TO BE, OR NOT TO BE?

 
To Be, Or Not To Be?

Alas! When I get suffocated and breathless 
Being sandwiched by mother's rigid, annoying and irrelevant supplications
And spouse's tortured tears, unyielding glares and fervent irritations,
Life seems to me more accursed and blessed less.

Alas! When I find myself in a dilemma as a chaste lady confronts:
If she relents to the immoral seductions as if to render salvations
Albeit she is constantly called lascivious by her conscience,
Baffled, she asks, "Should that water be accused of cleansing one's anus?"

Alas! When I'm dragged to decide and judge between truth and untruth 
I stand bewildered between my austere duty and decree perverse 
For, the former like Shylock's knife cuts an innocent Antonio's pound of flesh
And the latter, like Lord Krishna's frailty, Duryodhan's sins could be erased from earth.

Thus, who can come forward to say, what should do I:
What's heavenly and hellish what? And To be, or not to be?

Copyright: Dr. Shankar D Mishra, Sr. Lecturer in English, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India 
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Glossary with analysis of the poem.
- _Suffocated_: unable to breathe properly
- _Breathless_: unable to breathe properly
- _Rigid_: stiff or unyielding
- _Annoying_: causing irritation or frustration
- _Irrelevant_: not related or connected to the current situation
- _Supplications_: requests or prayers
- _Tortured_: subjected to physical or mental suffering
- _Fervent_: showing strong and enthusiastic support or loyalty
- _Irritations_: feelings of annoyance or frustration
- _Accursed_: strongly disliked or hated
- _Blessed_: holy or sacred
- _Chaste_: pure or virtuous
- _lascivious _: feeling or revealing an overt sexual interest or desire.
- _Conscience_: the inner voice that guides a person's moral principles
- _Baffled_: completely puzzled or perplexed
- _Salvations_: acts of saving or rescuing someone
- _Albeit_: although or despite something
- _Austere_: simple or plain, often to the point of being uncomfortable
- _Perverse_: showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is unacceptable or unreasonable
- _Decree_: an official order or decision
- _Frailty_: weakness or fragility
- _Erased_: completely removed or destroyed
- _Heavenly_: extremely pleasant or enjoyable
- _Hellish_: extremely unpleasant or difficult

Here is a stanza-wise analysis of the poem:

The poet feels suffocated and breathless due to the constant demands and expectations of his mother and spouse. He feels that life is more of a curse than a blessing.

The poet is torn between two conflicting desires. On one hand, he wants to do what is right and moral. On the other hand, he relents to the immoral desires so that the latter gets salvation. The poet compares himself to a chaste lady who is faced with a similar dilemma.

The poet is unsure of what to do and is torn between his duty and his desires. He compares his austere duty to that of Shylock's knife, which cuts an innocent Antonio's pound of flesh. He also compares his seemingly questionable actions to Lord Krishna's frailty, (Lord Krishna gestured Bhim to attack the thighs of Duryadhan to kill him, else the latter could not be killed, thus Lord Krishna went against the impartial ethics of the fight, but, this was needed due to Duryadhan's extreme wrongdoings.) which allows Duryodhan's sins to be erased.

Thus, the helpless poet asks who can help him decide what to do and what not to do. He questions what is heavenly and what is hellish. The poet ends the poem with the famous phrase "To be, or not to be?" which highlights his uncertainty and confusion.

Analysis and glossary Courtesy Mata AI