How do the main characters in Hamlet face the question "To be or not to be"?

When Hamlet asks this question, he's essentially asking if it is better to be alive or dead. Is it easier to put up with everything life throws at us or resign oneself to death? In Hamlet's mind, death does, theoretically, end the heartache that results from life's harsh treatment. When other characters are forced to grapple with this question, most seem to choose "to be," or live instead of die. However, Hamlet claims, "I do not set my life at a pin's fee," when he is about to meet his father's ghost (1.4.73). He means that he hardly values his own life; in fact, he values it less than he values a pin. Hamlet seems prepared to embrace the idea of death.

Further, Ophelia seems to eventually choose death over the pain of life. She is driven mad by being forced to spurn Hamlet, the man she loves, then by his ensuing madness (which she believes to be sincere), and his murder of her father. When she falls into the water, Gertrude describes her "As one incapable of her own distress" (4.7.203). Perhaps it is simply that Ophelia is not distressed because she has no more reason to live, and, with nothing left to live for, she accepts her impending death in the water.

No one else in the play wants to die (or be dead) though. Hamlet's father is clearly angry that his life was taken away: he is most angry that he was taken "in the blossoms of [his] sin, / Unhouseled, disappointed, unaneled, / [...] but sent to my account / With all [his] imperfections on [his] head" (1.5.83-86). Old King Hamlet is angry, certainly, that he was cut down in his prime even before he could make confession.

Claudius and Gertrude have no desire to die; they seem to want to live on and enjoy their lives together (until Hamlet confronts his mother, at least). She is very distressed to realize that her husband poisoned the cup meant for Hamlet from which she drinks. She says, "O, my dear Hamlet! / The drink, the drink! I am poisoned" (5.2.340-341). These are not the cries of a person happy to die. Claudius, likewise, wants to live. When Hamlet wounds him, he begs, "O, yet defend me, friends! I am but hurt" (5.2.355). He asks for assistance to sustain his life, though it does not come.

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...

nouns - what do you call the person who passes the trophies to the prize giver/presenter?

The person who gives out the trophies to the winners are called award presenters. So what do u call the person who passes the trophies to the presenter? Thanks!

Is 'efficate' a word in English?

I routinely hear the word "efficate" being used. For example, "The most powerful way to efficate a change in the system is to participate." I do not find entries for this word in common English dictionaries, but I do not have an unabridged dictionary. I have checked the OED (I'm not sure if it is considered unabridged), and it has no entry for "efficate". It does have an entry for "efficiate", which is used in the same way. Wordnik has an entry for "efficate" with over 1800 hits, thus providing some evidence for the frequency of use. I personally like the word and find the meaning very clear and obvious when others use it. If it's not currently an "officially documented" word, perhaps its continued use will result in it being better documented.

Notes

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