"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."
Some say that Hamlet is not contemplating
suicide, because it would not make dramatic
sense for him to. If he wanted to suicide, he
would have done it in the beginning, not waiting
until the middle of the play. He knows too
much about the murder of his father, and
Claudius's guilt to want to die. Hamlet's
intentions were probably more to contemplate
whether or not he will follow the ghost's words,
as he will most likely damn his own soul if he
does go through with the revenge plot.
He knows that he may be damned, so
whether to be damned or not to be damned,
could be another viewpoint. My English teacher argued
this one in class, and this is the conclusion we came
to.