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Not the outcome I was expecting

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You may think you know my story.

Many have told it.

It has long passed into history... into myth.
I have seen more of heaven and hell than most people dream of.
But I was always a willful girl and followed my heart and spoke my mind.
And it is high time I should tell you my story myself.

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These are test to see if my thumbnails work with images and text

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These are test to see if my thumbnails work with images and text

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a-le-eh-po

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Ophelia name meaning – helper, aid

Ailehpo – Ophelia backwards

You may think you know my story

“What do I smell? Like a garden.”

What is an Ophelia?

she wears flowers never jewels in her hair

she wears flowers in her hair never jewels

circlet of flowers

The Duality of Femininity

the pinnacle of innocence or a figure of cunning sin

vessel of morality

the eternal virgin

the epitome of corrupted innocence

the corrupted innocent

A wondrous fish indeed

A wondrous fish inhabits the grove

Nymph! Where is your water?

Remain innocent as snow.

she and her flowers fell

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The 2018 film 'Ophelia' is based on the original 'Hamlet' character who was the protagonist of Lisa Klein's novel. The film tells the story of 'Hamlet' but from Ophelia's perspective. The film follows Ophelia's life from when she was a child, who first entered court, to her whereabouts at the end of the play. While remaining faithful to the source material, the film deviates from it significantly. Ophelia is generally considered to be a side character in the original play, one that exudes excessive femininity. Being a woman of the Elizabethan age the plot lines and themes that surround her focus on her sexuality, honour and madness.

The film opens with Ophelia floating in a lake. This is probably Ophelia's most iconic scene in the play, even though it is only referenced by Gertrude and not actually seen. Gertrude's speech, recounting Ophelia's death, has been the subject of many paintings, by the likes of John Everett Millais and John William Waterhouse. Much like these paintings, Daisy Ridley dons red hair throughout the film. This immediately makes her standout at court, and as a child, she is forced to be washed and wear fine clothes. The court domesticates her, implying that, before entering court, Ophelia was not the feminine beauty that is depicted in the play. Her dancing is also likened to a 'goat'... which does not paint the most feminine picture.

Ophelia is regularly seen with her hair open, perhaps a reference to her infamous mad scene in Act 4 scene 5. In Elizabethan theatre, open, messy hair was associated with madness and acted as a sign of sexual discordancy.

From the get go, Ophelia's affiliations with nature are made explicit. She is frequently seen swimming in a lake, and runs to nature for solace. This is where she meets Hamlet as an adult, when he returns from his studies at the University of Wittenberg. She is mocked for wearing flowers in her hair. Ophelia's later use of flowers in her mad scene are referenced here. Ophelia's identification with nature emphasise her untameable and free spirit, as well as her child-like innocence. This innocence is further emphasised by her reading of romantic texts. It appears that she dreams about romance and love, and its only upon Hamlet's return that these wishes are fulfilled.

In the play, Ophelia is more of a pawn used by men for their own gain. For example, Claudius uses her to assess Hamlet's feigned madness. However in the film, she has more agency and witnesses key plot developments. She witnesses an adulterous kiss between Gertrude and is sent by Gertrude to collect tonic from a local witch named Mechtild. It is Ophelia that also sees the Ghost first - even though it is just Claudius in disguise. She becomes embroiled within the politics of Denmark from the beginning of the film, and is probably more aware of this than her original counterpart.

Ophelia also has a subtle feminist edge. While rejecting Hamlet's advances, as she recognises that he is a Prince, Hamlet references her frailty. In response she notes that it is more likely that the trait of frailty runs within families, not exclusively womankind. Hamlet's winning over of Ophelia in the film proves that he genuinely cares for her, something that is questioned in the original play.

The film diverts from the play with Hamlet and Ophelia's marriage. They marry outside in a field, again referencing how comfortable Ophelia is within nature. The film also tackles the infamous 'get thee to a nunnery' scene, 3.1. Ophelia is aware that she is being used by Claudius to assess Hamlet's sanity, and she is aware that Hamlet is playing up to it. He is concerned for her welfare, and advises her to flee Denmark. In the play he is unsympathetic towards her, and even though Hamlet might be faking his assault of Ophelia, there is no apology or repentance afterwards.

Hamlet puts his plan in motion when he engineers the Dumb Show, a play that re-enacts the murder of his father by Claudius. It is here that he catches 'the conscience of the King,' meaning that effectively, he confirms Claudius' guilt. Hamlet lunges to kill Claudius, but it is Ophelia that stops him - again, she is central to the action. In the play, Hamlet stops himself from killing Claudius when he hears Claudius praying for forgiveness, and absolving his sins.

The next chain of events occurs quickly. Hamlet is carted off to England, and is thought to be killed by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Ophelia is forced to wed another, and when she refuses she is thrown in jail. Ophelia here pretends to be mad, to elicit sympathy from Gertrude, which proves effective. This again emphasises Ophelia's agency and ingenuity. When she hands out her flowers, she dishes out rue, which is for remembrance. Whereas in the play her choice of flowers are thought to be the results of madness, the film makes it clear that Ophelia is being strategic, as she subtly insults the King and Queen through her use of foliage.

