Under the blows of fate or. To be or not to be - that is the question
HAMLET'S MONOLOGUE. ORIGINAL AND ALL TRANSLATIONS
1. Original English version
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,
The 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 the 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 pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.-Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in your orisons
Be all my sins remember"d.
2. Russian translation options
(trans. Vladimir Nabokov)
To be or not to be - that is the question; What is better for the soul - to endure the slings and arrows of furious fate, or to take up arms in a sea of disasters to end them? To die: to fall asleep no more, and if sleep ends the melancholy of the soul and a thousand anxieties that are characteristic of us, one cannot help but long for such an end. Die, fall asleep; fall asleep: perhaps dream; yes, that’s where the jam is, what dreams will visit us when we free ourselves from the husk of vanities? Here's the stop.
This is why adversity is so tenacious; After all, who would bear the scourges and mockery of times, the contempt of the proud, the oppression of the strong, the pain of vain love, the laziness of the law, and the arrogance of rulers, and everything that a worthy person suffers from the unworthy, if only he could obtain peace himself with a thin dagger? Who would groan and sweat under the weight of life, but the fear inspired by something beyond death - an undiscovered country from whose borders not a single traveler has returned - it confuses the will and makes us prefer earthly torments to others, unknown ones. So consciousness turns us all into cowards, the bright color of natural determination is overshadowed by the pallor of weak thoughts, and important, deep undertakings change direction and lose the name of action. But now - silence... Ophelia...
In your prayers, nymph, remember my sins.
B. Pasternak
To be or not to be, that is the question. Is it worthy
Resign yourself to the blows of fate,
Or must we resist
And in mortal combat with a whole sea of troubles
End them? Die. Forget yourself.
And know that this breaks the chain
Heartache and thousands of hardships,
Inherent in the body. Isn't this the goal?
Desired? Die. Lose yourself in sleep.
Fall asleep... and dream? Here is the answer.
What dreams will you have in that mortal sleep?
When is the veil of earthly feelings removed?
That's the solution. That's what lengthens
Our misfortunes last for so many years.
Otherwise, who would bear the humiliation of the century,
Arrogance, feeling of rejection,
The judgment will not be soon and most of all
The mockery of the unworthy at the worthy,
When it's so easy to make ends meet
Dagger strike! Who would agree
Groaning, trudge along under the burden of life,
Whenever the unknown after death,
Fear of a country from which none
Didn't come back, didn't bend my will
It is better to put up with familiar evil,
Instead of trying to escape to the unfamiliar!
This is how thought turns us all into cowards,
And our resolve withers like a flower
In the sterility of a mental dead end,
This is how plans die on a grand scale,
Those who promised success at the beginning,
From long delays. But enough!
Ophelia! O joy! Remember
My sins in my prayers, nymph.
To be or not to be, that is the question.
What's above:
To endure blows in the soul with patience
The slings and arrows of cruel fate or,
Armed against a sea of disasters,
Will the fight end him? Die, sleep -
No more; and know that this dream will end
With heartache and a thousand torments,
To which the flesh is doomed - oh, this is the outcome
Much desired! Die, fall asleep;
Go to sleep! And dream, perhaps? Here it is!
What kind of dreams do you dream in the slumber of death?
As soon as we shake off the decaying shell, that’s what
Holds us back. And this argument -
The reason for the longevity of suffering.
Who would endure fate's ridicule and insults,
The oppression of the oppressors, the arrogance of the proud,
Rejected love is torment, laws
Slowness, shamelessness and contempt for the authorities
Insignificance to the merit of the patient,
When I could settle all my scores myself
Some kind of knife? Who would bear such a burden?
Moaning, covered in sweat under the burden of life,
Whenever the fear of something after death,
In an unknown country, from where not a single
The traveler did not return, did not confuse his will,
Instilling in us the troubles we have experienced
Demolish rather than run to the unknown? And so
How conscience makes cowards out of us all;
That's how determined natural color is
Under the paint of thought it withers and turns pale,
And enterprises of great importance,
From these thoughts I changed the tide,
They also lose the names of the cases. - But be quiet!
