Production of William Shakespeare's Hamlet by the Globe Theatre of London in downtown Boston, Friday night.
What Hamlet is contemplating is the comparison between the pain of life, which he sees as inevitable (the sea of troubles - the slings and arrows - the heartache - the thousand natural shocks) and the fear of the uncertainty of death and of possible damnation of suicide.
Hamlet's dilemma is that although he is dissatisfied with life and lists its many torments, he is unsure what death may bring - the dread of something after death, fear of the unknown. He can't be sure what death has in store. It may be sleep but in perchance to dream he is speculating that it is perhaps an experience worse than life.
"The undiscovered country from which no man returns, puzzles the will, and makes us rather bear those ills we have than fly to others we know not of."
In essence, life is bad, but death might be worse.
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