Hamlet, Shakespeare's enigmatic protagonist, has fascinated readers for centuries with his existential musings and tragic fate. This article uncovers a range of famous quotes from the play, organized into ten thought-provoking subtitles. Each section delves into different aspects of Hamlet's dialogue and actions, spanning themes such as introspection, madness, revenge, and philosophy. The timeless wisdom captured in these lines resonates with universal human experiences, making Hamlet an enduring source of literary inspiration. As we journey through the intricacies of Hamlet's psyche, we aim to provide insights into his complex character and the play's profound themes that continue to captivate audiences worldwide.
Quotes on Existence
"To be, or not to be, that is the question."
"What is a man, if his chief good and market of his time be but to sleep and feed?"
"There’s the respect that makes calamity of so long life."
"For in that sleep of death what dreams may come."
"To die—to sleep, No more."
"And thus the native hue of resolution is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought."
"Conscience does make cowards of us all."
"The dread of something after death, the undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns."
"The heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to."
"To grunt and sweat under a weary life."
"Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune."
"The law’s delay, the insolence of office, and the spurns that patient merit of the unworthy takes."
Quotes on Madness
"Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t."
"Madness in great ones must not unwatched go."
"I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft."
"It is not, nor it cannot come to good; but break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue."
"As if he had been loosed out of hell to speak of horrors, he comes before me."
"O, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown!"
"I am but mad north-north-west."
"Since brevity is the soul of wit, and tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes."
"If you do marry, I’ll give you this plague for your dowry."
"This is the very coinage of your brain."
"We fools of nature so horridly to shake our disposition with thoughts beyond the reaches of our souls?"
"The earth, seems indeed a sterile promontory."
Quotes on Revenge
"Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder."
"I’ll have grounds more relative than this. The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king."
"Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive against thy mother aught."
"For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak with most miraculous organ."
"Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave, That I, the son of a dear father murdered."
"And so am I revenged that was slain by Christendom?"
"And am I then revenged to take him in the purging of his soul?"
"Let the galled jade wince; our withers are unwrung."
"Up sword, and know thou a more horrid hent."
"For this relief much thanks; ‘tis bitter cold, And I am sick at heart."
"The dread of revenge turns the soul to gall."
"Bow, stubborn knees, And, heart, be soft."
Quotes on Philosophy and Thought
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
"The time is out of joint; O cursed spite, That ever I was born to set it right!"
"Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth move." However, underlying this is a deeper truth."
"Give me that man that is not passion's slave and I will wear him in my heart's core."
"Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, and tediousness the limbs."
"For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
"What should such fellows as I do crawling between earth and heaven?"
"I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space."
"This above all: to thine own self be true."
"That it shall lend thee wings to soar beyond the mortal limits of earthly woes."
"Time measures pain; but what of sorrow?"
"And yet a gentle, compassionate soul may find solace in death."
Quotes on Reflection
"What piece of work is a man!"
"Frailty, thy name is woman!"
"O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space."
"See what a grace was seated on this brow."
"O, most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets!"
"My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth!"
"To what base uses we may return, Horatio!"
"When sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions."
"The rest is silence."
"A little month, or ere those shoes were old."
"Give me that man that is not passion's slave."
"Heaven and earth, Must I remember?"
Quotes on Death
"To die: to sleep; No more; and by a sleep to say we end."
"Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay."
"Grunt and sweat under a weary life."
"And make your eyelids sore, and you'll see more."
"How infinite in faculty, in form and moving how express and admirable!"
"The undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns."
"If it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all."
"Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio."
"The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay."
"That flesh is heir to; 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wished."
"There's a special providence in the fall of a sparrow."
"Tyrant and villain, have with our peace procured our rest."
Quotes on Love and Relationships
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
"Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind."
"Then Hamlet does it not; Hamlet denies it."
"I loved Ophelia; forty thousand brothers could not, with all their quantity of love."
"In the celestial and my soul's idol, the most beautified Ophelia."
"You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will more willingly part withal."
"And thus I clothe my naked villainy with old odd ends stolen forth from holy writ."
"Such love must needs be treason in my breast."
"I say we will have no more marriage."
"Gertrude, do not drink."
"Soft you now, the fair Ophelia!"
"Her love was more than he could ever return."
Quotes on Power and Ambition
"Words, words, words."
"How all occasions do inform against me."
"What would you undertake to show yourself in deed your father's son than in words?"
"There’s something in this more than natural, if philosophy could find it out."
"O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!"
"My wit’s diseased; but as our wits depend with her kindness.
"A king of infinite space."
"For ‘tis a question left us in a thought."
"For ‘tis the sport to have the engineer hoist with his own petard."
"After seeing the queen, Ophelia is left yearning."
"So the whole ear of Denmark is by a forged process of my death rankly abused."
"Does ‘Friend’ unite, ambition in decline?"
Quotes on Fate and Destiny
"There’s a divinity that shapes our ends."
"If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now."
"The readiness is all."
"Hamlet, in passionate sore on eyes."
"Not a pipe for fortune's finger to sound what stop she please."
"When we talk of fate, of destiny and chance."
"No, faith, not a jot; but to follow him thither with modesty enough."
"But a dog's obeyed in office."
"This thought is as a death, which cannot choose but weep to have that which it fears to lose."
"‘Tis the sport to have the engineer hoist with his own petard."
"Could sweep to my revenge."
"Fortune, bless thee, thou has the one horrid fun!"
Quotes on Human Nature
"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all."
"To know a man well, were to know himself."
"For nature, crescent, does not grow alone."
"The soul of Nero now seems encompassed."
"The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king."
"O what noble mind is here o’erthrown!"
"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
"How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world!"
"Do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe?"
"To hold, as ‘twere, the mirror up to nature."
"The less important parts of being remain invisible."
"From nature untoward proves such conditions!"
Final words
Through Hamlet’s words, Shakespeare explores human suffering in various dimensions—philosophical, emotional, and existential. The profound insight offered through Hamlet's monologues and dialogues invites audiences to reflect on their own lives, thoughts, and choices. The timeless nature of these quotes highlights Shakespeare's brilliance in capturing the human condition with unparalleled dexterity. While Hamlet's journey from contemplation to action unfolds across the play, his struggles resonate universally, serving as a testament to Shakespeare's enduring legacy. Revisiting these iconic lines encourages readers and audiences to delve deeper, fostering a connection with the text that goes beyond mere words. Such persistent allure and relevance underscore Shakespeare’s masterful fusion of eloquence and philosophy.
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