Why Is Hamlet's First Soliloquy

Before discussing the eminent ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy itself from Act 3 scene 1, it is imperative to comprehend the events of which occurred prior to the speech. Formerly in act one scene two, Hamlet was contemplating his suicide at the same time as cursing God for making suicide an immoral option. It has been made abundantly clear at this point of the play that Hamlet has been outweighing the positives and negatives of his suicide for quite some time, however he is aware that if committed, the action could make the afterlife worse than his present situation.
To begin the soliloquy, Hamlet voices the well-known question ‘To be, or not to be; that is the question’ which is an example of antithesis. By using antithesis in this context,
There is a clear difference in the way Hamlet talks and presents himself in this scene from his last soliloquy. For example, he is no longer passionate in what he is communicating nor is he angry as he was previously when discussing his mother’s re-marriage. Now before us is Hamlet, who is defeated and contemplative. Through his words and actions, the audience can see that Hamlet has not had an appropriate amount of time to grieve his father and consequently his mental and physical health has spiralled downwards. His emotional and mental state are largely out of proportion.
The metaphoric line ‘For who would bear the whips and scorns of time’ begins the list of instances of all those things that make life such an encumbrance. The metaphor equates itself to life’s problems, and emphasises the sufferings of life; in this case,
The insolence of office, and the spurns/ that patient merit of th’ unworthy takes…’ The listing technique that takes place here amplifies the force of what’s being said and the use of parallel structure to draw the attention of the audience to life's woes and to create a rhythm. Furthermore, the fluent tempo of the speech cannot be ignored. Most definitely is it not the passionate agitation of one who is mad, ergo telling us that Hamlet could not be mad yet for his excellent and sharp tongue signify otherwise.
From what Hamlet has spoken of, it seems as if he is leaning towards the path of death; his suicide. However from what is said next, we are alerted that Hamlet has changed his mind once again.
In the lines “But that the dread of something after death/the undiscovered country from whose bourn/No traveller returns puzzles the will/And makes us rather bear those ills we have/Than fly to other that we know not of?” Hamlet reluctantly decides against killing oneself due to the mysterious nature of death. He understands in his words that the fear of the unknown prevents us from killing ourselves, and is the reason why many choose life over death. Hamlet uses a metaphor by calling death an ‘undiscovered country from who’s borne no traveller returns’ to emphasise the unknown nature of death by comparing it to an undiscovered