Lovely Ophelia! - O nymph!
Remember my sins in your prayers!
P. Gnedich
To be or not to be - that is the question.
What is nobler: taking blows
Furious fate - or against the sea
Adversity to arm yourself and join the battle
And end it all at once... Die...
To fall asleep - no more - and realize that it is a dream
We will drown out all these heartaches,
Which are the inheritance of poor flesh
Got it: oh yes, this is so desired
The end... Yes, to die is to fall asleep... To fall asleep.
Living in a dream world, perhaps, is the obstacle.-
What dreams in this dead sleep
Before the disembodied spirit they will hover...
This is the obstacle - and this is the reason,
That sorrows are long lasting on earth...
Otherwise, who would bear the reproach?
Ridicule of neighbors, impudent insults
Tyrants, the insolence of vulgar proud people,
The pain of rejected love
Slowness of laws, willfulness
The authorities... the kicks they give
A deserved sufferer, the scoundrels, -
Whenever possible
Find peace and quiet in one fell swoop
Simple sewing. Who on earth
Carrying this life's burden, exhausted
Under heavy oppression - if only involuntary fear
Something after death, that country
Unknown, from where never
Nobody came back, didn't bother
Our decisions... Oh, we rather
Let us endure all the sorrows of those torments,
What is near us, what, leaving everything behind,
Let's go to other, unknown troubles...
And this thought turns us into cowards...
Mighty resolve cools
Upon reflection, and our deeds
They become insignificant... But quieter, quieter.
Lovely Ophelia, oh nymph -
In your holy prayers remember
My sins...
M. Lozinsky
To be or not to be, that is the question;
What is nobler in spirit - to submit
To the slings and arrows of furious fate
Or, taking up arms in the sea of turmoil, defeat them
Confrontation? Die, sleep, -
And that's all; and say that you end up sleeping
Melancholy and a thousand natural torments,
The legacy of the flesh - how is such a denouement
Not thirsty? Die, fall asleep. - Sleep!
And dream, perhaps? That's the difficulty;
What dreams will you have in your death sleep?
When we shed this mortal noise,
This is what throws us off; that's the reason
That disasters are so long-lasting;
Who would bear the lashes and mockery of the century,
The oppression of the strong, the mockery of the proud,
The pain of despised love, untruthful judges,
The arrogance of the authorities and insults,
Performed by uncomplaining merit,
If only he could give himself a reckoning
With a simple dagger? Who would trudge along with the burden,
To groan and sweat under a boring life,
Whenever the fear of something after death, -
An unknown land from where there is no return
To earthly wanderers, - did not confuse the will,
Inspiring us to endure our adversities
And not to rush to others hidden from us?
So thinking makes us cowards,
And so determined natural color
Withers under the pale patina of thought,
And beginnings that rose powerfully,
Turning aside your move,
Lose the action name. But be quiet!
Ophelia? - In your prayers, nymph,
May my sins be remembered.
To be or not to be, that is the question. Is it worthy
Resign yourself to the blows of fate,
Or must we resist
And in mortal combat with a whole sea of troubles
End them? Die. Forget yourself.
And know that this breaks the chain
Heartache and thousands of hardships,
Inherent in the body. Isn't this the goal?
Desired? Die. Lose yourself in sleep.
Fall asleep... and dream? Here is the answer.
What dreams will you have in that mortal sleep?
When is the veil of earthly feelings removed?
That's the solution. That's what lengthens
Our misfortunes last for so many years.
Otherwise, who would bear the humiliation of the century,
The lies of the oppressors, the nobles
Arrogance, feeling of rejection,
Slow trial and most of all
The mockery of the unworthy at the worthy,
When it's so easy to make ends meet
Dagger strike! Who would agree
Groaning, trudge along under the burden of life,
Whenever the unknown after death,
Fear of a country from which none
Didn't come back, didn't bend my will
It is better to put up with familiar evil,
Instead of trying to escape to the unfamiliar!
