To be or not to be: Meaning Now

What do we mean when we say it today?

Whether or not you've read Hamlet, you've probably heard this line before. It's plastered on t-shirts, used as the punch line in cartoons, and even served as a movie title back in the 40s. Most people know Shakespeare came up with this phrase, even if they've never read Hamlet. But most of the time we come across this phrase today, it isn't actually referring to big questions like the meaning of life and whether or not someone should commit suicide.

Nope, today, we use it to mean all kinds of things. Usually, we're being funny. Let's face it: this quote has taken on a life of it's own now, so people know they can make fun of it. In Math, it's turned into an equation. In Science, it's used as a quip about Intelligent Design. And don't even get us started on the whole slew of books and newspaper articles that use this as a catchy title.

You've probably figured out by now that most of these actually have nothing to do with philosophy, suicide, or death. In fact, today, we have a different phrase that gets to the heart of what this speech is saying: "out of the frying pan and into the fire." That basically means that things might be bad, but they could get a whole lot worse if you die. And that's pretty much what Hamlet is saying, right?