Shakespeare Unraveled

Be All My Sins Remember’d

Hamlet’s Soliloquy — a spoken thought of life and death

Sir Lawrence Olivier as Hamlet — Photo by alchetron.com

I would have to say more people than not have heard the Shakespearean line from Hamlet, “To Be or Not to Be.” Whether they understand how profound that phrase is or not is another question entirely.

For those not sure what a soliloquy is, a soliloquy is an acting tool to express what someone is thinking. If you’re on a stage or in front of a camera, the only way to allow your audience to hear your thoughts is to say them out loud.

Hamlet’s Soliloquy is a literary masterpiece; unfortunately, it is written in Early Modern English, which makes it hard for people today to grasp the different words and meanings.

I want to share a few excerpts from the soliloquy and highlight some thoughts that many of us have about life and death.

“I’m not sure what I should do.” Photo by Zubin Mehta on Unsplash

The essence of this soliloquy is in the opening line, “To Be or Not to Be, that is the question.” We are consistently asking ourselves these two questions.

We often wonder how to live our lives and what path will lead us to happiness, inner fulfillment, and a true sense of purpose. The words to be and not to be explain our daily struggle in life with simple eloquence.

Should I be kind or not? Should I be honest or not? Should I be brave and ask for a raise or not? Should I be the one to ask for a divorce or not? To be or not to be is the ultimate question.

The next lines encapsulate our daily efforts,

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?

Basically, this is saying, should I be the bigger person and just shut up and take it, or should I kick 'em in the nuts and tell them to shut the fuck up! Often, I must admit, I opt for the second choice.

Then Hamlet begins to think about dying,

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 wish’d. To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;

First, he looks at the positive side of dying. Sounds almost like a country song:

“No more heartache, no more tears, just me and my babies; Sleepin’ Suzi & Dying Debbie.”

Then, like a thought within a thought, he says, but I wonder that in this sleep of death, if perchance we dream — which is kind of a contradiction because you’re dead. — There’s the rub!

However, he doesn’t lose his train of thought because he then says,

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

In today’s lingo, it means is there really life after death or are you guys just pulling my leg?

Then he continues to question what he has been told by the church,

But that the dread of something after death, The undiscover’d country from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will

He, like most of us, want to believe in something; however, since no one has died and returned from this fatal journey, it makes it tough to accept.

It’s not like they could prove their visit to the afterlife was real anyway unless they had a hand stamp or a selfie with Jesus.

Much like Hamlet, I don’t buy it either.

Then, to end his thought, he reminded himself of the one thing he knew to be for certain — That when he died, he would be remembered by his sins. Aren’t we all?

Be all my sins remember’d.

[There are probably a bunch of hardcore Shakespearean experts out there saying, “It doesn’t mean that at all, asshole! What a douch! Somebody shoot him!”]

Oh, well!

Peace, Love, and Unconditional Happiness!

Reference:

Poets.org — Hamlet’s Soliloquy Scene III, Act I

I’m Done! Branded art by H Mikel Feilen

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