Hamlet Soliloquy: To be, or not to be: that is the question (3.1)
No traveller returns (88)
Since Hamlet has already encountered his father's ghost this line has raised much debate. There are four major current theories regarding this line: 1) Shakespeare made an egregious error and simply failed to reconcile the appearance of the ghost and Hamlet's belief that human beings do not return; 2) Hamlet has earlier suspected that the ghost might be a devil trying to trick him (2.2.572), and therefore, at the point in the play where he delivers this soliloquy, he does not believe his father truly has returned; 3) Hamlet is referring only to human beings returning in the flesh and not as mere shadows of their former selves; 4) the entire soliloquy is misplaced and rightfully belongs before Hamlet has met his father's ghost. In my estimation, theory number four seems the most plausible in light of the many irregularities among the three extant texts of the play (for example, Hamlet's final soliloquy appears in Q2 but not in the First Folio).
I am inclined to discount theory number two simply because Hamlet would likely not be so certain that "no traveller returns" after he has proof that something exists beyond this world, whether it be the ghost of his father or an evil spirit.
Back to Soliloquy Annotations
How to cite this article:
Mabillard, Amanda. Hamlet Soliloquy Glossary. Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. < http://shakespeare-online.com/plays/hamlet/soliloquies/return.html >.
______
Even More...
 Where is Hamlet During the Murder of his Father?
A Note on Hamlet Killing Polonius
Polonius
Fortinbras
The Ghost of Hamlet's Father
Hamlet's Humor
Hamlet's Melancholy: The Transformation of the Prince
Divine Providence in Hamlet
Hamlet's Antic Disposition: Is Hamlet's Madness Real?
Osric
The Grave-Diggers
Yorick
Characteristics of Elizabethan Tragedy
Why Shakespeare is so Important
Hamlet's Relationship with the Ghost
The Significance of the Ghost in Armor
Why is the Ghost in the Cellar?
Hamlet as National Hero
What is Tragic Irony?
Seneca's Tragedies and the Elizabethan Drama
Shakespeare's Sources for Hamlet
Stratford School Days: What Did Shakespeare Read?
Games in Shakespeare's England [A-L]
Games in Shakespeare's England [M-Z]
Going to a Play in Elizabethan London
Ben Jonson and the Decline of the Drama
Publishing in Elizabethan England
Shakespeare's Audience
Religion in Shakespeare's England
Alchemy and Astrology in Shakespeare's Day
Entertainment in Elizabethan England
London's First Public Playhouse
Shakespeare Hits the Big Time
|
The Ghost in the Cellarage
"It has been thought that the whole of the last part of I. v., from the entrance of Horatio and Marcellus, follows the old play closely, and that Shakespeare is condescending to the groundlings. Here again, whether or no he took a suggestion from the old play, I see no reason to think that he wrote down to his public. So far as Hamlet's state of mind is concerned, there is not a trace of this. Anyone who has a difficulty in understanding it should read Coleridge's note. What appears grotesque is the part taken by the Ghost, and Hamlet's consequent removal from one part of the stage to another." A. C. Bradley. Read on...
|
More to Explore
Hamlet: The Complete Play with Explanatory Notes
Introduction to Hamlet
The Hamlet and Ophelia Subplot
The Norway Subplot in Hamlet
Hamlet Detailed Plot Summary
Deception in Hamlet
Hamlet: Problem Play and Revenge Tragedy
Philological Examination Questions on Hamlet
The Purpose of The Murder of Gonzago
The Dumb-Show: Why Hamlet Reveals his Knowledge to Claudius
The Elder Hamlet: The Kingship of Hamlet's Father
How Old is Hamlet?
Quotations from Hamlet (with commentary)
Hamlet Study Quiz (with detailed answers)
Analysis of I am sick at heart (1.1)
Analysis of What a piece of work is a man! (2.2)
Hamlet: Q & A
Soliloquy Analysis: O this too too... (1.2)
Soliloquy Analysis: O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!... (2.2)
Soliloquy
Analysis: To be, or not to be... (3.1)
Soliloquy Analysis: Tis now the very witching time of night... (3.2)
Soliloquy Analysis: Now might I do it pat... (3.3)
Soliloquy Analysis: How all occasions do inform against me... (4.4)
_____
|
Essential Resources ... Our comprehensive list of every Shakespearean character and the play in which he or she appears. Included is our exclusive spelled pronunciation guide, essential for actors and teachers, and an in-depth biography of many of Shakespeare's most popular and fascinating creations. How do you pronounce Fortinbras, anyway? Read on...
|
_____
Ophelia's Burial and Christian Rituals
The Baker's Daughter: Ophelia's Nursery Rhymes
Does Hamlet Love Ophelia?
The Significance of Ophelia's Flowers
Sewing in my closet: Ophelia's Meeting with Hamlet
Ophelia and Laertes
Mistrusted Love: Ophelia and Polonius
In Secret Conference: The Meeting Between Claudius and Laertes
O Jephthah! Toying with Polonius
The Death of Polonius and its Impact on Hamlet's Character
Blank Verse and Diction in Shakespeare's Hamlet
Hamlet's Silence
An Excuse for Doing Nothing: Hamlet's Delay
Foul Deeds Will Rise: Hamlet and Divine Justice
Defending Claudius: The Charges Against the King
Claudius and the Condition of Denmark
|