Ophelia then fakes her death, by taking a strong sleeping draught. There is no mention of the 'willow' and Ophelia's fall from it, but like in the original play, it is through Gertrude that we discover that Ophelia has died in a lake. Horatio then digs up Ophelia's grave, finding her alive. After learning the truth from Mechtild, she returns to Hamlet to tell him that Claudius is indeed guilty of killing King Hamlet. Ophelia resolves this instrumental plot thread, which heightens her importance in the film.

The portrayal of Gertrude also impacts Ophelia. Naomi Watts plays Gertrude and Mechtild, and the two characters are sisters. Mechtild was considered a witch because she had a miscarriage. The death of her baby was thought to be the work of the devil, and so she was to be burned at the stake. Interestingly, the child was Claudius'. However, she faked her death and escaped. What does this mean, that both characters are played by Watts? Perhaps it is two different extremes of womanhood, the outcast and the queen. Ophelia inhabits some sort of space between the two, as the future king of Denmark's wife, and the fleeing outcast. Unlike in the play, where Gertrude accidentally drinks the poisoned wine, she kills Claudius. She stabs him with a sword which pushes through the back of his throne. The white throne and spurt of blood may be a reference to penetration. This reverse act of penetration, as female penetrates the male, is dangerous and deadly to Claudius. Gertrude reclaims her narrative, in an act that appears to reclaim her sexuality. It is only after this that Gertrude poisons herself. She dies in control of her story, as does Ophelia. The difference is, Ophelia lives.

Ophelia notes that she 'did not lose my way to vengeance.' By the end of the film, and play, someone is baying for the blood of someone else. Throughout the play, Ophelia was never vengeful, and the film retains this key character trait. It is her inherent goodness that saves her. Ophelia gives birth to a daughter, and lives with her in a convent. Ophelia is safe in a female-dominated environment, and it is here that she is able to flourish. Gertrude is starved of this. The film is suggesting that it is men who use and corrupt women, it is their fault that women fall.

Thanks for reading!

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The 2018 film 'Ophelia' is based on the original 'Hamlet' character who was the protagonist of Lisa Klein's novel. The film tells the story of 'Hamlet' but from Ophelia's perspective. The film follows Ophelia's life from when she was a child, who first entered court, to her whereabouts at the end of the play.

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GENTLEMAN

She speaks much of her father, says she hears

There's tricks i' th' world, and hems, and beats her heart,

Spurns enviously at straws, speaks things in doubt

That carry but half sense. Her speech is nothing,

Yet the unshaped use of it doth move

The hearers to collection. They aim at it,

10 And botch the words up fit to their own thoughts,

Which, as her winks and nods and gestures yield them,

Indeed would make one think there might be thought,

Though nothing sure, yet much unhappily.

GENTLEMAN

She talks about her father a lot, and says she hears there are conspiracies around the world, and coughs, and beats her breast, and gets angry over tiny matters, and talks nonsense. Her words don't mean anything, but her babbling causes her listeners to draw conclusions. They hear what they want to hear. Her winks and nods and gestures do suggest that she means to convey a message, and not a happy one.

HORATIO

'Twere good she were spoken with, for she may strew

15 Dangerous conjectures in ill-breeding minds.

HORATIO

It's a good idea to speak to her, since she might lead those with evil intentions to dangerous conclusions.

(aside) To my sick soul (as sin's true nature is)

Each toy seems prologue to some great amiss.

So full of artless jealousy is guilt,

It spills itself in fearing to be spilt.

(to herself) To my sick soul (since sin is always a sickness), every detail looks like an omen of disaster to come. Guilt makes you so full of stupid suspicions that you give yourself away because you're trying so hard not to.

OPHELIA

Pray you, let's have no words of this, but when they ask you what it means, say you this:

Tomorrow is Saint Valentine's day,

All in the morning betime,

And I a maid at your window,

Then up he rose, and donned his clothes,

And dupped the chamber door.

Let in the maid that out a maid

OPHELIA

Oh, let's not talk about that, but when they ask you what it means, just say:

Tomorrow is St. Valentine's Day

I'm a girl below your window

Waiting to be your Valentine.

Then he got up and put on his clothes

And opened the door to his room.

He let in the girl, and when she left

She wasn't a virgin anymore.

Oh, this is the poison of deep grief. It springs

50 All from her father's death, and now behold!

When sorrows come, they come not single spies

But in battalions. First, her father slain.

