/ - / - / - /Īnd by opposing end them? To die: to sleep Either way, Hamlet seems to be asking if the struggle is even worth the effort. However, the double entendre is whether to take up arms against the external troubles (i.e., Claudius) or against those troubles within himself (thus implying consideration of suicide). This line essentially translates to 'or to fight against the endless suffering.' The preceding reference to 'outrageous fortune' dictates that Hamlet is primarily referring to the continuous assault of troubles that he perceives life as presenting him. Sea of troubles is a fairly simple metaphor in this usage that compares Hamlet's troubles (sufferings) to the vast and seemingly boundless sea. The initial quatrain of four weak endings could be an attempt by Shakespeare to use the verse to convey further Hamlet's uncertainty. In what follows, we have straight iambic meter with yet another feminine ending. Here's a changeup: a pyrrhic followed by a spondee that adds a natural emphasis on take arms (denoting in this instance to 'make war'). Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, Outrageous in this speech denotes 'violent or atrocious.' In this usage, fortune denotes 'the good or ill that befalls man.' - / / - / - / - /. The metaphor also brings up the demoralizing aspect of enduring attacks without being able to respond effectivelywhether from archers, snipers, artillery, or even guerrilla tactics. That would fit with the capriciousness suggested by the phrase outrageous fortune. Slings and arrows imply missile weapons that can not only strike from a distance but can miss their mark and strike someone unintended.

Some editors have argued that the original word was 'stings' rather than 'slings,' although slings and arrows makes for a better rhetorical construction. This is the third feminine ending in a row, and it's hard to overlook as anything but a conscious effort. The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Nobler here seems most likely to denote 'dignified,' in the mind translates to 'of opinion,' and suffer is used in the sense 'to bear with patience or constancy.' As a whole, a thoroughly less poetic rendering of the line translates to 'whether people think that it's more dignified to put up with.' - / - / - / - /. Hamlet now elaborates on his proposition the question actually concerns existence when faced with suffering. The third foot with 'in' could also be scanned as a pyrrhic. The initial trochee is a typical inversion of Shakespeare's beginning the line with a stressed syllable varies the rhythm and gives a natural emphasis at the start. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The trochee of that is works in two ways here, lending proper emphasis to the line and reinforcing the pause in the middle. Be here is used in its definition of 'exist.' Note the colons signifying two caesuras (pauses) in the opening line. Hamlet puts forth his thesis statement at the beginning of his argument, which is generally a good idea. The line is an example of a feminine ending, or a weak extra syllable at the end of the line. The opening line scans fairly normally, and the stresses help emphasize the comparison of being versus not being. To be, or not to be: that is the question: Overview | Readings Page | Home - / - / - / / - /.

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