生存还是毁灭

此版本的底本为第一对开本（1623），参照第二四开本（1604-1605）校订，并以现代正字法拼写。

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. To die, to sleep,

To sleep, perchance to Dream; aye, 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 dispised Love, the Law’s delay,

The insolence of Office, and the spurns

That patient merit of th'unworthy takes,

When he himself might his Quietus make

With a bare Bodkin? Who would Fardels bear, [F: these Fardels]

To grunt and sweat under a weary life,

But that the dread of something after death,

The undiscovered country, from whose bourn

No traveller 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 pitch and moment, [F: pith]

With this regard their Currents turn awry, [F: away]

And lose the name of Action. Soft you now,

The fair Ophelia? Nymph, in thy Orisons

Be all my sins remember'd.

第一四开本(Q1, 1603)是哈姆雷特最早的版本，但被认为是剧院演出时抄写的山寨版，而非剧作早期的草稿（因此被称为"坏四开本"）；Q1的某些地方确实和通行文本相符，但是在"生存还是毁灭"一段中问题颇多。例如行文中用"Hope"代替"dread"，与通行文本的意思大相径庭。此处的单词同样以现代正字法拼写。

To be, or not to be, Ay there's the point,

To Die, to sleep, is that all? Aye all:

No, to sleep, to dream, aye marry there it goes,

For in that dream of death, when we awake,

And borne before an everlasting Judge,

From whence no passenger ever returned,

The undiscovered country, at whose sight

The happy smile, and the accursed damn'd.

But for this, the joyful hope of this,

Who'd bear the scorns and flattery of the world,

Scorned by the right rich, the rich cursed of the poor?

The widow being oppressed, the orphan wrong'd,

The taste of hunger, or a tyrants reign,

And thousand more calamities besides,

To grunt and sweat under this weary life,

When that he may his full Quietus make,

With a bare bodkin, who would this endure,

But for a hope of something after death?

Which puzzles the brain, and doth confound the sense,

Which makes us rather bear those evils we have,

Than fly to others that we know not of.

Aye that, O this conscience makes cowards of us all,

Lady in thy orizons, be all my sins remembered.

第二四开本（Q2, 1604-1605）被公认为本剧最早的可信版本（因此被称为"好四开本"）。在Q2中，整个场景发生的时间比Q1要晚：Q1中的场景直接发生于克劳迪斯和波洛涅斯计划之后；且Q2添加了"Soft you now"，表明哈姆雷特在讲话时没有（或假装没有）看到奥菲利亚。

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

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outragious 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 too; tis a consumation

Devoutly to be wish'd to die to sleep,

To sleep, perhance to dream, ay, there's the rub,

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we haue shuffled off this mortal coil

Muſt giue vs pauſe, there's the reſpect

That makes calamitie of ſo long life:

For who would beare the whips and ſcorns of time,

Th'oppreſſors wrong, the proude mans contumly,

The pangs of deſpiz'd loue, the lawes delay,

The inſolence of office, and the ſpurnes

That patient merrit of the'vnworthy takes,

When he himſelfe might his quietas make

With a bare bodkin; who would fardels beare,

To grunt and ſweat vnder a wearie life,

But that the dread of ſomething after death,

The vndiſcouer'd country, from whose borne

No trauiler returnes, puzzels the will,

And makes vs rather beare thoſe ills we haue,

Then flie to others we know not of.

Thus conſcience dooes make cowards,

And thus the natiue hiew of reſolution

Is ſickled ore with the pale caſt of thought,

And enterpriſes of great pitch and moment,

With this regard theyr currents turne awry,

And loose the name of action. Soft you now,

The faire Ophelia, Nimph in thy orizons

Be all my ſinnes remembred.

1623年由Issac Jaggard和Ed Blount出版的《威廉·莎士比亚先生的喜剧、历史剧和悲剧》被称为"第一对开本" (F1)，其中收录的《哈姆雷特》文本与第二对开本基本相似，本段中，二者的不同基本在于排版：增加部分标点符号和大写字母。

To be, or not to be, that is the Question:

Whether ’tis Nobler in the mind to suffer

The Slings and Arrows of outragious Fortune,

Or to take Armes against a Sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them: to dye, to sleep

No more; and by a sleep, to say we end

The Heart-ake, and the thouſand Naturall ſhockes

That Flesh is heyre too? 'Tis a consummation

Deuoutly to be wiſh'd. To dye to sleepe,

To sleep, perchance to Dream; I, there's the rub,

For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,

When we haue ſhufflel’d off this mortall coile,

Muſt giue us pause. There's the respect

That makes Calamity of long life:

For who would beare the Whips and Scornes of time,

The Oppreſſors wrong, the poore mans Contumely,

The pangs of diſpriz’d Loue, the Lawes delay,

The inſolence of Office, and the Spurnes

That patient merit of the unworthy takes,

When he himſelfe might his Quietus make

With a bare Bodkin? Who would theſe Fardles beare

To grunt and ſweat vnder a weary life,

But that the dread of ſomething after death,

The vndiſcouered Countrey, from whoſe Borne

No Traueller returnes, Puzels the will,

And makes vs rather beare those illes we haue,

Then flye to others that we know not of.

Thus Conſcience does make Cowards of vs all,

And thus the Natiue hew of Resolution

Is ſicklied o’re, with the pale caſt of Thought,

And enterprizes of great pith and moment,

With this regard their Currants turne away,

And looſe the name of Action. Soft you now,

The faire Ophelia? Nimph, in thy Orizons

Be all my ſinnes remembred.

生存还是毁灭，这是一个值得考虑的问题；默然忍受命运的暴虐的毒箭，或是挺身反抗人世的无涯的苦难，通过斗争把它们扫清，这两种行为，哪一种更高贵？死了；睡着了；什么都完了；要是在这一种睡眠之中，我们心头的创痛，以及其他无数血肉之躯所不能避免的打击，都可以从此消失，那正是我们求之不得的结局。死了；睡着了；睡着了也许还会做梦；嗯，阻碍就在这儿：因为当我们摆脱了这一具朽腐的皮囊以后，在那死的睡眠里，究竟将要做些什么梦，那不能不使我们踌躇顾虑。人們甘心久困于患难之中，也就是为了这个缘故；谁愿意忍受人世的鞭挞和讥嘲、压迫者的凌辱、傲慢者的冷眼、被轻蔑的爱情的惨痛、法律的迁延、官吏的横暴和费尽辛勤所换来的小人的鄙视，要是他只要用一柄小小的刀子，就可以清算他自己的一生？谁愿意负着这样的重担，在烦劳的生命的压迫下呻吟流汗，倘不是因为害怕不可知的死後，害怕那从来不曾有一个旅人回来过的神秘之國，是它迷惑了我们的意志，使我们寧愿忍受目前的折磨，不敢向我们所不知道的痛苦飞去？这样，重重的顾虑使我们全变成了懦夫，决心的赤热的光彩，被审慎的思维盖上了一层灰色，伟大的事业在这一种考虑之下，也会逆流而退，失去了行动的意义。且慢！美丽的奥菲利娅！——女神，在你的祈祷之中，不要忘记替我忏悔我的罪孽。[1]