TO BE OR NOT TO BE

a)  My interpretation/translation of "Hamlet's Soliloquy":
Is it better to rise up and do what you feel is right, possibly inheriting great risk in the process, or to "play it safe" and refrain from intervening? The choice may seem clear but, when confronted with such a situation, there is often much more to be considered than what is apparent at face value. Sure, there will most likely be some worldly risks involved but, even for those who are willing to accept the possibility of legal repercussions or damage to his/her reputation, there is something much greater in jeopardy. The very essence of one's being. There is no question that the decisions that we make define us. Some choices are so significant that they can, in a sense, cause the chooser's current self to "die" and be "reborn" as somebody/something entirely different. This can be a frightening prospect. Who knows what is to become of the individual, especially taking into account the severe emotional trauma that a decision of such magnitude entails? It is that unknown, along with the fear that it brings, that creates the "rub". The internal conflict of whether this "new self" will coincide with improved circumstances, or cause an irreversible plummet into a crushing abyss of misfortune and despair. If the choice is made to open the door to a new future, who is to say that positive changes will follow? There is no greater risk than that of losing one's very self and, in this case, there is no safety net.

b) Out of all of the levels of meaning that this soliloquy attains, the one that resonates most with me is: "to act on what you know to be true in order to hold yourself in higher esteem". This theme plays a fairly pronounced role in my own decision making process. While I do try to do the right things for the right reasons, I would be lying if I said that I don't make those decisions just as much for ME as I do for whatever/whoever they are centered around. There are times when I honestly can't tell if I made a certain ("good") choice because I am a good person, or so that I can believe that I am a good person. Even if it's not apparent, there is almost some sort of incentive behind even the most selfless acts/gestures. After all, there is no denying that it feels good to do the right thing. That increase in self-esteem/respect can actually prove to be more of an impetus than any material compensation, even for those who lack the metacognitive awareness required to understand such a concept's applicability to their subconscious thought process.

c) If I were in Hamlet's position, there would really be no choice for me to make. I would not be willing to suffer through that flawed existence at my uncle's hands. What he did was unforgivable, and I would have no trouble attempting to remediate it at his expense.