare thought. Nor do we find him forward to be sounded. It means that when Hamlet thinks about death, his natural boldness fades away and he becomes a coward. You need not tell us what Lord Hamlet said. Theres the respect That makes calamity of so long life. I never gave you anything. net. Thus, the fear of death makes us allcowards, and our natural willingness to act is made weak by too much thinking. It is spoken by Queen Gertrude. Believe none of us. Readers can find a use of synecdoche in the line, That flesh is heir to. They can find an anadiplosis in the lines, To die, to sleep;/ To sleep, perchance to dream. Besides, a circumlocution or hyperbaton can be found in this line, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil.. He had a courtiers persuasiveness, a soldiers courage, a scholars wisdom. Why wouldst thou be a breeder ofsinners? Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, 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? You know, this is actually something people can be blamed for doing all the timeacting as if theyre religious and devoted to God as a way to hide their bad deeds. A. personal anecdote. To die, to sleepbecause thats all dying isand by a sleep I mean an end to all the heartache and the thousand injuries that we are vulnerable tothats an end to be wished for! Her father and Ispying for justifiable reasonswill place ourselves so that we cant be seen, but can observe the encounter and judge from Hamlets behavior whether love is the cause of his madness. The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes," (67-73) In regard to these lines, the mindset of Hamlet changes again because of his approach to appreciating life. Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something . But from what cause he will by no means speak. Her father and Ispying for justifiable reasonswill place ourselves so that we cant be seen, but can observe the encounter. TEXT: The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, IMAGES: In my phonetic number system, the sound "op" is the same as the image for 09 (Aesop), but encased in a block of ice (an image modifier that reverses the way 09 is read, from "suh" to "op"). And I think that whatever hatches is going to be dangerous. The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, 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? No more. who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, This was sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it. Hamlet's disappointment with the state of affairs in his life currently is best shown in his soliloquy To be or not to be, wherein he clearly addresses the issue of living in a corrupt world and the consequences of it. Based on this part of the soliloquy, which best describes Hamlet's perception of life? Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than with honesty? No, it wasnt me. I proclaim: we will have no more marriages. They have to understand what is going on in his mind. With a bare bodkin? 165. Such thoughts confuse the speaker more. If thou dost marry, Ill give thee this plague for thy dowry. Most of us first came across this word in Hamlet's soliloquy, "Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely", and were puzzled by it, as it's hardly a word in common use. If you marry, Ill give you this curse as your wedding presenteven if you are as clean as ice, as pure as snow, youll still get a bad reputation. Why is it so? Soft you now, The fair Ophelia! in possessionem against the man who simply refused to defend, or the judgement debtor, was open to the same objection (no physical help), and the praetor's There are thousands of natural shocks that the human body is destined to suffer. The line, To be or not to be inspired the title of the. With a bare bodkin? Farewell. Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, There is nothing more he can do to change the course of time as it is against nature. As the plots reflect, Hamlet is facing an existential crisis after coming across the harsh reality of his fathers death and his mothers subsequent marriage with his uncle, Claudius, the murderer of King Hamlet. After reading his. To think about life in this way makes the speakers mind wearier than before. While not being refers to death and inaction. Ay, there's the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. According to the narrator, life seems an exhausting journey that has nothing to offer instead of suffering and pain. But now the joy they brought me is gone, so please take them back. and he slips away from our questions when we try to get him to tell us about how hes feeling. And his wordsalthough they were a bit all over the placewerent crazy. Hamlets soliloquy begins with the memorable line, To be, or not to be, that is the question. It means that he cannot decide what is better, ending all the sufferings of life by death, or bearing the mental burdens silently. That makes calamity of so long life; That makes our troubles last so long; For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, For who would endure the affronts that time brings, The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The injustice of the oppressor, the proud man's arrogant rudeness, In the first line, fardels mean the burdens of life. Struggling with distance learning? Being engrossed in his self-same musing, he clarifies his thoughts to himself first as he is going to take a tough decision. Hamlets soliloquy begins with the memorable line, To be, or not to be, that is the question.. You dont have to tell us what Lord Hamlet said. In the play, Hamlet the, The first line of his soliloquy is open-ended. Best Answer. The sufferings that time sends are out of ones control. Tis most true,And he beseeched me to entreat your MajestiesTo hear and see the matter. God gives you one face, but you use make-up to give yourself another. Somehow, it