Shakespeare's Hamlet is a timeless masterpiece, rich with profound insights into human nature, existential dilemmas, and the complexities of life. The play's quotes have captivated audiences for centuries, offering a glimpse into the internal struggles and philosophical musings of its characters, particularly Prince Hamlet. This article explores ten themes through these iconic quotes, providing a unique perspective on Hamlet's enduring relevance and its reflections on human psychology.
Quotes on Existence
“To be, or not to be, that is the question.”
“What a piece of work is a man!”
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
“To die, to sleep—To sleep, perchance to dream.”
“For in that sleep of death what dreams may come.”
“And thus the native hue of resolution is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought.”
“This above all: to thine own self be true.”
“Give me that man that is not passion’s slave.”
“Conscience does make cowards of us all.”
“The undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns.”
“The time is out of joint; O cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right!”
“There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow.”
Quotes on Madness
“Though this be madness, yet there is method in it.”
“I am but mad north-north-west.”
“Madness in great ones must not unwatched go.”
“I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft.”
“The mind is its own place and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.”
“This is the very ecstasy of love.”
“Alas, how shall this bloody deed be answered?”
“Words, words, words.”
“It will not speak; then I will follow it.”
“The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.”
“O, woe is me to have seen what I have seen, see what I see!”
“O what a noble mind is here o’erthrown!”
Quotes on Revenge
“Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.”
“A villain kills my father; and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven.”
“The serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears his crown.”
“I will speak daggers to her, but use none.”
“When our deep plots do fail, how shall less grave retaliations sound?”
“O, from this time forth my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!”
“Thus was I, sleeping by a brother’s hand of life, of crown, of queen at once dispatched.”
“That I, the son of a dear father murdered, prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell.”
“A sight worse than murder.”
“They are not near my conscience.”
“O cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right!”
“No place indeed should murder sanctuarize; revenge should have no bounds.”
Quotes on Corruption
“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”
“Your worm is your only emperor for diet: we fat all creatures else to fat us; and we fat ourselves for maggots.”
“The time is out of joint.”
“Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive against thy mother aught.”
“Frailty, thy name is woman!”
“For ’tis the sport to have the engineer hoist with his own petard.”
“Do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe?”
“O, most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets!”
“A little more than kin, and less than kind.”
“I will not speak its name.”
“Let it work; for ’tis the sport to have the engineer hoist with his own petard.”
“O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!”
Quotes on Death
“To die, to sleep—no more.”
“To be or not to be: that is the question.”
“Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio.”
“There's a divinity that shapes our ends.”
“Your fat king and your lean beggar are but variable services—two dishes, but to one table.”
“That skull had a tongue in it, and could sing once.”
“Imperious Caesar dead and turned to clay.”
“The rest is silence.”
“To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day, all in the morning betime.”
“Now cracks a noble heart. Good night sweet prince.”
“And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!”
“There is a willow grows askant the brook.”
Quotes on Fate
“There is a providence in the fall of a sparrow.”
“The time is out of joint: O cursed spite!”
“Our wills and fates do so contrary run.”
“This is I, Hamlet the Dane!”
“If it be now, ’tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now.”
“The readiness is all.”
“On Fortune’s cap, we are not the very button.”
“So oft it chances in particular men that for some vicious mole of nature in them.”
“For who would bear the whips and scorns of time.”
“Foul deeds will rise, though all the earth o’erwhelm them, to men’s eyes.”
“I defy augury; there is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow.”
“And let me speak to the yet unknowing world how these things came about.”
Quotes on Love
“Doubt thou the stars are fire; doubt that the sun doth move.”
“I loved Ophelia; forty thousand brothers could not, with all their quantity of love, make up my sum.”
“Some things are meant to be broken.”
“Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you.”
“Sweets to the sweet: farewell!”
“I shall the effect of this good lesson keep as watchman to my heart.”
“O, there has been much throwing about of brains.”
“Do not, as some ungracious pastors do, show me the steep and thorny way to heaven.”
“To die, to sleep—to sleep, perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub.”
“With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage.”
“There is a willow grows askant the brook.”
“O fear not, my lord, your servant shall do all; you are a better man than I am.”
Quotes on Guilt
“Conscience does make cowards of us all.”
“My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go.”
“The harlot’s cheek, beautied with plastering art.”
“How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world!”
“I am myself indifferent honest; but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me.”
“That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty.”
“It is not madness that I have uttered: Bring me to the test, and I the matter will re-word, which madness would gambol from.”
“Could I drink hot blood, and do such bitter business as the day would quake to look on?”
“O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!”
“O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king.”
“Innocent phrases reach guilty ears.”
“To give the world assurance of a man.”
Quotes on Betrayal
“A little more than kin, and less than kind.”
“You jig, and amble, and you lisp; you nickname God’s creatures and make your wantonness your ignorance.”
“Why, then ’tis none to you, for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
“God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.”
“To my sick soul, as sin's true nature is, each toy seems prologue to some great amiss.”
“The primal eldest curse upon't.”
“To hold, as ’twere, the mirror up to her nature.”
“Oh, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown!”
“Frailty, thy name is woman!”
“Now cracks a noble heart.”
“We with wisest sorrow think on him.”
“O God, a beast, that wants discourse of reason.”
Quotes on Power
“Where is truth if there is no power?”
“Power is neither black nor white, but reflects on those who wield it.”
“Do you see nothing there?”
“The king, the king’s to blame.”
“O, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown!”
“That monster custom, who all sense doth eat.”
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”
“If you will marry, marry a fool; for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them.”
“The king is a thing — of nothing.”
“The dread of something after death.”
“Which dreams indeed are ambition, for the very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream.”
“We are arrant knaves, all; believe none of us.”
Final words
In summary, Hamlet’s quotes offer a deep well of wisdom and reflection, capturing the essence of themes such as existence, madness, revenge, corruption, death, fate, love, guilt, betrayal, and power. Through these quotes, we gain insight into Hamlet’s introspection and the play's commentary on life’s complexities and paradoxes. These quotes remain relevant today, resonating with the universal trials and tribulations that define the human experience, and illustrate Shakespeare’s unparalleled ability to articulate the nuances of human emotion and thought.
The world of Hamlet is one of profound complexity and raw emotion, making its quotes eternally significant. As we navigate the moral dilemmas and existential questions posited by Shakespeare in Hamlet, these words encourage us to reflect on our own lives and decisions. The diverse themes serve as mirrors to our deepest and sometimes darkest thoughts and feelings. The lasting impact of Hamlet's quotes is a testament to Shakespeare’s masterful understanding of human psychology, offering a timeless invitation to ponder the intricate nature of the self, society, and existence. As we immerse ourselves in this rich tapestry of language and insight, we are reminded that Shakespeare’s observations continue to provoke and inspire, as relevant now as they were in his time.
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