This is how thought turns us all into cowards,
And our resolve withers like a flower
In the sterility of a mental dead end,
This is how plans die on a grand scale,
Those who promised success at the beginning,
From long delays. But enough!
Ophelia! O joy! Remember
My sins in my prayers, nymph.
Note: This poem is an excerpt from Pasternak's translation.
Hamlet's monologues are the most important way of creating an image in a dramatic work. They indicate that Shakespeare endowed Hamlet with a philosophical mindset. Hamlet is a thinker who has a deep knowledge of life and people. In the famous monologue “To be or not to be...” Hamlet’s awareness of the gap between high ideas about life and reality is clearly demonstrated. The monologue “To be or not to be...” became the source of various comments and variations of its readings.
In the monologue “To be or not to be...” the initial metaphorical image evokes different interpretations: what is more valiant for a person - “to be”, that is, to endure misfortunes with steadfastness, or not to be, that is, to interrupt one’s mental suffering by suicide. The idea of suicide is clothed in a metaphor: “to take up arms against the sea of unrest” precisely means “to die.” The origins of this allegory are rooted in Celtic customs: to prove their valor, the ancient Celts, in full armor with drawn swords and raised javelins, threw themselves into the raging sea and fought with the waves.
In the tragedy, the image is used as an illustration of the idea of suicide - to end internal unrest, anxiety, and anxieties with the help of weapons. This original meaning remains in the shadows, the thought of an armed struggle against evil arises, hence the duality of the metaphor and the hero’s entire reasoning.
The comparison of death with sleep, one of the most famous from ancient times, in Hamlet’s monologue is supplemented by a metaphor that arose in the era of geographical discoveries. Hamlet fears the consequences of the blow of a dagger - after all, an undiscovered country awaits him, from which not a single traveler has returned,” and the fear of this the unknown, before “dreams” after death - the main reason forcing one to hesitate, to endure familiar evil for fear of unknown misfortunes in the future.
Many understand Hamlet’s words in the sense that he continues here the thought of the first monologue, when he says that he does not want to live and would commit suicide if it were not forbidden by religion. But for Hamlet, does “to be” mean only life? at all? Taken by themselves, the first words of the monologue can be interpreted in this sense. But it does not require special attention to see the incompleteness of the first line, while the following lines reveal the meaning of the question and the opposition of two concepts: what it means to “be” and what it means to “not be.”
Here the dilemma is expressed quite clearly: to be means to rise up on a sea of turmoil and defeat them, “not to be” means to submit to the “slings and arrows” of furious fate. The posing of the question is directly related to Hamlet’s situation: should he fight against the sea of evil or should he evade the fight?
Which of the two possibilities does Hamlet choose? “To be,” to fight—this is the lot he has taken upon himself. Hamlet's thought runs ahead, and he sees one of the outcomes of the struggle - death!
The monologue from beginning to end is permeated with a heavy consciousness of the sorrows of existence. We can safely say that already from the hero’s first monologue it is clear: life does not give joy, it is full of grief, injustice, and various forms of desecration of humanity. It’s hard to live in such a world and I don’t want to. But Hamlet cannot, must not, give up his life, for the task of revenge lies with him. He must make calculations with a dagger, but not on himself.
Plan
I. Introduction.
II. Two translations of the monologue.
1. B. Pasternak’s translation.
2. M. Lozinsky’s translation.
III. Conclusion.
IV. List of the used literature.
There are many translations of “Hamlet”. Among them the translations of M. Vronchenko, N. Polevoy, A. Sokolovsky, P. Gnedich, A. Radlova. But the translations by B. Pasternak and M. Lozinsky are the most famous ones.
What does the monologue represent? It is a struggle between good and evil, it is a story about a strong person who wants to love, but who has to hate, who is alone and who worries about the misunderstanding and mercilessness of life.
