"To be, or not to be" is the opening phrase of a soliloquy spoken by Hamlet in the so-called "nunnery scene" of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. Although called a soliloquy, Hamlet is far from alone since Ophelia is pretending to read while she waits for Hamlet to notice her, and Claudius and Polonius, who have set Ophelia there in order to overhear their conversation and find out if Hamlet is really mad or only pretending, are hiding behind an arras. Even so, Hamlet seems to consider himself alone. In the speech, Prince Hamlet contemplates death and suicide, bemoaning the pain and unfairness of life but acknowledging that the alternative might be worse. The meaning of the speech is heavily debated but seems concerned with Hamlet's hesitation to directly and immediately avenge his father