Next, your son gone, and he most violent author

55 Of his own just remove. The people muddied,

Thick, and unwholesome in their thoughts and whispers

For good Polonius' death, and we have done but greenly

In hugger-mugger to inter him. Poor Ophelia

Divided from herself and her fair judgment,

60 Without the which we are pictures, or mere beasts.

Last-and as much containing as all these-

Her brother is in secret come from France,

Feeds on his wonder, keeps himself in clouds,

And wants not buzzers to infect his ear

65 With pestilent speeches of his father's death,

Wherein necessity, of matter beggared,

Will nothing stick our person to arraign

In ear and ear. O my dear Gertrude, this,

Like to a murdering piece, in many places

70 Gives me superfluous death.

Oh, her grief has poisoned her mind. Her father died and now look at her! Oh, Gertrude, Gertrude, when bad things happen, they don't come one at a time, like enemy spies, but all at once like an army. First her father was killed, then your son was taken away-because of his own violent actions. The people are confused and spreading nasty rumors about Polonius's death, and I was a fool to bury him in a hurry, without a proper state funeral. Poor Ophelia has been robbed of her sanity, without which we're just pictures, or animals. Last but not least, her brother has secretly returned from France and is surrounded by gossip-mongers, who fill his ears with wicked stories about his father's death. Deprived of proper evidence, he'll naturally attribute the murder to me. Oh, dear Gertrude, I feel as though I'm being murdered many times over.

MESSENGER

Save yourself, my lord.

The ocean, overpeering of his list,

Eats not the flats with more impiteous haste

75 Than young Laertes, in a riotous head,

O'erbears your officers. The rabble call him "lord"

And-as the world were now but to begin,

Antiquity forgot, custom not known,

The ratifiers and props of every word-

They cry, "Choose we! Laertes shall be king!"

Caps, hands, and tongues applaud it to the clouds:

"Laertes shall be king, Laertes king!"

MESSENGER

You must save yourself, my lord. The young Laertes, like the ocean when it floods the shore and devours the lowlands, is leading a rebellion against your government. The crowd calls him "lord" and shouts, "We want Laertes to be king!" It's as if they were starting the world from scratch right now, throwing out the traditions and ancient customs that are the support of every word we utter. They throw their caps in the air and yell, "Laertes will be king! Laertes king!"

LAERTES

Thank you. Guard the door. ( to CLAUDIUS) Oh, you vile king, give me my father!

LAERTES

That drop of blood that's calm proclaims me bastard,

Cries "Cuckold!" to my father, brands the "harlot"

Even here between the chaste unsmirchèd brow

CLAUDIUS

What is the cause, Laertes,

That thy rebellion looks so giant-like?-

Let him go, Gertrude. Do not fear our person.

There's such divinity doth hedge a king

That treason can but peep to what it would,

100 Acts little of his will.-Tell me, Laertes,

Why thou art thus incensed.-Let him go, Gertrude.-

CLAUDIUS

Laertes, what makes you so rebellious? Let him go, Gertrude. Don't worry about my getting hurt. God protects the king, so traitors can't hurt him.-Tell me, Laertes, why you're so angry.-Gertrude, let him go.-Tell me, man.

LAERTES

How came he dead? I'll not be juggled with.

105 To hell, allegiance! Vows, to the blackest devil!

Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit!

I dare damnation. To this point I stand

That both the worlds I give to negligence.

Let come what comes, only I'll be revenged

110 Most thoroughly for my father.

LAERTES

How did he end up dead? Don't mess with me. To hell with my vows of allegiance to you! Vows can go to hell! Conscience, too! I don't care if I'm damned. I don't care what happens to me in this world or the next. Whatever happens, happens, but I'll get revenge for my father's murder.

LAERTES

My will, not all the world.

And for my means, I'll husband them so well,

They shall go far with little.

LAERTES

Only my free will-nothing else. What little means I have, I'll use against you.

CLAUDIUS

115 If you desire to know the certainty

Of your dear father's death, is 't writ in your revenge,

That, swoopstake, you will draw both friend and foe,

CLAUDIUS

My dear Laertes, in your eagerness to know the truth about your father's death, are you determined to hurt your father's friends and enemies alike?

LAERTES

To his good friends thus wide I'll ope my arms

And, like the kind life-rendering pelican,

Repast them with my blood.

CLAUDIUS

Like a good child and a true gentleman.

125 That I am guiltless of your father's death

And am most sensible in grief for it,

It shall as level to your judgment pierce

As day does to your eye.

CLAUDIUS

Why, now you're talking like a good son and a true gentleman. I'll prove to you as clearly as daylight that I'm innocent of your father's death, and am struck with grief over it.

130 O heat, dry up my brains! Tears seven times salt,

Burn out the sense and virtue of mine eye!

By heaven, thy madness shall be paid by weight,

Till our scale turn the beam. O rose of May,

Dear maid, kind sister, sweet Ophelia!

O heavens, is 't possible a young maid's wits

Should be as mortal as an old man's life?

Nature is fine in love, and where 'tis fine,

It sends some precious instance of itself

After the thing it loves.

Oh, heat, dry up my brains! Salty tears, burn my eyes! By heaven, I'll get revenge for your madness! Oh, you springtime rose, dear maiden, kind sister, sweet Ophelia! Is it possible that a young woman's mind could fade away as easily as an old man's life? Human nature is refined and thoughtful-person graciously gives a valuable part of herself away to her beloved, as Ophelia has sent off her sanity to her dead father.

OPHELIA

You must sing A-down a-down-And you, Call him a- down-a -Oh, how the wheel becomes it! It is the false steward that stole his master's daughter.