We shall consider here only two translations: by B. Pasternak and M. Lozinsky.
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,
The 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 the 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 undiscover'd 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
And lose the name of action.
Now let us consider the translation of this monologue made by B. Pasternak. Hereitis:
To be or not to be, that is the question. Is it worthy
Resign yourself to the blows of fate,
Or must we resist
And in mortal combat with a whole sea of troubles
End them? Die. Forget yourself.
And know that this breaks the chain
Heartache and thousands of hardships,
Inherent in the body. Isn't this the goal?
Desired? Die. Lose yourself in sleep.
Fall asleep... and dream? Here is the answer.
What dreams will you have in that mortal sleep?
When is the veil of earthly feelings removed?
That's the solution. That's what lengthens
Our misfortunes last for so many years.
Otherwise, who would bear the humiliation of the century,
The lies of the oppressors, the nobles
Arrogance, feeling of rejection,
Slow trial and most of all
The mockery of the unworthy at the worthy,
When it's so easy to make ends meet
Dagger strike! Who would agree
Groaning, trudge along under the burden of life,
Whenever the unknown after death,
Fear of a country from which none
Didn't come back, didn't bend my will
It is better to put up with familiar evil,
Instead of trying to escape to the unfamiliar!
This is how thought turns us all into cowards,
And our resolve withers like a flower
Those who promised success at the beginning,
From long delays.
It is a wonderful translation, but I think that it is a very ponderous. It is rather exact, but it is not devoid of shortcomings.
Excluding from the text all the auxiliary words I counted 116 words in the text. Among them 33 words are translated into Russian with the help of lexical equivalents.
In some cases the application of full lexical equivalents is accompanied by grammatical transformations.
English nouns are replaced by Russian adjectives:
“in that sleep of death” – “in that mortal dream";
“under a wear life” - “under the burden vital”.
English infinitives are replaced by Russian verbal adverbs:
“to grunt” – “groaning”.
The English Present Indefinite Tense is replaced by the Russian Past Tense:
“notraveller returns” - “from where none was returning”,
“puzzles thewill” – “not inclined will."
Here full lexical equivalents are:
“to be, or not to be” – “to be or not to be”;
“that is the question” - “that’s the question”;
“a sea of troubles” - “with a sea of troubles”;
“endthem” - “end them”;
“to die” - “to die”;
“thousand” – “thousands”;
“to be wished” – “desired”;
“to sleep” - “to forget yourself in sleep”;
“to dream” – “to dream”;
“who would bear” - “who would demolish”;
“oppressor’s wrong” - “untruth of the oppressor”;
“the law’s delay” - “slow judgment”;
“unworthy” - “unworthy”;
“bodkin” – “dagger”;
“after death” - “after death”;
“dread” – “fear”;
“country” – “countries”;
“cowards” - “in the panties”;
“resolution” - “determination”.
Partial lexical equivalents make up 25 words. They are:
“Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” – “ Worthy l
Humble under blows fate."
“to sleep” - “to forget”;
“heartache” - “heartache”;
“that flesh is heir to” – “inherent in the body”;
“a consummation” – “goal”;
“have shuffled off” - “removed”;
“‘coil” – “cover”;
“scorns of time” - “humiliation of the century”;
“insolence of office” – “nobles’ arrogance”;
“pangs of disprized love” - “rejected feeling”;
“And makes us rather bear those ills we have” - “It’s better to put up with familiar evil”;
“conscience” – “thought”;
“is sicklied” - “withers”;
“enterprises of great pitch” - “plans on a grand scale.”
Pasternak also could omit, add or substitute words.
Omissions of words:
“The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” – “under the blows of fate”
But Hamlet considers fortune to be outrageous, cruel, vicious, and Pasternak omits this fact.
“the proud man’s contumely” - the proud man’s contempt. The phrase is omitted to reduce a wordy filling of the strophes.
