Metaphor in Hamlet

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Metaphor in Hamlet

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act III scene 1, Hamlet’s soliloquy of “To be or not to be” is full of metaphors that bring the various themes of the play together. One of the primary themes of the play is Hamlet’s uncertainty of action and inability to decide how to cope with the problems he faces. In Hamlet’s soliloquy, Hamlet metaphorically discusses his indecisiveness about the importance of continuing his life and asks himself “whether ‘tis nobler of the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and, by opposing them, end them.” Hamlet wonders whether it is worth facing all his problems (“slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”) or to commit suicide (“and by opposing them, end them.”) Hamlet metaphorically comp...

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