Hamlet Criticism “To be or not to be; that is the question.” (Hamlet) This is the most often quoted phrase in the English language. (Friendly Shakespeare) It comes from Hamlet, a tragic play written by one of the world’s most renown writers: William Shakespeare. Hamlet, while considered a work of art, has often been the brunt of criticism from the time it came out until today. Perhaps play needs to be completely re-done to fit modern times. To understand why Hamlet has been criticized, one first must know the plot line. In the beginning of the play, the Ghost of Hamlet’s father, the late King of Denmark, has on two successive nights te