Pasternak ennobles Hamlet omitting the word “to sweat” (to sweat).
“the dread of something after death, the undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns” - “fear of a country from which no one has returned.”
Here Pasternak omits the traveler’s image which is very striking for that time, the time of travelers and pilgrims, and Hamlet considers himself to be a wanderer who roams about the country, sees all the injustice of the world and worries that he cannot reform anything.
Then, Pasternak’s loses the strength of the final words of the monologue:
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.
And our resolve withers like a flower
In the sterility of a mental dead end,
This is how plans die on a grand scale,
Those who promised success at the beginning,
From long delays.
On the whole, B. Pasternak preserves the structure of the sentences of the monologue. In Pasternak’s translation there are many impersonal sentences as in the original. The difference is that some of them form compound and complex sentences. For example, “Die. Forget yourself.” – “To die, - to sleep, - no more.”
Now let us consider the translation of the monologue made by M. Lozinskey. Hereitis:
...To be or not to be - that is the question;
What is nobler in spirit - to submit
To the slings and arrows of furious fate
Or, taking up arms in the sea of turmoil, defeat them
Confrontation? Die, sleep -
And that's all; and say that you end up sleeping
Melancholy and a thousand natural torments,
The legacy of the flesh - how is such a denouement
Not thirsty? Die, sleep. - Go to sleep!
And dream, perhaps? That's the difficulty;
What dreams will you have in your death sleep?
When we throw off this mortal noise, -
This is what throws us off; that's the reason
That disasters are so long-lasting;
Who would bear the lashes and mockery of the century,
The oppression of the strong, the mockery of the proud,
The pain of despised love, the slowness of judges,
The arrogance of the authorities and insults,
Performed by uncomplaining merit,
If only he could give himself a reckoning
With a simple dagger? Who would trudge along with the burden,
To groan and sweat under a boring life,
Whenever the fear of something after death -
An unknown land from where there is no return
To earthly wanderers, - did not confuse the will,
Inspiring us to endure our adversities
And not to rush to others hidden from us?
So thinking makes us cowards,
And so determined natural color
Withers under the pale patina of thought,
Turning aside your move,
Lose the action name.
Excluding from the text all the auxiliary words I counted 116 words in the text. Among them 47 words are translated into Russian with the help of lexical equivalents.
In some cases application of the full lexical equivalents is accompanied by the grammatical transformations.
The English noun is replaced by the Russian adjective:
“in that sleep of death” – “in that mortal dream";
the English verb is replaced by the Russian noun:
“notraveller returns" - "No return to earthly wanderers”;
the English Present Indefinite Tense is replaced by the Russian Past Indefinite Tense:
“puzzles the will” - “will not” embarrassed”
Partial lexical equivalents make up 36 words. Among them:
“in the mind to suffer” – “to submit”;
“outrageous fortune” – “ furious fate";
“to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them?” – “ up in arms at sea troubles, defeat their confrontation”;
“and by a sleep to say we end the heartache” - “ and say that you end up sleeping
melancholy”.
But “heart-ache” is not depression. Hamlet is not depressed, he suffers from the injustice, imperfection of the world, from his own weakness to change everything.
“’tis a consummation” – “such a denouement”;
“this mortal coil” - “mortal noise”;
“scorns of time” - “mockery of the century”;
“oppressor’s wrong” - “oppression of the strong”;
“the proud man's contumely” – “ridicule proud";
“the pangs of dispraised love” – “pain despicable love”;
“the insolence of office” - “the arrogance of the authorities”;
“undiscover’d country” - “unknown land”;
“traveller” - “wanderers”;
“puzzles” – “confused”;
“And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?” –
“Inspiring us endure hardships our
And not hurry to others hidden from us?”
Like B. Pasternak M. Lozinskey has additions of words and omissions.
“’tis a consummation devoutly to be wished” – “how can one not crave such a solution?”