OPHELIA

You're supposed to sing, "A down a-down," and you, "Call him a-down-a." Oh, how it turns around like a wheel! Like the worker who stole his boss's daughter.

OPHELIA

There's fennel for you, and columbines.-There's rue for you, and here's some for me. We may call it "herb of grace" o' Sundays.-Oh, you must wear your rue with a difference.-There's a daisy. I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died. They say he made a good end (sings) For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy -

OPHELIA

(to GERTRUDE ) Here are fennel and columbines for you-they symbolize adultery. (to CLAUDIUS) And here's rue for you-it symbolizes repentance. We can call it the merciful Sunday flower. You should wear it for a different reason. And here's a daisy, for unhappy love. I'd give you some violets, flowers of faithfulness, but they all dried up when my father died. They say he looked good when he died. (sings) For good sweet Robin is all my joy.

CLAUDIUS

Laertes, I must commune with your grief,

Or you deny me right. Go but apart,

165 Make choice of whom your wisest friends you will.

And they shall hear and judge 'twixt you and me.

If by direct or by collateral hand

They find us touched, we will our kingdom give,

Our crown, our life, and all that we can ours,

170 To you in satisfaction. But if not,

Be you content to lend your patience to us,

And we shall jointly labor with your soul

To give it due content.

CLAUDIUS

Laertes, I have a right to share your grief. Go choose your wisest friends, and have them listen to both of us and decide which of us is right. If directly or indirectly they find me implicated in your father's murder, I'll give up my kingdom, my crown, my life, and everything I call my own to you as restitution. But if they find me innocent, then be patient and I'll work to satisfy to the fullest extent your deepest need for revenge.

LAERTES

Let this be so.

His means of death, his obscure funeral-

175 No trophy, sword, nor hatchment o'er his bones,

No noble rite nor formal ostentation-

Cry to be heard as 'twere from heaven to earth,

That I must call 't in question.

LAERTES

All right, then. The way he died, his secret funeral, no funeral rites or military display, no noble rites or formal ceremony-shout out from heaven and earth that I must call the way he died into question.

CLAUDIUS

And where the offense is, let the great ax fall.

CLAUDIUS

And you're right to do so. May the guilty party be punished by death. Please, come with me.

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No Fear Shakespeare: Hamlet: Act 4 Scene 5 | SparkNotes

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GENTLEMAN She speaks much of her father, says she hears There's tricks i' th' world, and hems, and beats her heart, Spurns enviously at straws, speaks things in doubt That carry but half sense. Her speech is nothing, Yet the unshaped use of it doth move The hearers to collection.

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Act, Scene, Line
(Click to see in context)

Speech text

I,3,486

Laertes. My necessaries are embark'd. Farewell.
And, sister, as the winds give benefit
And convoy is assistant, do not sleep,
But let me hear from you.

Ophelia. Do you doubt that?

11

II,1,1032

Polonius. Farewell!
[Exit Reynaldo.]
[Enter Ophelia.]
How now, Ophelia? What's the matter?

Ophelia. O my lord, my lord, I have been so affrighted!

23

III,1,1809

Hamlet. Ay, truly; for the power of beauty will sooner transform
honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of honesty can
translate beauty into his likeness. This was sometime a paradox,
but now the time gives it proof. I did love you once.

Ophelia. Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.

29

III,2,1994

(stage directions). [Sits down at Ophelia's feet.]

Ophelia. No, my lord.

46

IV,5,2882

Gertrude. How now, Ophelia?

Ophelia. [sings]
How should I your true-love know
From another one?
By his cockle bat and' staff
And his sandal shoon.

49

IV,5,2899

Gertrude. Alas, look here, my lord!

Ophelia. [Sings]
Larded all with sweet flowers;
Which bewept to the grave did not go
With true-love showers.

52

IV,5,2919

Claudius. Pretty Ophelia!

Ophelia. Indeed, la, without an oath, I'll make an end on't!
[Sings] By Gis and by Saint Charity,
Alack, and fie for shame!
Young men will do't if they come to't
By Cock, they are to blame.
Quoth she, 'Before you tumbled me,
You promis'd me to wed.'
He answers:
'So would I 'a' done, by yonder sun,
An thou hadst not come to my bed.'

54

IV,5,3042

Laertes. How now? What noise is that?
[Enter Ophelia. ]
O heat, dry up my brains! Tears seven times salt
Burn out the sense and virtue of mine eye!
By heaven, thy madness shall be paid by weight
Till our scale turn the beam. O rose of May!
Dear maid, kind sister, sweet Ophelia!
O heavens! is't possible a young maid's wits
Should be as mortal as an old man's life?
Nature is fine in love, and where 'tis fine,
It sends some precious instance of itself
After the thing it loves.

Ophelia. [sings]
They bore him barefac'd on the bier
(Hey non nony, nony, hey nony)
And in his grave rain'd many a tear.
Fare you well, my dove!

58

IV,5,3064

Ophelia. [sings]
And will he not come again?
And will he not come again?
No, no, he is dead;
Go to thy deathbed;
He never will come again.
His beard was as white as snow,
All flaxen was his poll.
He is gone, he is gone,
And we cast away moan.
God 'a'mercy on his soul!
And of all Christian souls, I pray God. God b' wi' you.

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All speeches (lines) and cues for Ophelia in "Hamlet" :|: Open Source Shakespeare

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Act, Scene, Line (Click to see in context) Speech text I,3,486 Laertes. My necessaries are embark'd. Farewell. And, sister, as the winds give benefit And convoy is assistant, do not sleep, But let me hear from you. Ophelia. Do you doubt that? 11 II,1,1032 Polonius. Farewell! [Exit Reynaldo.] [Enter Ophelia.]

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Love: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Wiki

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In Shakespeare's Hamlet, many wonder if Hamlet and Ophelia's relationship was real, true love. Throughout the play there were several points of evidence that supported this theory. Unfortunately, in turn, there were also lines that declined this theory. Hamlet was never able to show his love completely because his heart was broken by another woman. This woman was his very own mother who he loved dearly. Sadly, she remarried another man, his uncle in fact, just months after his father's death. This event placed a shield on his heart so his love for Ophelia was complicated to understand. Even though his love for her was questionable, the play gives several examples of how genuine his love was.

The first piece of evidence of his genuine love was displayed through a letter. In the letter, Hamlet says "Doubt thou the stars are fire,/ Doubt that the sun doth move,/ Doubt truth to be a liar,/ But never doubt I love" (2.2.116-119). He tells her that even if everything else around her may not be true, his love for her is real. Unfortunately ,Ophelia was being obedient to her father and his restricts to stay away from Hamlet so she gave him the letter to read. She says "as you did command/ I did repel his letter and denied/ His access to me" (2.2.110-112). Hamlet did not like that he poured his heart out to her for the first time and then she just slipped it away to her father. From that moment on he no longer showed her his love he felt. As a matter of fact, she may have not felt the same way since she listened to her father and his restrictions so easily.

Another piece of evidence that Hamlet really did love Ophelia was very blunt. Hamlet told her "I did love you once" (3.1.116). Unfortunately, when one continues to read that scene, he tells Ophelia "You should not have believed me.../I loved you not" (3.1.118-120). These words left Ophelia feeling shameful and "deceived" (3.1.121). She really had feelings for Hamlet and believed he did in turn, but then he shot her down. However, after he made her feel heartbroken, he asked "Where's your father?" (3.1.121). After Ophelia responded he was at home, Hamlet stated "he may play the fool no where but [in his] own house" (3.1.134-135) meaning her father thinks he crashed their relationship, but he really didn't. Hamlet knows he was watching so he displayed himself as not really being in love with his daughter.

Even though Hamlet no longer wanted to display his love for her, he still clearly did when he found out she was dead. Hamlet said "I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers/ Could not with all their quantity of love/ Make up my sum" (5.1.272-274). He was truly in love with her and made that very clear after her death. He could have just continued to hid it, but this was worthy information to be announced. In fact, now that he has lost his love Ophelia, he tells Laertes, "Be buried quick with her, and so will I" (5.2.282) . He no longer had a reason to live now that he had lost his love. He hid his love to protect her, but now that she was gone, he revealed it to everyone.

With that being said, Hamlet and Ophelia's relationship will never truly be known. This play gave evidence of love, but also contradicted itself. That is why this play is the "ugly" side of love. Hamlet may have really had feelings for Ophelia, but with the grieving and pain of his mothers choices, he was never able to express them completely. Not only that, but with Ophelia's father forbidding her to see him, he could never really have a relationship with her. The love he thought he had for her will never be able to be tested to be true since she obeyed her father and they never were really together.

Works Cited:

Delbanco, Nicholas, and Alan Cheuse. "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark." Literature: Craft and Voice. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 1112-193. Print.

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In Shakespeare's Hamlet, many wonder if Hamlet and Ophelia's relationship was real, true love. Throughout the play there were several points of evidence that supported this theory. Unfortunately, in turn, there were also lines that declined this theory. Hamlet was never able to show his love completely because his heart was broken by another woman.

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Fujiko Nakaya - immersive fog - Japan exhibition

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Fujiko Nakaya - immersive fog - Japan exhibition

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Individual directors choose their own key moments in Hamlet depending on how they are interpreting the play.

Here we've listed some important moments in the order in which they appear in the play. We've also included some quotes to listen out for.

Act 1 Scene 2 - Setting the scene

As the court celebrates the marriage of Hamlet's mother (Gertrude) to his uncle (Claudius), Hamlet finds out that his father's ghost is haunting the castle. He is determined to confront it.
Hamlet If it assume my noble father's person/I'll speak to it though hell itself should gape / And bid me hold my peace

Act 1 Scene 5 - Hamlet meets the Ghost

The ghost of Old Hamlet reveals to his son that he was murdered by Claudius and demands that young Hamlet seeks revenge. Hamlet decides to feign madness in an attempt to find proof of his uncle's guilt.
Ghost Thus was I sleeping, by a brother's hand/of life, of crown and queen, at once despatched

Act 2 Scene 2 - Claudius becomes suspicious

Polonius, chief adviser to the new king, tells Claudius that Hamlet's madness is due to unrequited love for Ophelia, Polonius's daughter, but Claudius is not convinced and plots with Polonius to spy on Hamlet. Hamlet's childhood friends, Rosencrantz and Guildernstern, have been summoned to the castle by the king and queen to keep close watch on him. A troupe of actors also arrives at Elsinore to entertain the court and are persuaded to include some lines written by Hamlet.
Hamlet The play's the thing/Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.

