CALL Literary Reaction Journal

To Be or Not to Be by William Shakespeare
- A soliloquy from William Shakespeare's play 'Hamlet'

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 we end

The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to, tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wished.

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,

The pangs of disprized love, the law's delay,

The insolence of office, and the spurns

That patient merit of the unworthy takes,

When he himself might his quietus make

With a bare bodkin?

Who would fardels bear,

To grunt and sweat under a weary life,

But that the dread of something after death,

The undiscovered country from whose bourn

No 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 Is sicklied o'er

With the pale cast of thought

And enterprises of great pith and moment

With this regard their currents turn away,

And lose the name of action.

 

 

Audio Version

l.About the Poem "To be, or not to be..." is the opening phrase of a soliloquy in the "Nummery Scene" of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet.

Works Cited(参考文献)
"To Be, or Not to Be." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.                                                  

ll.About the Poet



William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet, and the "Bard of Avon". His extant works, including collaborations, consist of approximately 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

Works Cited(参考文献)
 "William Shakespeare." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.

lll.My Reaction

A.Reaction Point－theme
Theme of this poem is“TO BE OR NOT TO BE”. They are very famous words.


B.Reaction Point－ Point of View
 A point of view in this poem is how does Hamlet think of dying.
   Second point is if he can answer “TO BE OR NOT TO BE”.


C.Reaction Point－Rhyme
  Poets often use rhyme but this poem doesn't use it. This poem is just conflict.

D.My General Opinion
 In my opinion, Hamlet thinks dying is a last resort which we do something.However, he can't answer about “TO BE OR NOT TO BE” because he is upset many feelings. Moreover, this poem use omissions which we don't see too much. For example, whether it is = whether' t is, sicklied over = sicklied o'er. This poem was written in the old days so their omissions were used in that days.