"To be or not to be" speech
Young Hamlet's speech opens with "to be or not to be". Initially, one could consider it to be Hamlet weighing up whether he should commit suicide or not. However, I do not think his dichotomy is so straightforward. Whilst it could be argued that Shakespeare's choice of diction in this speech is in place to effectively achieve iambic pentameter, if he in such a state of depression that he wanted to end his own life, it is likely that he would be more explicit in this matter. Hamlet is implicit in stating that he is considering death as a means to an end, but he tentatively steps around the issue of life or death. Rather, Hamlet discusses the notions to "being" and "not being". It is as though the human concepts of life and death are unimportant to him (perhaps he has become disillusioned with humanity because of his tragic suffering?), and he boils the concepts down their fundamental nature; that of existence and nonexistence. Hamlet wants to stop existing because he does not want to suffer, but he does not know whether death will be a viable solution, following his encounter with the ghost and the strong Christian belief in the 1600s of an afterlife (and not a very pleasant one, either). This leads to his questioning of the existence of an afterlife, which is seemingly pivotal in his decision on this matter (and which I will extend on, but I am analysing this in the chronological order of the speech). The sheer significant of this internal debate is magnified by it being the first line in his soliloquy, and the fact that it is a soliloquy further amplifies the earnest, cathartic nature of his speech, as there is no need to dupe any other characters with his wild facade.
"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?" is another key aspect of Hamlet's speech and arguably introduces the reasoning for his depressed state. Hamlet says "nobler" which brings about the notion of Hamlet acting to fulfill his requirements as a prince and as part of the Danish nobility. It could be argued that Hamlet considers it his duty as nobility to "suffer the slings and arrows" and essentially continue to live. It is no surprise that Hamlet is quite so depressed, if the nature of his existence causes him to suffer through life. That said, if this is true, one could extend the argument to postulate that in "not being" (as addressed by the first line), Hamlet is no truly referring to death; rather, he speaks of relinquishing the nature of his existence and stepping down from being prince. This would probably mean fleeing the country. The "slings and arrows" could have umpteen meanings, so I'll address a few of them. This could be an example of war imagery (in fact it is, although its explicit placement as 'war imagery' is debatable), as there is a heavy focus on the political inexpedience of nobility for Hamlet, and war is closely interlinked with royalty and politics, in addition to being pertinent in the plot due to the potentially impending war with the Norwegians. Alternatively, this might be a biblical reference to 'David and Goliath', where David kills Goliath with a sling. This could suggest that there are characters who are smaller or of lower social standing (Polonius) that seek to destroy him, and he must suffer this, possibly because of the religious integrity that it holds (woe betide you if you deviate from religion conventions in 1600s). A further way of interpreting this would be the 'arrow' of Cupid striking Hamlet and Ophelia, causing him to suffer as his royal position prohibits this relation (as Hamlet is a diplomatic tool). Another (possibly more likely) view on this could be the Ancient Greek olympian, Artemis' bow and arrow. Artemis was the goddess of hunting, and this could be views as Shakespeare suggesting that Hamlet felt as though he was being hunted down by a greater power, possibly Claudius or even 'fate', and wanted to escape it. This is more likely because there are numerous references to Ancient Greek mythology in the play. Also, elsewhere in the play, Hamlet contrasts his grief for his lost father with "Niobe's tears", and in Greek mythology, Artemis is the goddess who kills Niobe's daughters.
"Outrageous fortune" may be an indication of Hamlet's inherent good luck in being born into nobility and at the apex of the social pyramid. As such, this could stoke an argument of Hamlet being a tragic protagonist, as he falls from high fortunes and standings. However, this could also be a self-deprecating ironic jab. Hamlet is born into a realm with complex political tensions and with himself near the helm of it; he has a megalomanic uncle to resorts to fratricide to inherit a broken state and his seemingly fortunate position as prince deprives him of his true love and keeps him as a reserve diplomatic tool, stagnating in a fetid box of unrequited love and unable to make any form of progression in life until the 'powers that be' deem it fit. Hamlet has no real freedom.
"Or to take arms against a sea of troubles". "Taking arms" is probably a reference to war, consolidating the "Hamlet is sad because he's royal" argument. The "sea of troubles" may have multiple interpretations. One could argue that it means that Hamlet's troubles are vast, like the sea, enhanced by the fact that the British in the 1600s hadn't chartered all of the seas, so the size of the sea was largely unknown. However, it could also be viewed as a suggestion that Hamlet's problems lay outside of Denmark and out of sea, where nobody lived. This might mean that the reason for his suffering wasn't to do with his particular circumstances, but more universal problems, such as the human condition.
I could analyse the whole thing like this, but it would waste the rest of my evening, and really, I'd quite like to watch The Walking Dead on FX tonight, so I'll round this up.
The diverse range of punctuation, "To die - to sleep, to sleep perchance to dream" might be reflective of the variety of thoughts rushing through Hamlet's mind. The complex sentences present in the soliloquy make the speech sound like a cathartic rant. Hamlet does not pause to think or pause for breath, he just engages in brief caesura, which indicates that the speech is more of a way of expressing himself and ridden himself of guilt and tension, rather than directly informing the audience.
The soliloquy presents an internal debate. Hamlet is horribly depressed and does not want to suffer any longer. He considers suicide as a means to end this suffering, on the chance that there is no afterlife. However, he then decides that it is not worth taking a chance on this matter. He's in a "catch-22" situation, where if he continues to live, he will suffer, but if he dies, he might be purged or go to hell, which isn't great either. The frightening nature of the unknown causes him to rethink his plans of suicide, and his attention is then turned by Ophelia and her usual ditzy nonsense, only this time, she goes on to break his heart (a little bit more).
I think that covers everything I'm sure supposed to have covered?