Act 3 Scene 1 - Hamlet's turmoil

Claudius and Polonius eavesdrop when Hamlet meets Ophelia. Hamlet speaks the famous soliloquy ('To be or not to be') and rejects Ophelia, whom he had previously professed love to, believing that she is in league with his uncle and Polonius.
Hamlet Get thee to a nunnery, go, farewell. Or if thou needs must marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them.

Act 3 Scene 2 - The play

In front of the king and the whole court, the players perform a scene which closely follows the Ghost's account of his murder by Claudius. When Claudius cuts the performance short, Hamlet takes this a proof of his guilt. He is now determined to revenge his father's death immediately.
Hamlet Now could I drink hot blood / And do such bitter business as the day / Would quake to look on.

Act 3 Scene 3 - Claudius's plotting

Claudius arranges Hamlet's banishment to England with Rosencrantz and Guildernstern. He confesses his crime in prayer. Hamlet finds Claudius on his knees praying but cannot bring himself to kill him there.
Claudius O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven: / It hath the primal eldest curse upon't / A brother's murder.

Act 3 Scene 4 - The closet scene - Hamlet kills Polonius

Unable to kill his uncle, Hamlet challenges his mother about her relationship with Claudius and admits he has been feigning madness. Hearing a noise, he believes that Claudius is eavesdropping, draws a sword and kills Polonius.
Gertrude O what a rash and bloody deed is this!

Act 4 Scene 2 - Hamlet is banished

Claudius arranges Hamlet's immediate tranportation to England and sends a letter to the English king demanding that he arranges Hamlet's immediate death.
Claudius Do it, England, / For like the hectic in my blood he rages, / And thou must cure me.

Act 4 Scene 6 - Two bereaved sons return

Polonius's son Laertes has returned to Denmark, determined to revenge his father's murder and blaming Claudius. Hamlet escapes his banishment and also returns. Already distraught, Laertes also learns that his sister Ophelia, driven mad by Hamlet's rejection and her father's murder, has drowned.
Laertes Let come what comes, only I'll be revenged / Most throughly for my father

Act 5 Scene 2 - The tragic climax

Unaware that Claudius has conspired to have Laertes murder Hamlet during a staged duel and for it to appear accidental, Hamlet accepts Laertes's challenge in good faith. As they fight, Gertrude drinks the poisoned wine that Claudius had intended for Hamlet and dies. Laertes manages to wound Hamlet slightly with the poisoned tip of his sword. In the heat of the fight, the swords are switched. Laertes is in turn wounded by Hamlet, using the poisoned weapon, and dies. Hamlet dies in Horatio's arms. Fortinbras arrives at the head of a Norwegian army.
Horatio Now cracks a noble heart. Goodnight, sweet prince/And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest

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Individual directors choose their own key moments in Hamlet depending on how they are interpreting the play. Here we've listed some important moments in the order in which they appear in the play. We've also included some quotes to listen out for.

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Lady-in-waiting Ophelia catches the eye of young prince Hamlet.

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No Fear Shakespeare: Hamlet: Act 1 Scene 2 Page 3 | SparkNotes

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A side-by-side No Fear translation of Hamlet Act 1 Scene 2 Page 3

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https://www.rsc.org.uk/hamlet/about-the-play/key-moments

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Individual directors choose their own key moments in Hamlet depending on how they are interpreting the play.

Here we've listed some important moments in the order in which they appear in the play. We've also included some quotes to listen out for.

Act 1 Scene 2 - Setting the scene

As the court celebrates the marriage of Hamlet's mother (Gertrude) to his uncle (Claudius), Hamlet finds out that his father's ghost is haunting the castle. He is determined to confront it.
Hamlet If it assume my noble father's person/I'll speak to it though hell itself should gape / And bid me hold my peace

Act 1 Scene 5 - Hamlet meets the Ghost

The ghost of Old Hamlet reveals to his son that he was murdered by Claudius and demands that young Hamlet seeks revenge. Hamlet decides to feign madness in an attempt to find proof of his uncle's guilt.
Ghost Thus was I sleeping, by a brother's hand/of life, of crown and queen, at once despatched

Act 2 Scene 2 - Claudius becomes suspicious

Polonius, chief adviser to the new king, tells Claudius that Hamlet's madness is due to unrequited love for Ophelia, Polonius's daughter, but Claudius is not convinced and plots with Polonius to spy on Hamlet. Hamlet's childhood friends, Rosencrantz and Guildernstern, have been summoned to the castle by the king and queen to keep close watch on him. A troupe of actors also arrives at Elsinore to entertain the court and are persuaded to include some lines written by Hamlet.
Hamlet The play's the thing/Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.

