"To be or not to be"

English major or not, we've all heard this infamous line at least once in our lives. It is indisputably the greatest and most well known phrase in English literature and possibly one of the major reasons why we still study Shakespeare to this day. Though its relevance in our world and existence as humans is so great, many people live their lives without understanding its true meaning.

The thirty three line soliloquy, spoken by Prince Hamlet, boils down to one simple yet life changing idea; what happens after death is unknown. In Hamlet, Prince Hamlet goes through a horrible series of events. This places him in a state of depression and contemplation, setting the scene for the famous speech. He starts off questioning his own life, and whether or not he should put a stop to it. He goes on about his desire to die, describing it as a rest from all the commotion he experiences from day to day. Though the benefits of death seem clear to Hamlet, his contemplation leads him to a harrowing realization; the only thing restricting him from doing so is the mystery of death. Despite being an intelligent man, Hamlet cannot begin to comprehend what happens after we leave this Earth. Are the dreams we have in our sleep of death ones of flowery fields and bright skies? Or do we endlessly live in our worst nightmares? Hamlet decides that this fear is one too great to face without accomplishing the duty he has been assigned to complete.

This lesson is one to keep at your side, through every hardship you experience. Chase your goals and dreams and indulge in the fruit of success while you can. You never know when your ticket expires, and the mystery that lies on the other side of the bridge should be enough to keep you on your path to accomplishment.