生存還是毀滅（To be, or not to be）是莎士比亞齣戲哈姆雷特第三幕第一場，哈姆雷特王子一段句白的第一句；很多人也會用這句來指整段句白。它是世界文學中常見被引用的一句。而整段句白是：
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 wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, 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 despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would these fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover'd 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 pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.--Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember'd.
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
生存還是毀滅，這是一個值得考慮的問題；
Whether 'tis nobler
這兩種行為，哪一種更高貴？
in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
默然忍受命運的暴虐的毒箭
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
還是應與深如大海之無涯苦難奮然爲敵,
And by opposing end them?
並將其克服
To die: to sleep;
死即睡眠
No more;
它不過如此!
and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to,
倘若一眠能了結心靈之苦楚與肉體之百患,
'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd.
那麼, 此結局是可盼的!
To die, to sleep;
死去, 睡去...
To sleep: perchance to dream:
但在睡眠中可能有夢,
ay, there's the rub;
啊, 這就是個阻礙:
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
在死之長眠中會有何夢來臨?
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
當我們擺脱了此垂死之皮囊,
Must give us pause:
它令我們躊躇,
there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life;
使我們心甘情願的承受長年之災,
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
誰願意忍受人世的鞭撻和蔑視，
The oppressor's wrong,
壓迫者的錯誤，
the proud man's contumely,
驕傲的人的侮辱，
The pangs of despised love,
被輕蔑的愛情的痛苦，
the law's delay,
法律的延遲，
The insolence of office and
上級的傲慢和
the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
費盡辛勤所換來的小人的鄙視，
When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin?
要是他只要用一柄小小的刀子，就可以清算他自己的一生？
who would these fardels bear,
誰願意負著這樣的重擔，
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
在煩勞的生命的壓迫下呻吟流汗，
But that the dread of something after death,
倘不是因為懼怕不可知的死後，
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn No traveller returns,
懼怕那從來不曾有一個旅人回來過的神秘之國，
puzzles the will
是它迷惑了我們的意志
And makes us rather bear
使我們寧願忍受目前的磨折，
those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of?
不敢向我們所不知道的痛苦飛去？
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
這樣，重重的顧慮使我們全變成了懦夫，
And thus the native hue of resolution
決心的赤熱的光彩，
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
被審慎的思維蓋上了一層灰色，
And enterprises of great pith and moment With this regard their currents turn awry,
偉大的事業在這一種考慮之下，也會逆流而退，
And lose the name of action.
失去了行動的意義。
--Soft you now!
且慢！
The fair Ophelia! Nymph,
美麗的奧菲利婭！ ——女神，
in thy orisons
在你的祈禱之中，
Be all my sins remember'd.
不要忘記替我懺悔我的罪孽。
