
Shakespeare's Monologues
Hamlet, about thirty years old, is the Prince of Denmark and the protagonist. He is the son of the dead King Hamlet and Queen Gertrude, who is now married to King Claudius, who is Hamlet's uncle. He grows sad, bitter, and cynical as the play moves on. He hates his uncle and despises his mother for marrying him. He is indecisive, hesitant and impulsive and is extremely influenced by his environment. He also has deep issues with women and humanity, potentially caused by his mother's actions and family problems. Although he has a lot of negative traits, he is a thoughtful, smart and cunning individual who studied at the University of Wittenberg.
Hamlet enters a room debating whether or not to kill himself. Polonius and King Claudius are spying on Hamlet. This is right before Ophelia enters the room to carry out her orders Polonius gave her which is to return Hamlet's love.
Character description, monologue synopsis, and monologue scoring provided by David Fuenzalida as part of the Spring 2019 THT 352 class
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. To die- to sleep-
No more; and by a sleep to say end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die- to sleep.
To sleep- perchance to dream: 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. 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 despis'd love, the law's delay,
The insolance of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th' unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would these fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death-
The undiscover'd country, from whose bourn
Not traveller returns- puzzles the will,
And make us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action.- Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia!- Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins rememb'red.
| Number of syllables | Scored text | Meaning of beat |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | To be or not to be - that is the question: | [Beginning of beat 1] to find an answer |
| 10 | Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer | |
| 12 | The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune | |
| 10 | Or to take arms against a sea of troubles | |
| 10 | And by opposing end them. To die- to sleep | |
| 10 | No more; and by a sleep to say we end | |
| 10 | The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks | |
| 10 | That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation | |
| 10 | Devoutly to be wish'd. To die- to sleep. | [End of beat 1] |
| 10 | To sleep- perchance to dream: ay there's the rub! | [Beginning of beat 2] to madden |
| 10 | For in that sleep of death what dreams may come | |
| 10 | When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, | |
| 8 | Must give us pause. There's the respect | |
| 10 | That makes calamity of so long life. | [End of beat 2] |
| 10 | For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, | [Beginning of beat 3] to reason |
| 10 | Th' oppressor's wrong the proud man's contumely, | |
| 10 | The pangs of despis'd love, the law's delay, | |
| 10 | The insolence of office, and the spurns | |
| 10 | That patient merit of th' unworthy takes, | |
| 10 | When he himself might his quietus make | |
| 10 | With a bare bodkin? Who would these fardels bear, | |
| 10 | To grunt and sweat under a weary life, | [End of beat 3] |
| 10 | But that the dread of something after death- | [Beginning of beat 4] to realize |
| 10 | The undiscover'd country, from whose bourn | |
| 10 | No traveller returns- puzzles the will, | |
| 10 | And makes us rather bear those ills we have | |
| 10 | Than fly to others that we know not of? | |
| 10 | Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, | |
| 10 | And thus the native hue of resolution | |
| 10 | Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, | |
| 10 | And enterprises of great pith and moment | |
| 10 | With this regard their currents turn awry | |
| 10 | And lose the name of action.- Soft you now! | |
|
12 |
The fair Ophelia!- Nymph, in thy orisons |
|
| 8 | Be all my sins rememb'red. | [End of beat 4 and monologue] |
Definitions from David & Ben Crystal / Shakespeare's Words are under copyright, and may not be used without their express permission. All other definitions are from sources in the public domain.
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