LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 16:6 June 2016
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
         Renuga Devi, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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Hamlet’s To be or not to be” and
Haider’s “Main rahoon ki main nahi”
An Analysis

Dr. Seema Rana (Ph.D)


Abstract

Vishal Bhardwaj, along with a Kashmiri journalist Basharat Peer has presented an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The film is a modern-day reproduction of the tragedy of Hamlet set amidst the insurgency-hit Kashmir of 1995 and civilian disappearances while Bhardwaj gives it an Indian twist. Though the political backdrop often overwhelms the family drama, he provides the occasional sharp reminder of how cinematically he can reconstruct Shakespearean moments. About “Haider” one can say that it succeeds better as a tale of Kashmiri unrest and official brutality —than it does as a telling of “Hamlet. By comparison Haider is a simple fellow. In an un-Hamletlike way, he knows what he wants. He knows his purpose- to avenge his father and goes after it.

This paper tries to compare Hamlet’s soliloquy “To be or not to be, that is the question” –with Haider’s monologue“Main rahoon ki main nahi.” ‘To be or not to be’ in Act 3 Scene 1 of Hamlet is one of the most famous soliloquies in the works of Shakespeare.

Keywords: To be or Not to be, Hamlet, Haider’s “Main rahoon ki main nahi.”

To be, or not to be

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…

The first six words establish a balance. There is a direct opposition – to be, or not to be. Hamlet is thinking about a state of being alive or being dead. The question for him was whether to continue to exist or not. He asks which of the two alternatives is nobler whether to suffer silently the cruelties of fate or to put up a fight against the misfortunes of life that afflict one. It would be better perhaps to commit suicide if death were to mean a kind of total sleep and total unconsciousness. The argument that makes Hamlet pause is the question of what might happen after death. So his resolution is weakened and he is unable to execute great enterprise. This soliloquy reveals the speculative temperament of Hamlet, his irresolute and wavering mind, and his incapacity for any action. This soliloquy has a universal appeal because Hamlet seems to be speaking for all human beings. The dramatic purpose of this soliloquy is to explain Hamlet’s procrastination in carrying out his purpose and to show at the same time the mental torture that Hamlet has been undergoing because of his failure to have carried out his purpose.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Dr. Seema Rana, Ph.D.
Associate Professor in English
C.R.M. Jat College
Hisar 125005
Haryana
India
sima7269@yahoo.com
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