an allusion to
lines from
William Shakespeare's tragedy
Hamlet (ca. 1601), in which
Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, revenges the
death of his father. The greatness of this
play lies in the
unique and thoughtful
nature of
Hamlet whose
temper is philosophical rather than
active. He has a
preoccupation with the
nature and consequences of
man's actions which has led critics to call him "the first modern
man."
Hamlet contemplates
life and
death in the
following lines of this
play: / "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?" / The expression is used figuratively in this lecture to mean the "assaults or tribulations of
life."
—SHSBC Binder 31 Approved Glossary