Who said To be or not to be that is the question and why The famous line To be or not to be that is the question is spoken by Prince Hamlet in William Shakespeare s - Hamlet This famous soliloquy appears in Act Scene This speech shows Hamlet s deep sadness and confusion He is unable to decide whether to kill his uncle King Claudius and take revenge or not He is in deep mental pain and he contemplates suicide Hamlet s Inner Struggle Hamlet says these words when he is alone thinking about all the pain lies and injustice in the world He has not yet taken revenge on Claudius and his mind is full of doubt and fear He wonders if it is better to be meaning to live and suffer or not to be meaning to die and end all suffering But he is afraid of