Soliloquy In Hamlet

The meaning behind Shakespeare’s “To be, or not to be,” soliloquy in III.i.56-90 of Hamlet has been debated by readers since its debut performance. It is because of its fame and history that the “To be, or not to be,” soliloquy has been interpreted to have numerous meanings. Many view the soliloquy to be a testament on the suffering mankind endures throughout life. “Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, To die,” (lines 56-60), in these lines Hamlet begins to describe the pain mankind suffers, and questions if living is worth these cruel acts of sin. While this is only one interpretation of the soliloquy, the copious allusions to the common cruelties of day-to-day life combined with the repetition of the allusions to death provide strong textual evidence of its validity. However, to simply dictate a single meaning as the true interpretation would be a flawed notion. To truly prove the validity of the soliloquy’s meaning one must address the situation of the scene in which the soliloquy appears, as well as its relation to other pieces of dialogue. One of infinite questions that attain to the mind of the reader when addressing the situation of the soliloquy is if …show more content…
The true meaning is proven from not only the textual evidence of the soliloquy itself, but also the acts that follow, as well as the information the reader develops from addressing such important aspects as the situation of the scene and the relation of other speeches, monologues, and soliloquies throughout the rest of the play. From acknowledging the situation in which the soliloquy is read, the reader is better able to truly understand the meaning, that Hamlet’s soliloquy in act III is not only a testament on the suffering mankind endures throughout life, but a question on whether living is worth the agony man suffers