Act 3 Scene 1 - Hamlet's turmoil

Claudius and Polonius eavesdrop when Hamlet meets Ophelia. Hamlet speaks the famous soliloquy ('To be or not to be') and rejects Ophelia, whom he had previously professed love to, believing that she is in league with his uncle and Polonius.
Hamlet Get thee to a nunnery, go, farewell. Or if thou needs must marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them.

Act 3 Scene 2 - The play

In front of the king and the whole court, the players perform a scene which closely follows the Ghost's account of his murder by Claudius. When Claudius cuts the performance short, Hamlet takes this a proof of his guilt. He is now determined to revenge his father's death immediately.
Hamlet Now could I drink hot blood / And do such bitter business as the day / Would quake to look on.

Act 3 Scene 3 - Claudius's plotting

Claudius arranges Hamlet's banishment to England with Rosencrantz and Guildernstern. He confesses his crime in prayer. Hamlet finds Claudius on his knees praying but cannot bring himself to kill him there.
Claudius O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven: / It hath the primal eldest curse upon't / A brother's murder.

Act 3 Scene 4 - The closet scene - Hamlet kills Polonius

Unable to kill his uncle, Hamlet challenges his mother about her relationship with Claudius and admits he has been feigning madness. Hearing a noise, he believes that Claudius is eavesdropping, draws a sword and kills Polonius.
Gertrude O what a rash and bloody deed is this!

Act 4 Scene 2 - Hamlet is banished

Claudius arranges Hamlet's immediate tranportation to England and sends a letter to the English king demanding that he arranges Hamlet's immediate death.
Claudius Do it, England, / For like the hectic in my blood he rages, / And thou must cure me.

Act 4 Scene 6 - Two bereaved sons return

Polonius's son Laertes has returned to Denmark, determined to revenge his father's murder and blaming Claudius. Hamlet escapes his banishment and also returns. Already distraught, Laertes also learns that his sister Ophelia, driven mad by Hamlet's rejection and her father's murder, has drowned.
Laertes Let come what comes, only I'll be revenged / Most throughly for my father

Act 5 Scene 2 - The tragic climax

Unaware that Claudius has conspired to have Laertes murder Hamlet during a staged duel and for it to appear accidental, Hamlet accepts Laertes's challenge in good faith. As they fight, Gertrude drinks the poisoned wine that Claudius had intended for Hamlet and dies. Laertes manages to wound Hamlet slightly with the poisoned tip of his sword. In the heat of the fight, the swords are switched. Laertes is in turn wounded by Hamlet, using the poisoned weapon, and dies. Hamlet dies in Horatio's arms. Fortinbras arrives at the head of a Norwegian army.
Horatio Now cracks a noble heart. Goodnight, sweet prince/And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest

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Individual directors choose their own key moments in Hamlet depending on how they are interpreting the play. Here we've listed some important moments in the order in which they appear in the play. We've also included some quotes to listen out for.

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Image source: Stratford Festival
Hamlet's soliloquy contains what is probably the most-quoted line in all of Shakespeare: 'to be or not to be.' TIME's compilation of the top 15 Shakespeare quotes put it at the top of their list. It's likely that you have heard, read, or said the famous opening words of the speech: 'to be or not to be.'

There's more to it, of course, than "to be or not to be." Here are some features the speech that you may not have been aware of.

First, here is Hamlet's soliloquy in its entirety.
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 heartache 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, Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th' 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 traveler returns, puzzles the will And makes 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 thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action. -Soft you now, The fair Ophelia! -Nymph, in thy orisons Be all my sins remembered.
A modern English translation of Hamlet's soliloquy

The speech is a stunning work of art and the most-studied of all of Shakespeare's plays. It is best untampered. However, a modern English rendering can untangle some of the puzzling lines and Elizabethan turns of phrase.

Ben Florman, LitCharts's co-founder, wrote the following modern English translation of Hamlet's soliloquy:
To live, or to die? That is the question. Is it nobler to suffer through all the terrible things fate throws at you, or to fight off your troubles, and, in doing so, end them completely? To die, to sleep-because that's all dying is- and by a sleep I mean an end to all the heartache and the thousand injuries that we are vulnerable to- that's an end to be wished for! To die, to sleep. To sleep, perhaps to dream-yes, but there's there's the catch. Because the kinds of dreams that might come in that sleep of death- after you have left behind your mortal body- are something to make you anxious. That's the consideration that makes us suffer the calamities of life for so long. Because who would bear all the trials and tribulations of time- the oppression of the powerful, the insults from arrogant men, the pangs of unrequited love, the slowness of justice, the disrespect of people in office, and the general abuse of good people by bad- when you could just settle all your debts using nothing more than an unsheathed dagger? Who would bear his burdens, and grunt and sweat through a tiring life, if they weren't frightened of what might happen after death- that undiscovered country from which no visitor returns, which we wonder about and which makes us prefer the troubles we know rather than fly off to face the ones we don't? Thus, the fear of death makes us all cowards, and our natural willingness to act is made weak by too much thinking. Actions of great urgency and importance get thrown off course because of this sort of thinking, and they cease to be actions at all. But wait, here is the beautiful Ophelia! [To OPHELIA] Beauty, may you forgive all my sins in your prayers.
Hamlet's soliloquy contains other famous Shakespeare quotes.

