To be, or not to be

Cultural  

1. Words from the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. They begin a famous speech by Prince Hamlet in which he considers suicide as an escape from his troubles: “To be, or not to be: that is the question.”

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Example Sentences

To be or not to be, that is the question for a solo version of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2026

Wisely, the production acknowledges all the digital trickery, with Benny's avatar declaring: "To be or not to be, that is no longer the question," during an early interlude.

From BBC • May 26, 2022

To be, or not to be, ay there’s the point, To Die, to sleep, is that all?

From New York Times • Nov. 24, 2021

And at this point I'm thinking of "Hamlet" and our democracy: To be, or not to be.

From Salon • Oct. 30, 2021

To be, or not to be, that is the question;

From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton