Hamlets Famous to be or not to be For this assignment, analyze Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy beginning at 3.1.57 and ending at 3.1.89.

Explain as fully and clearly as you can the events and circumstances he’s reacting to, as well as what his words mean. There are two parts to your assignment: Part 1: Paraphrase it. That means “translate” what he says into your own words (not No Fear Shakespeare’s words or anybody else’s!), making sure you include anything and everything he may be implying or suggesting. (Don’t assume what seems obvious to you is obvious to other readers. When in doubt, spell it out.) Part 2: Analyze it. That means explain why what he says is important for us to understand him as a character, how it gives us insight into what has happened or will happen elsewhere in the play. Some things to think about as you analyze it:

Hamlets Famous to be or not to be Essay Questions

What prompts him to launch into this speech? What has been happening to him, and how is he reacting to it? What are his mental and emotional states, and why is he thinking and feeling that way? What issues is he trying to work out? What ideas is he speculating on? What do we learn about his outlook, his fears, his personality? Give us as good a character sketch of Hamlet as you can, using this soliloquy as a guide to his mindset and actions. Feel free to psychoanalyze the melancholy young Dane, but back up what you say with evidence from the text. The better you explain what he means, why he’s feeling the way he does, and what’s happening in the play, the better your grade will be. As always, use short but effective quotations from the play to point to significant words and events, but focus mainly on your explanations of what his words mean and why we should agree with your analysis. To cite the text, place Act, Scene, and Line numbers in parentheses at the end of your quotation. Example: “Your quotation here” (1.3.5)