「生存還是毀滅」（英語：To be, or not to be），是莎士比亞戲劇作品《哈姆雷特》第三幕第一場，哈姆雷特王子一段獨白的第一句前半部，很多人也會用這句來指整段獨白。在王子的演講中，他考慮了死亡與自殺，哀嘆這痛苦又不公的生活，也承認另一種選擇可能會更糟。這段開場白是世界文學、戲劇與音樂作品中常見被引用的一句，整句是：「生存還是毀滅，這是一個值得考慮的問題」（To be or not to be, that is the question）。



文本

通行文本

此版本的底本為第一對開本（1623），參照第二四開本（1604-1605）校訂，並以現代正字法拼寫。

　
: 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.

第一四開本文本

第一四開本 (Q1, 1603) 是哈姆雷特最早的版本，但被認為是劇院演出時抄寫的山寨版，而非劇作早期的草稿（因此被稱為 "壞四開本"）；Q1 的某些地方確實和通行文本相符，但是在 "生存還是毀滅" 一段中問題頗多。例如行文中用 "Hope" 代替 "dread"，與通行文本的意思大相逕庭。此處的單詞同樣以現代正字法拼寫。

　
: 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.

第二四開本文本

第二四開本（Q2, 1604-1605）被公認為本劇最早的可信版本（因此被稱為 "好四開本"）。在 Q2 中，整個場景發生的時間比 Q1 要晚：Q1 中的場景直接發生於克勞迪斯和波洛涅斯計劃之後；且 Q2 添加了 "Soft you now"，表明哈姆雷特在講話時沒有（或假裝沒有）看到奧菲利亞。

　
: 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.

第一對開本文本

1623 年由 Issac Jaggard 和 Ed Blount 出版的《威廉・莎士比亞先生的喜劇、歷史劇和悲劇》被稱為 "第一對開本" (F1)，其中收錄的《哈姆雷特》文本與第二對開本基本相似，本段中，二者的不同基本在於排版：增加部分標點符號和大寫字母。

　
: 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.



中文翻譯

朱生豪譯文

　
: 生存還是毀滅，這是一個值得考慮的問題；默然忍受命運的暴虐的毒箭，或是挺身反抗人世的無涯的苦難，通過鬥爭把它們掃清，這兩種行為，哪一種更高貴？死了；睡著了；什麼都完了；要是在這一種睡眠之中，我們心頭的創痛，以及其他無數血肉之軀所不能避免的打擊，都可以從此消失，那正是我們求之不得的結局。死了；睡著了；睡著了也許還會做夢；嗯，阻礙就在這兒：因為當我們擺脫了這一具朽腐的皮囊以後，在那死的睡眠里，究竟將要做些什麼夢，那不能不使我們躊躇顧慮。人們甘心久困於患難之中，也就是為了這個緣故；誰願意忍受人世的鞭撻和譏嘲、壓迫者的凌辱、傲慢者的冷眼、被輕蔑的愛情的慘痛、法律的遷延、官吏的橫暴和費盡辛勤所換來的小人的鄙視，要是他只要用一柄小小的刀子，就可以清算他自己的一生？誰願意負著這樣的重擔，在煩勞的生命的壓迫下呻吟流汗，倘不是因為害怕不可知的死後，害怕那從來不曾有一個旅人回來過的神秘之國，是它迷惑了我們的意志，使我們寧願忍受目前的折磨，不敢向我們所不知道的痛苦飛去？這樣，重重的顧慮使我們全變成了懦夫，決心的赤熱的光彩，被審慎的思維蓋上了一層灰色，偉大的事業在這一種考慮之下，也會逆流而退，失去了行動的意義。且慢！美麗的奧菲利婭！—— 女神，在你的祈禱之中，不要忘記替我懺悔我的罪孽。



參考文獻



外部連結


* 《哈姆雷特主義》 - 《哈姆雷特》的後現代演出

* 臺大圖書館數位學習網 \_線上文學書房

* 臺大圖書館數位學習網 \_英語朗讀：從莎士比亞開始

* HyperHamlet（頁面存檔備份，存於網際網路檔案館） - research project at the University of Basel （英文）

* 哈姆雷特中文版 （頁面存檔備份，存於網際網路檔案館）

* 莎士比亞的全部作品集 （簡體中文）

* Wordsmith.org, Article from the _Sydney Morning Hearld_, 1999.