Daniel Defoe (1660-1731)

The monologue of Hamlet

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;

No more; and, by a sleep to say we end

The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep:

To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause. There's the respect

That makes calamity of so long life;

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,

The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,

The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay,

The insolence of office, and the spurns

That patient merit of the unworthy takes,

When he himself might his quietus make

With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,

To grunt and sweat under a weary life,

But that the dread of something after death,

The undiscover'd country from whose bourn

No traveller returns, puzzles the will,

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others that we know not of?

Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;

And thus the native hue of resolution

Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,

And enterprises of great pith and moment

With this regard their currents turn awry,

And lose the name of action.

Daniel Defoe (1660-1731)

Daniel Defoe, the great English writer of the 17th century was born in London, in the family of wealthy parents. Daniel got a good education. He had good knowledge of history, math­ematics, geography, knew several languages: French, Italian Spanish, Latin and ancient Greek. His father wanted him to| become a priest. But young Defoe did not like this profession He refused to be a priest, and for many years he was a merchant. He visited many countries: France, Spain, Italy, among others. Then he became a journalist. He started writing late. A first he wrote several political pamphlets and the first one appeared in 1701 and brought him fame. For one of the pamphlets he was put into prison, but then one of the Ministers о the Queen decided to use the talent of the writer. Defoe was set free and allowed to publish his newspaper.

Defoe wrote numerous pamphlets, novels, historical work

One of his most famous novels— Robinson Crusoe— appeared in 1719. The novel is about the adventures of a real man, Scotch, Alexander Selkirk by name who lived on a desert island for 4 years. The story of Selkirk was well known at that time.

At the end of life his fortune turned its back on him. He died in poverty, quite alone, far away from his wife and many children.