Hamlet’s monologue, Act III, scene 1

In the monologue (Act III, scene 1) Hamlet is reflecting about existence. He is angry with his uncle who probably murdered his father to usurp the throne and becoming the King of Denmark. In order to this Hamlet wants to take a revenge. The reflection starts with the question “to be or not to be”. Hamlet is considering what is the best behavior to take. He is reflecting if to go on living (to be) or to die (not to be). Shakespeare has developed the semantic potation of “to be” because it extends Hamlet’s words to all human kind including different aspects of existence: physical and emotional. He has to decide: this is the question! Hamlet’s words communicate his doubt. On the social level, being himself a Prince he has to consider that his death could provoke instability in the Kingdom of Denmark. He is the future heir, even if the kingdom is usurped by his uncle; that is not a natural thing! It is interesting to notice the deepness of Hamlet’s words: men are fragile because they are afraid of the consequences of their actions! When a person dies he stops suffering both with the heart and with the body. In this regard it is interesting to notice the association between ache, which usually refers to the body, and heart that Shakespeare used together as an only one word: heartache (line 7). To live is to endure. Faced with the difficulty men prefer to die rather than live. But they accept death because they are terrified of the afterlife, the undiscovered. To tell the true Hamlet in the end of the monologue says:

“The undiscovered 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?”

Ignorance makes people continue to live, fear does weaken our will. And in the final analysis humankind is cowardly.