In "Hamlet", what ideas are suggested in Hamlet's "To be, or not to be" speech, and what gives it a universal quality?

This is probably the most studied text in the English language. What is its universal quality? Why do people find it so special?

It is because it gently and inclusively discusses topics that are extremely uncomfortable and taboo. People do not liking even thinking about these things, let alone talking about them.

Look at our society, it is FULL of cheesy people saying...

• "hey life is totally awesome" (it is sometimes)
• "Life is full of beautiful, happy people" (no, it's not),
• "Get out there and shine like you mean it", etc etc.

But if you say, "sorry, sometimes I don't feel fine, sometimes I find life deeply confusing" then our 'caring, sharing' society generally replies, "la la la la, whatever, I'm going shopping."

Hamlet looks straight at life with no soft focus or false positive attitude and concludes, "It really stinks". He lists the things that make it stupid and painful. He asks himself, "Is life better than death?" He thinks about the unknown afterlife and says people only suffer life because they are afraid of death.

And remember that Hamlet 'lived' in 1600, when life was much much tougher than it is now (for Americans at least).

The 'to be or nor to be' speech looks at a topic we almost never talk about, and Shakespeare analyses it so beautifully and with such genuine human feeling that it speaks deeply to all of us.