40-414: " What dreams may come " is a quote from the " To be, or not to be " soliloquy from the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare . " What Dreams May Come " may refer to: To be, or not to be " To be, or not to be " is a speech given by Prince Hamlet in the so-called "nunnery scene" of William Shakespeare 's play Hamlet (Act 3, Scene 1). The speech is named for the opening phrase, itself among
80-583: A dystopian future in which the United States government, through scientific advancement, has achieved a "cure" for both aging and overpopulation. The alphabetical/numerical reformulation of Shakespeare's lines serves in the story as the phone number for the Federal Bureau of Termination's assisted suicide request line. In 1963 at a debate in Oxford, Black liberation leader Malcolm X quoted
120-583: A "freeman" (a full member) of the Stationers Company on 6 December 1591. In time, Jaggard developed one of the largest print shops of his generation; he was eventually assisted by his son Isaac (died 1627), who succeeded to his father's business in 1623. In their era, most members of the stationers guild were either printers or booksellers; both were businessmen with their own establishments, journeymen and apprentices, though in anachronistic modern terms printers could be regarded as blue-collar while
160-403: A (recent) student at Wittenberg University. Furthermore, Hamlet is not alone as he speaks because Ophelia is on stage waiting for him to see her, and Claudius and Polonius have concealed themselves to hear him. Even so, Hamlet seems to consider himself alone and there is no definite indication that the others hear him before he addresses Ophelia, so the speech is almost universally regarded as
200-502: 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. The text of the Second Quarto (Q2) is considered the earliest version of the play. In Q2 the whole nunnery scene including "To be" takes place later in
240-594: A line from this speech. The 1997 film adaptation of George of the Jungle also parodies this line; when George ( Brendan Fraser ) sees a paraglider dangling off the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge and notices a rope on the bridge's ledge, he quotes to the audience "To swing, or not to swing"? After deciding "swing", George grabs the rope and swings, saving the paraglider. The New Zealand television series Outrageous Fortune takes its title from
280-574: A matter of necessity; Jaggard's shop had the capacity for a project of such a scale. William Jaggard suffered deteriorating health in the final decade of his life. By the time of the First Folio he was old, infirm and blind; the actual work on the Folio must have been done by his son Isaac. The elder Jaggard died in November 1623, just before the Folio's publication. A balanced judgement on Jaggard
320-420: A misapprehension about Jaggard's work: from the number of typographical errors and cruxes in the First Folio, it is sometimes inferred that Jaggard did poor-quality work. The Topsell volumes show another side of Jaggard's professional accomplishment; his firm was capable of high-quality craftmanship. In 1608 Jaggard bought out the business of the elderly James Roberts , a printer with significant connections to
360-596: A sincere soliloquy . There are three main copies of Hamlet: the First Quarto , also known as the "Bad Quarto", published in 1603; the Second Quarto, or "Good Quarto" of 1604; and the version included in the First Folio , published in 1623. These texts are commonly abbreviated Q1, Q2 and F1. Three additional early texts are known, John Smethwick 's Q3, Q4, and Q5 (1611–37); these are regarded as reprints of Q2 with some alterations. This version preserves most of
400-420: 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 ſo long life: For who would beare
440-408: 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
SECTION 10
#1732797784912480-595: A wide variety of common materials, including ballads – one example being Adam Bell , Clym of the Clough, and William of Cloudesle (1610). He also printed books of varying types, including works by Richard Barnfield and John Davies of Hereford . To modern book collectors and bibliophiles, Jaggard is known as the printer and publisher of Edward Topsell 's The History of Four-Footed Beasts (1607) and The History of Serpents (1608), famous for their lush and often-reproduced illustrations. The Topsell books can serve to correct
520-405: Is a short early text of Hamlet . Though it was published in 1603, it was lost or not known until a copy was discovered in 1823. It contains a number of unique characteristics and oddities. When it was discovered, it was thought to be an earlier version than the Second Quarto, but is now considered by scholars to be derivative, or pirated and imperfectly remembered. In the version below, the spelling
560-556: Is hard to achieve. In one view, "William Jaggard was in general a reputable printer and it was only when he was dealing with Shakespeare's work that he became at all unethical...." Harsher verdicts have also been rendered. A descendant of William's brother co-printer John Jaggard, known as Captain William Jaggard (1867–1947), set up a printing and bookselling establishment in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1909 –
600-534: Is one of the most widely known and quoted lines in modern English, and the speech has been referenced in numerous works of theatre, literature and music. The two most iconic moments in the play ― the Act III, scene 1 "To be or not to be" speech and the Act V, scene 1 image of Hamlet contemplating the skull of Yorick – may be linked when the play is remembered, but the two moments occur in different acts of
640-419: Is updated, along with minor alterations of scansion, capitalization and punctuation. 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
680-488: The First Folio text with updated spelling, punctuation, and five common emendations introduced from the Second ("Good") Quarto (italicised). 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
720-468: The proud man's contumely, [F: poore ] The pangs of despised Love, the law’s delay, [F: dispriz’d ] 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
760-502: The " First Folio ", includes an edition of Hamlet largely similar to the Second Quarto. The differences in "To be" are mostly typographic, with increased punctuation and capitalization. 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