seems to him that before diving deeper into the regions of unknown and unseen, it is better to wait and see. This thought makes him rethink and reconsider. That is the question Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And, by opposing, end them? To live, or to die? The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, 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? . Charlie Chaplin recites this monologue in the comedy film A King in New York (1957). The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of disprized love, the law's delay, 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? How he thinks about death, reveals the way he thinks about life. He also refers to the arrogance and insults of proud men; Hamlet . And the two of you havent been able to figure out why hes acting so oddly. In William Shakespeares play Hamlet, the titular character, Hamlet says this soliloquy. If she cant find the source of his madness, send him to England or confine him wherever you think best. When does a person think like that? Sign up to unveil the best kept secrets in poetry, Home William Shakespeare To be, or not to be from Hamlet. I loved you not. It doesn't follow the grammatical pattern of English because it is not originally an English word. Likewise, not everybody will understand the evidence in the same way. It includes the death of a loved one, disease, bodily impairment, and many more. The first two lines of this section refer to the fact that none choose to grunt and sweat through the exhausting life. The greatest English writer of all time, William Shakespeare wrote: To be, or not be. This quote appears in his tragedy Hamlet written sometime between 1599 and 1601. . The glass of fashion and the mould of form. Pp. That your good beauties be the happy cause. Death is like sleep, he thinks, that ends this fitful fever of life. Will so bestow ourselves that, seeing unseen, If t be the affliction of his love or no. Explore the greatest Shakespearean poetry and more works of William Shakespeare. A once noble and disciplined mind that sang sweetly is now harsh and out of tune. LitCharts Teacher Editions. With all my heart, and it doth much content me To hear him so inclined. There's the respect That makes calamity of so long life; For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, Th 'oppressor 's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of disprized love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of th 'unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin; who Teachers and parents! Lets watch two of the notable actors portraying the character of Hamlet. Of those who are married alreadyall but one personwill live on as couples. It seems that the, From these lines, it becomes clear what questions are troubling the tragic hero, Hamlet. Pp. In all cases, he is the victim. But somehow coming from a proud man, it feels a little less painful. Whatsoever, through this dramatic device, Shakespeare projects how Hamlets mind is torn between life and death. Goodbye. What are these shocks? Undoubtedly, it is the thoughts of death. https://poemanalysis.com/william-shakespeare/to-be-or-not-to-be/, Poems covered in the Educational Syllabus. who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, Or if you must get married, marry a fool, because wise men know that women will eventually cheat on them. You dance and sway as you walk, and talk in a cutesy way. You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty. For we have closely sent for Hamlet hither. [To CLAUDIUS] My lord, do whatever you like. them. To be, or not to be; that is the question; Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them. And I think that whatever hatches is going to be dangerous. Tis too much proved, that with devotions visage. Get thee to a nunnery, go. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. It takes up to 4 minutes to perform. Nor what he spake, though it lacked form a little, And I do doubt the hatch and the disclose, Thus set it down: he shall with speed to England. [To CLAUDIUS] Your Majesty, if you agree, lets go hide. Farewell. He may also have drawn on the play, Ur-Hamlet, an earlier Elizabethan play. Cloth, 42 s. net. According to him, dying is like sleeping. Good gentlemen, give him a further edge, And drive his purpose on to these delights. However, for a speaker like Hamlet who has seen much, the cold arm of death is more soothing than the tough punches of fortune. It means that Hamlet is trying to take the final step but somehow his thoughts are holding him back. Go to, Ill no more on t. When we mentioned them to Hamlet, he seemed to feel a kind of joy. He does confess he feels himself distracted. Thats the consideration that makes us suffer the calamities of life for so long. And the two of you havent been able to figure out why hes acting so oddly, with a dangerous lunacy thats such a huge shift from his earlier calm and quiet behavior? Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, The heartache and the thousand natural shocks, That flesh is heir totis a consummation. Madam, as it happened, we crossed paths with some actors on the way here. The insults of proud men, pangs of unrequited love, delay in judgment, disrespectful behavior of those in power, and last but not least the mistreatment that a patient merit receives from the unworthy pain him deeply. Beauty, may you forgive all my sins in your prayers. the trait of being rude and impertinent. Everyone else will have to stay single. He is standing in such a critical situation that life seems painful to bear and death appears to be an escape route from all the sufferings. The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, 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? Through this sleep that will help him to end the mental sufferings, he can get a final relief. It is important to mention here that the speaker just wants an answer. Niggard of question, but of our demandsMost free in his reply. On the other hand, he is a philosophical character. The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, 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? These lines collectively contain a device called the, is one of the best-known quotes from all the Shakespearean works combined. Here is a list of some thought-provoking Shakespearean quotes that are similar to Hamlets soliloquy. Besides, nobody can return from deaths dominion. He is in such a critical juncture that it seems death is more rewarding than all the things happening with him for the turn of fortune. After this line, the speaker presents a series of causes that lead to his suffering. The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of disprized love, the law's delay, 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? Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all. In this section of the soliloquy, To be, or not to be Hamlets utterings reflect a sense of longing for death. The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, 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! To be, or not be means Hamlets mind is torn between two things, being and not being. Being means life and action. I hope also that your virtues will get him to return to normality, for both of your benefits. It seems easier than said. He sees death as sleeping. You jig and amble, and you lisp, you nickname Gods creatures and make your wantonness your ignorance. I shall obey you . Must give us pausethere's the respect That makes calamity of so long life. Must make us stop and think: there's the thing. According to him, dying is like sleeping. Besides, it is written in iambic pentameter with a few metrical variations. Most of Shakespeares dramas are written in this form. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Copy. Of these we told him. You dont have to tell us what Lord Hamlet said. VIEWS. I have heard of your paintings too, well enough. To a nunnery, go, and quickly too. Another device is embedded in the line. She should be blunt with him. Lets see what Hamlet is saying to the audience. Readers come across a metaphor in, The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. This line also contains a personification. In Hamlets case, his aware mind makes him confused regarding the happenings after death. But I still think that the cause of his madness was unrequited love. It hath made me mad. According to him, such thoughts stop him from taking great action. His monologue, To be, or not to be, that is the question expounds the ideas of relativism, existentialism, and skepticism. Oh, poor me, to have seen Hamlet as he was, and now to see him in this way! They are at the court now, and I think theyve been told to perform for him tonight. In Act 3, Scene 1, also known as the nunnery scene, of the, Before reading this soliloquy, readers have to go through the. Based on this part of the soliloquy, which best describes Hamlet's perception of life? Goodbye. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. , , "contumely" . The syntax of the soliloquy is structured in a way that gives it an almost . Oh, what a noble mind is here oerthrown! The courtiers, soldiers, scholars, eye, tongue, sword, Th expectancy and rose of the fair state, The glass of fashion and the mould of form, Th observed of all observers, quite, quite down! Besides, Ophelia is not accepting his love due to the pressure from her family. This question is constantly confusing his mind. Quick, lets hide, my lord. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. A living being cannot know what happens there. Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, The last two lines are often excluded from the soliloquy as those lines contain the mental transition of the speaker, from thoughts to reality. The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, 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? Benedict Cumberbatch performed Hamlet at the Barbican Centre in London in 2015. To sleep, perhaps to dreamyes, but theres theres the catch. who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, . Scholars believe that Shakespeare wrote this play and later revised it. It is through you visiting Poem Analysis that we are able to contribute to charity. Black liberation leader Malcolm X quoted the first lines of the soliloquy in a debate in Oxford in 1963 to make a point about extremism in defense of liberty. The monologue features the important theme of existential crisis. He has gone through all such pangs while he can end his life with a bare bodkin. Bodkin is an, The first two lines of this section refer to the fact that none choose to grunt and sweat through the exhausting life. B. rhetorical question. My lord, I have some mementos of yours that Ive been wanting to return to you for a while. That patient merit of th'unworthy takes, Because the kinds of dreams that might come in that sleep of deathafter you have left behind your mortal bodyare something to make you anxious. On the other hand, he negates his idea and says it is better to bear the reality rather than finding solace in perception. Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of th' unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? Oh, what a noble mind is here oerthrown!. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay, 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? Farewell. From these lines, it becomes clear what questions are troubling the tragic hero, Hamlet. Who would fardels bear. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. First Coast High School. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time. I proclaim: we will have no more marriages. InsertBreak (BreakType . What should such fellows as I do crawling between earth.