"to be or not to be"?

Question

"to be or not to be" what is the meaning of this famous line?

Answer 1

This is an ideal dilemma of the human being!.

The frustrated would read it as : To live or not to live?"

The doubter would read as:" should I do it or not?"

The weaker would read as:" Should I join this group or not?"

This is the fence sitter`s mantra in short.

Answer 2

Besides the answer that one would give from the context of quoting the line from Hamlet, i would say the question also asks a broader, more universal, existential pang of humanity; in that given our consciousness, we self-reflect (metacognitively) upon our own existence in terms of meaning and purpose and then following a judgment about continuing existence.

It is probably more of an extrapolation to answer the implication of a question of suicide from your post – you might have just wanted the quote’s origin. I will however share my thought on weather a person should commit suicide or not: If one will inflict more evil than good if continuing to live, they should end their life right before the scale would tilt greater for evil. Now with that said, I don’t know how anyone could be that omniscient, especially given the variations on converging conditions in the future, regardless of predictable antecedents and determined probability for hopelessness in regards to having enough anticipation of pleasure or enough purpose in pain. Usually, it is a sense of hopelessness/despair about one’s future happiness that pushes the act of suicide – sometimes it can be a act of rage or a desperate act out of powerlessness (a now-you’ll-see or you’ll-have-to-live-with-what-you-made-me-do sorta thing).

I have a few degrees – one in Philosophy, anther in Psychology, another in Theology. I had my own practice for 12 years as a Psychotherapist. The question “To be or not to be” has continuously been on my mind. What I have shared above barely touches the tip of the iceberg. I actually believe it would have been best if certain people would have killed themselves before committing their crimes. I also believe that depression can hurt so bad, that it takes everything to just get through another day without giving into the idea that it wasn’t worth it.

Answer 3

Hamlet, the protagonist, is procrastinating over the instructions he received from his father's ghost to avenge his death, and kill his uncle, Claudius.

Hamlet, anguished over his father's murder, and under the strain of his task, basically asking himself whether or not to kill himself.

To be, ie, to live, or not to be, ie, to die.

GENIUSJACK.... That nickname is meant to be ironic, right? Cos that answer is RIDICULOUS.
Read the rest of the passage and it becomes more apparent.

Oh my god, are all americans this stupid? Or do you just have a REALLY bad educational system? I have read some of the answers and they are awful!

To die, to sleep, no more, aye, t'is a consumation devoutely to be wished, to die, to sleep, to sleep perchance to dream, and in that sleep of death what dreams may come once we have shuffled off this mortal coil....

It is ONLY about suicide... No opinons, it is a fact. Like the sky is blue and the grass is green.
I would refer you to hamlet saying
"Oh that this too too solid flesh would thaw, melt and resolve itself into a dew" He wants to die!

He keeps going on about how he wishes that he was dead and that he would kill himself if only it were not a sin!!!

DUH!!!

Answer 4

In Hamlet's context, it means whether to live, or sleep eternally.

My intepretation: a choice between two actions. To do this or not. To become a king or a peasant. To be happy or sad.

Answer 5

He posed this question as a query into whether or not it is important for us to believe we're important or to actually BE important. That, is the question. be well, jack

Answer 6

I believe he was questioning whether or not to commit suicide.

Answer 7

It is from Hamlet

Answer 8

Should I live or should I kill myself?

Answer 9

To be or not to be....alive.

Answer 10

its self-explanitory.