800-460: The Shakespeare canon. Roberts printed the second quarto of Titus Andronicus for bookseller Edward White and the first quarto of Merchant of Venice for Thomas Heyes (both 1600); he printed the second quarto of Hamlet for Nicholas Ling in 1604. Roberts also owned the concession to print the handbills that the actors' companies used to advertise their productions. Jaggard sought
840-642: 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
SECTION 20
#1732797784912880-443: 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
920-405: The booksellers were white-collar retailers. Most commercial publishing was done by booksellers, who chose their books and commissioned printers to print them. The distinction, while generally valid, was not absolute; some successful printers, like Richard Field , published a significant minority of the works they printed. The Jaggards too did a significant amount of publishing as well as printing; in
960-430: The first few lines of the speech to make a point about "extremism in defense of liberty." Last Action Hero (1993) has Jack Slater ( Arnold Schwarzenegger ) parody the phrase in a mock trailer of an actionized version of Hamlet before blowing up a castle behind him just by smoking a cigar. His version has him say "To be, or not to be? Not to be." Star Trek 's sixth film, The Undiscovered Country (1991)
1000-510: The most obvious case, they not only printed the First Folio but were partners in its publication with bookseller Edward Blount . Printers who published often needed a retail outlet for their wares; Jaggard's books were frequently sold by Matthew Lownes at his shop in St. Paul's Churchyard, the centre of the book trade in London. Jaggard in time rose to a prominent position in his profession; he became
1040-459: The most widely known and quoted lines in modern English literature, and has been referenced in many works of theatre, literature and music. In the speech, Hamlet contemplates death and suicide , weighing the pain and unfairness of life against the alternative, which might be worse. It is not clear that Hamlet is thinking of his own situation since the speech is entirely in an abstract, somewhat academic register that accords with Hamlet's status as
1080-688: The official Printer to the City of London in 1611. When the Stationers Company decided to issue a general catalogue of English books published in 1618–19, Jaggard was chosen as its printer. William Jaggard's brother John Jaggard was also a printer and publisher, and held the rights to print the Essays of Sir Francis Bacon . John published editions of the Essays (1606, 1612, 1613) that were printed by his brother William. William Jaggard printed
1120-558: The period 1621–23 his print shop was occupied on the massive task of bringing the First Folio into print. Given his apparently less-than-respectable links with The Passionate Pilgrim and the False Folio, commentators have wondered why John Heminges and Henry Condell , the two members of the King's Men who compiled the texts of the First Folio, chose Jaggard for the First Folio job. Some scholars have argued that it may have been
1160-514: The play than in Q1 where it occurs directly after Claudius and Polonius have planned it. The inclusion of "Soft you now", suggests that Hamlet has not (or is feigning having not) seen Ophelia thus far during his speech. 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
1200-463: The play. A plot point of the 1942 film comedy To Be or Not to Be involves the first line of the monologue. In the 1957 comedy film A King in New York , Charlie Chaplin recites the monologue in the shoes of the ambiguous King Shahdov. Hamlet's line is the basis of the title of Kurt Vonnegut 's 1962 short story " 2 B R 0 2 B " (the zero is pronounced "nought"). The narrative takes place in
1240-400: The same monopoly; he did not obtain it, however, until 1615. Jaggard had a twenty-year involvement with works of the Shakespeare canon, starting with his publication of the questionable collection The Passionate Pilgrim under Shakespeare's name in 1599. Jaggard printed an expanded edition of the same work in 1612. In 1619 Jaggard was at the center of the cryptic False Folio affair; and in
What Dreams May Come - Misplaced Pages Continue
1280-543: The texts of William Shakespeare , most notably the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays. Jaggard's shop was "at the sign of the Half-Eagle and Key in Barbican." He was the son of a John Jaggard, a citizen of London and a barber-surgeon by profession; the elder Jaggard was already deceased when his son began an eight-year apprenticeship with printer Henry Denham at Michaelmas (29 September) 1584. William Jaggard became
1320-424: 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,
1360-468: 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
1400-490: 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. The First Quarto
1440-527: 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. "To be, or not to be"
1480-573: 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. Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies , published by Isaac Jaggard and Ed Blount in 1623 and better known as
1520-667: The words of the third line of the speech. A shorter Hindi version of "To be, or not to be" was recited by Shahid Kapoor in the 2014 Bollywood film Haider . Stargate Atlantis , the Season 4 Episode 10 named "This Mortal Coil" (2008) after the speech, as well as Season 4 Episode 11 named "Be All My Sins Remember'd" (2008). These episodes involved learning about and fighting the artificial intelligence species Replicator . The virtuoso soliloquy in Carl Michael Bellman 's Fredman's Epistles , " Ack du min moder ",
1560-412: Was described by the poet and literary historian Oscar Levertin as "the to-be-or-not-to-be of Swedish literature". The Japanese band P-Model 's song 2D or Not 2D, off their self-titled album , directly references the line. Isaac Jaggard William Jaggard ( c. 1568 – November 1623) was an Elizabethan and Jacobean printer and publisher, best known for his connection with
1600-519: Was named for the line from this speech, albeit the Klingon interpretation in which the title refers to the future and not death. References are made to Shakespeare during the film including Klingon translations of his works and the use of the phrase "taH pagh, taHbe' ", roughly meaning "whether to continue, or not to continue [existence]." What Dreams May Come , the 1978 novel by Richard Matheson and its 1998 film adaptation derive their name from
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