哈姆雷特

是莎士比亞最負盛名的劇本 , 創作於 1601 年，是英國文藝複興時期文學創作的巔峰 , 代表了莎士比亞戲劇的最高成就。莎翁將複仇故事深化成複雜的性格悲劇，顯示出更深刻的人性思考的容量，莎士比亞說，他的作品就是 “ 給自然照一麵鏡子，給德行看一看自己的麵目，給荒唐看一看自己的姿態，給時代和社會看一看自己的形象和印記 ” 。 《哈姆雷特》並行交叉的複雜情節 , 廣闊的社會場景 , 尤其是對主人公內心衝突的深刻描寫生動豐富地展示了宏偉壯麗的人生畫麵，而 “ 生存還是毀滅 ” 、 “ 人是萬物的靈長 ” 等獨白更成為文學史上的經典。

這是哈姆雷特的一段有名的獨白，是哈姆雷特關於生存與死亡辯證關係的思考 —— 生存是艱難的，當選擇死亡更容易時，我們為什麽非要繼續下去？我們看看哈姆雷特是怎麽想的 :

王子的經典獨白 " 生存還是毀滅？", 中英文對照的版本:

哈姆雷特獨白:
生存還是毀滅？這是個問題。
究竟哪樣更高貴，去忍受那狂暴的命運無情的摧殘 還是挺身去反抗那無邊的煩惱，把它掃一個幹淨。
去死，去睡就結束了，如果睡眠能結束我們心靈的創傷和肉體所承受的千百種痛苦，那真是生存求之不得的天大的好事。去死，去睡， 去睡，也許會做夢！
唉，這就麻煩了，即使擺脫了這塵世 可在這死的睡眠裏又會做些什麽夢呢？真得想一想，就這點顧慮使人受著終身的折磨，
誰甘心忍受那鞭打和嘲弄，受人壓迫，受盡侮蔑和輕視，忍受那失戀的痛苦，法庭的拖延，衙門的橫征暴斂，默默無聞的勞碌卻隻換來多少淩辱。但他自己隻要用把尖刀就能解脫了。
誰也不甘心，呻吟、流汗拖著這殘生，可是對死後又感覺到恐懼，又從來沒有任何人從死亡的國土裏回來，因此動搖了，寧願忍受著目前的苦難 而不願投奔向另一種苦難。
顧慮就使我們都變成了懦夫，使得那果斷的本色蒙上了一層思慮的慘白的容顏，本來可以做出偉大的事業，由於思慮就化為烏有了，喪失了行動的能力。

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 heartache, 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!
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 despis'd 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 these fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death-
The undiscover'd country, from whose bourn
No traveller 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 pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action.