"To be or not to be" – that is the question and opening phrase of the third act of Shakespeare's classic tragedy "Hamlet," the English playwright's longest drama. The Danish prince is at this point in the narrative shocked and overcame with grief upon discovering that his father has been murdered by Hamlet's uncle. This has spurred him to muse on life and death, and whether he should face life's hardships going forward or end them by taking his own life.