生存還是毀滅

「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。

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.