In the soliloquy there is more than just the famous line "to be or not to be." You may have heard these Shakespearean quotes as well.

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles.

To die, to sleep. / To sleep, perchance to dream

Ay, there's the rub,

Shuffled off this mortal coil

The pangs of despised love

To grunt and sweat under a weary life

Thus conscience does make cowards of us all

All my sins remembered.

Understanding Hamlet's Soliloquy, and the meaning of 'To be or not to be'

What is the meaning of Hamlet's soliloquy? Here's a brief explanation of the meaning and themes, drawn from LitCharts's comprehensive literary guide to Hamlet.

While Polonius and Claudius hide and eavesdrop, Hamlet breaks into this most famous soliloquy, perhaps the best-known speech in the English language. Hamlet returns to the question of suicide, wondering if it would be preferable to end his life or not.

Though Hamlet's language has grown more direct from its earlier references to "dew," it still speaks to his passivity in the face of desperation. He phrases the question of death in the abstract with the infinitive verb forms "to be, or not to be"-and makes it "the question" of humanity, as opposed to a personal matter. These choices imply that the decision whether or not to exist is a constant struggle for each person, a struggle that Hamlet tries to mediate through the metric of what is "nobler in the mind." This phrase implies that death is evaluated based on the perceived correctness or social value, as opposed to, say, a universal ethical system.

For the two options themselves, Hamlet chooses evocative images: "To be" is put in relatively more passive terms as a continuous process of "suffering" an onslaught of external attacks from "outrageous fortune"-that is to say, the constant influx of events that cannot be shifted in one's destiny. Suicide, on the other hand, is presented as an active fight that wages war on "a sea of troubles" and, indeed, is successful in the endeavor. The phrase "by opposing end them" seems noble or glorious, but what it literally means is to vanquish one's "outrageous fortune" by ending one's life. Thus Hamlet presents his lack of suicide not as the result of insufficient desperation, but rather his apathy from wishing to take on such a fight. Life becomes, for him, a constant decision of whether he will finally arrive at sufficient motivation to shift course and end his and/or Claudius's life.

12 Facts about Hamlet's Famous 'To be or not to be' Soliloquy

Hamlet wasn't alone while he uttered his soliloquy. According to the definition of soliloquy, "usually, no other characters are present." In Hamlet's case, Ophelia is positioned nearby, while Claudius and Polonius are hiding.

The scene, Act III, Scene I, in which Hamlet delivers his soliloquy is often called the "nunnery scene." Hamlet vituperates against Ophelia by telling her to "get thee to a nunnery."

According to legend, Hamlet is being performed somewhere in the world every minute of every day. (I'm unaware of where this bit of trivia originated, but its veracity is dubious.)

The play, set in Denmark, is set, more specifically, in the Kronborg Castle of Helsingør. And, yes, you can rent the castle.

The 'to be or not to be' soliloquy is 33 lines long and consists of 262 words.

The Lion King is the closest a popular Disney movie has come to adapting a Shakespeare play, in this case, Hamlet. Other literary works that borrow Hamlet themes are Great Expectations (Charles Dickens), Ulysses (James Joyce) and Tom Jones (Henry Fielding).

Want to read Hamlet in Klingon? You can. Hamlet is one of two Shakespearean plays that have been translated into the language of Star Trek's Klingons. How do you say "To be or not to be" in Klingon? "taH pagh taHbe'!

Hamlet's soliloquy takes up to four minutes to perform.

As far as historians can ascertain, the first Hamlet performance was in 1600 or 1601. The acting troupe was the King's Men, and the venue was, of course, the Globe.

Hamlet, at 4,042 lines, is the longest Shakespearean play. Performances usually last 4-5 hours.

The speech is written in iambic pentameter, and many of the lines have a feminine ending (11 syllables with the ultimate syllable unstressed). Students of Hamlet theorize that the irregularity of the feminine ending lines represents stress or turbulence, which Hamlet is obviously experiencing as he soliloquizes.

The first person to perform Hamlet's soliloquy was the actor Richard Burbage. Burbage was one of the most sensational actors ever to grace the Globe. He and Shakespeare were close friends.

Shakespeare had a son named Hamnet who died at age 11. It is possible that Shakespeare wrote Hamlet as a response to this personal tragedy.

Watch these famous recitations of the soliloquy.

Mel Gibson as Hamlet performs the soliloquy.

Here is David Tennant, former Doctor Who, and award-winning Shakespearean actor in his critically acclaimed performance.

This is Kenneth Branagh in his performance of the soliloquy.

And, true to form, Benedict Cumberbatch, seizes the audience with his interpretation.

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Hamlet's Soliloquy, "To Be Or Not To Be," a Modern English Translation - The LitCharts Blog

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Hamlet's soliloquy contains some of the best-known words that Shakespeare ever wrote: 'to be or not to be.' Here are some features of Hamlet's speech that you may not have known.

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