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"To be, or not to be" is a speech given by Prince Hamlet in the so-called "nunnery scene" of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet (Act 3, Scene 1). The speech is named for the opening phrase, itself among the most widely known and quoted lines in modern English literature, and has been referenced in many works of theatre, literature and music.
Hamlet's statement in this scene that his dark clothing is merely an outward representation of his inward grief is an example of his strong rhetorical skill. Much of the play's language embodies the elaborate, witty vocabulary expected of a royal court.
The plan leads to what is commonly called the "Nunnery Scene", [6] from its use of the term nunnery which would generally refer to a convent, but at the time was also popular slang for a brothel. [7] Polonius instructs Ophelia to stand in the lobby of the castle while he and Claudius hide.
However Harold Jenkins does not agree, having studied the few examples that are used to support that idea, and finds that there is no support for the assumption that "nunnery" was used that way in slang, or that Hamlet intended such a meaning. The context of the scene suggests that a nunnery would not be a brothel, but instead a place of ...
Scene Location Appr. # lines Synopsis I 1 Vienna. An apartment in the Duke's palace. 89 I 2 Vienna. A street. 175 I 3 Vienna. A monastery. 57 I 4 Vienna. A nunnery. 99 II 1 A hall in Angelo's house. 259 II 2 Another room in Angelo's house. 218 II 3 A room in a prison. 47 II 4 A room in Angelo's house. 199 III 1 A room in the prison. 268 III 2
The entire second act comprises Hamlet. The audience gets involved during this segment when one audience member is asked to portray Ophelia for the Nunnery Scene. The rest of the audience makes up Ophelia's subconscious , divided into three sections representing her ego, superego, and id .
Hamlet arrives with Horatio and banters with one of them, who unearths the skull of a jester whom Hamlet once knew, Yorick. Ophelia's funeral procession approaches, led by Laertes. Hamlet interrupts, professing his own love and grief for Ophelia. He and Laertes grapple, but the fight is broken up by Claudius and Gertrude.
(Hamlet's dying request to Horatio)... The rest is silence. (Hamlet's last words) Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest....so shall you hear Of carnal, bloody, and unnatural acts, Of accidental judgments, casual slaughters,