Here the word “devoutly” (seriously, sincerely) is omitted but the strength of the phrase does not weaken.M. Lozinskey achieves that using the word “thirst.”
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And beginnings that rose powerfully,
Turning aside your move
“Withthisregard” (because of this, regarding this) is superfluous in the translation as its meaning is clear from the context.
“Notravellerreturns” - “no return earthly wanderers."
Here we have an addition. It is justified because, for one thing, in “Hamlet” we have a traveler from the other world, and for another Lozinskey’s Hamlet using the word “earthly” opposes the short life to the eternal sleep, to the death.
List of the used literature:
- Barkhudarov L. S. On lexical correspondences in poetic translation // Translator's Notebooks, No. 2 - M.: International Relations, 1964. - pp. 41-60
- Dranov A. Hamlet’s monologue “To be or not to be.” Russian translations of the 19th century // Translator’s Notebooks No. 6 - M.: International Relations, 1969.- p. 32-51
- Mauler F.I. Some ways to achieve equilinearity // Translator’s Notebooks, No. 13 - M.: International Relations, 1976. - pp. 13-21
- Fedorov A.V. Introduction to translation theory. – M.: Publishing house of literature in foreign languages, 1953. – 335 p.
To understand Shakespeare's intentions in tragedies, the monologues of the heroes pronounced at the climax of the action are especially important. The most important for understanding the tragedy is Hamlet’s monologue “To be or not to be” in the first scene of the third act. We learn about Hamlet's goals long before this monologue, after Hamlet heard from the ghost about Claudius' crime. The duty of revenge for his murdered father immediately turns for Hamlet into the task of correcting his age: for this purpose, he erases all other desires and feelings from the tablets of his memory. Putting on the mask of a madman, he influences those around him in such a way that it causes fear and remorse in the criminal king, and awakens in Gertrude a consciousness of guilt and inner anxiety. But Hamlet promised the ghost to immediately fly on wings to take revenge on the murderer - but he does not fulfill this promise. He himself does not understand what is preventing him from immediately fulfilling his duty and killing Claudius. The answer to this question is given in the monologue “To be or not to be.”
V.P Komarova "Shakespeare and Montaigne" Chapter III
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 heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to, "tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished.
This monologue has been translated into all languages of the world!
The organ sounds - Sebastian Bach
To be or not to be, that is the question. Is it worthy
Resign yourself to the blows of fate,
Or must we resist
And in mortal combat with a whole sea of troubles
End them? Die. Forget yourself.
And know that this breaks the chain
Heartache and thousands of hardships,
Inherent in the body. Isn't this the goal?
Desired? Die. Lose yourself in sleep.
Fall asleep... and dream? Here is the answer.
What dreams will you have in that mortal sleep?
When is the veil of earthly feelings removed?
This is the solution. That's what lengthens
Our misfortunes last for so many years.
And the one who would endure the humiliation of the century,
The lies of the oppressors, the nobles
Arrogance, feeling of rejection,
Slow trial and most of all
The mockery of the unworthy at the worthy,
When it's so easy to make ends meet
Dagger strike! Who would agree
Groaning, trudge along under the burden of life,
Whenever the unknown after death,
Fear of a country from which none
Didn't come back, didn't bend my will
It is better to put up with familiar evil,
Instead of trying to escape to the unfamiliar!
This is how thought turns us all into cowards,
And our resolve withers like a flower
In the sterility of a mental dead end,
This is how plans die on a grand scale,
Those who promised success at the beginning,
From long delays. But enough!
Ophelia! O joy! Remember
My sins in my prayers, nymph.
Translation by B.L. Pasternak
The monologue “To be, or not to be” is perhaps one of the most famous fragments of Shakespeare’s legacy. Even a person who has not read Hamlet has probably heard the words “To be or not to be - that is the question?” - this expression is constantly repeated in our speech. At the same time, the text of the famous monologue itself is one of the most difficult passages of Shakespeare’s work to translate and still attracts the attention of many Russian translators.
