Question

Read the excerpt from an analysis of Hamlet’s "To be or not to be” speech in Act III of Hamlet.

Shakespeare begins the speech with the line "To be, or not to be: that is the question” and then proceeds to ask multiple questions throughout the speech.

When viewed through a formalist lens, the point of Shakespeare’s structure is to

contrast Hamlet’s speaking style with that of King Claudius.
emphasize Hamlet’s indecision that recurs throughout the play.
introduce a new motif that focuses on the inevitability of death.
illustrate Hamlet’s confusion about his relationship with King Claudius.

Answer 1

emphasize Hamlet’s indecision that recurs throughout the play.

Formalist readings focus on how the speech’s rhetorical questions, pauses, and antithetical phrasing shape meaning — here they dramatize Hamlet’s hesitation and self-doubt rather than external context.