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Over 100 Timeless Quotes from Hamlet: Insights and Inspiration
Shakespeare's "Hamlet" is a treasure trove of quotes that delve into the depths of human psychology, philosophy, and the complex web of emotions. Each quote offers a glimpse into the intricate world Shakespeare crafted and reveals universal truths about life, sorrow, love, and ambition. In this article, we explore ten compelling themes from "Hamlet," underlined by twelve profound quotes each, illustrating their timeless relevance and capturing Shakespeare's unmatched literary genius.
Quotes on Life and Death
"To be, or not to be, that is the question."
"The undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns."
"When we have shuffled off this mortal coil."
"To die, to sleep— To sleep—perchance to dream."
"What dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil."
"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
"The dread of something after death, the undiscover'd country."
"This fell sergeant, death, is strict in his arrest."
"The rest is silence."
"We fat all creatures else to fat us, and we fat ourselves for maggots."
"Your worm is your only emperor for diet."
"To grunt and sweat under a weary life."
Quotes on Revenge
"Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder."
"The time is out of joint. O cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it right!"
"I am pigeon-livered and lack gall to make oppression bitter."
"O, from this time forth, my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!"
"Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell."
"The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."
"Bow, stubborn knees; and heart with strings of steel."
"Swift! I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records."
"Let not the royal bed of Denmark be a couch for luxury and damned incest."
"My soul is full of discord and dismay."
"The very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream."
"Foul deeds will rise, though all the earth o'erwhelm them, to men’s eyes."
Quotes on Madness
"Though this be madness, yet there is method in't."
"To define true madness, what is't but to be nothing else but mad?"
"I am mad but north-north-west."
"Madness in great ones must not unwatch’d go."
"A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king."
"Fortune's fool."
"This is the very ecstasy of love."
"I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft."
"Do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe?"
"The spirit that I have seen may be the devil."
"O, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!"
"Poor Ophelia divided from herself and her fair judgment."
Quotes on Love
"Doubt that the stars are fire; doubt that the sun doth move."
"Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue."
"I loved Ophelia: forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love."
"The more pity that fools may not speak wisely what wise men do foolishly."
"God has given you one face, and you make yourself another."
"Sweet to the sweet."
"This is I, Hamlet the Dane."
"There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance."
"The chariest maid is prodigal enough if she unmask her beauty to the moon."
"My words fly up, my thoughts remain below."
"When we love our honor tastes nice as love itself."
"Your serpent of old Nile."
Quotes on Betrayal
"Frailty, thy name is woman!"
"O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!"
"I have heard of your paintings too, well enough."
"Neither a borrower nor a lender be; for loan oft loses both itself and friend."
"Never a borrower nor a lender be."
"One may smile, and smile, and be a villain."
"As a woodcock to mine own springe, I am justly killed with mine own treachery."
"Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel."
"To thine own self be true."
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
"O Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart in twain."
"What a piece of work is a man!"
Quotes on Power and Corruption
"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."
"O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!"
"When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions."
"Thrift, thrift, Horatio! The funeral baked meats."
"He took my father grossly, full of bread."
"Such a sight as this becomes the field, but here shows much amiss."
"A king of shreds and patches."
"That incestuous, that adulterate beast."
"Whose spirit with divine ambition puffed."
"O horrible, O horrible, most horrible!"
"Confess yourself to heaven; repent what's past."
"You shall nose him as you go up the stairs into the lobby."
Quotes on Doubt and Uncertainty
"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all."
"What is a man if his chief good and market of his time be but to sleep and feed?"
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
"The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."
"I must be cruel, only to be kind."
"Conscience does make cowards of us all."
"Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt."
"To be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand."
"Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind."
"Oh, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!"
"Suit the action to the word, the word to the action."
"Thou turn'st mine eyes into my very soul."
Quotes on Time and Fate
"The time is out of joint."
"There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will."
"I wasted time, and now doth time waste me."
"If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now."
"There is special providence in the fall of a sparrow."
"To this favor she must come."
"What’s Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba?"
"This is the period of the play's duration."
"Thy end is truth's and beauty's doom and date."
"For in that sleep of death what dreams may come."
"Forty thousand brothers could not, with all their quantity of love."
"I am more an antique Roman than a Dane."
Quotes on Appearance vs Reality
"Seems, madam! Nay, it is; I know not 'seems'.
"I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space."
"Hoist with his own petard."
"That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain."
"Give me that man that is not passion’s slave."
"This above all: to thine own self be true."
"The apparel oft proclaims the man."
"Nothing but an outward habit of encounter."
"The devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape."
"Masks and deception have roots in mistrust."
"The counterfeit presentment of two brothers."
"More than kin, and less than kind."
Quotes on Philosophical Contemplation
"Brevity is the soul of wit."
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
"What a piece of work is a man!"
"Give me that man that is not passion's slave, and I will wear him in my heart's core."
"In my mind's eye."
"There's a special providence in the fall of a sparrow."
"The play's the thing."
"My words fly up, my thoughts remain below."
"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all."
"Our wills and fates do so contrary run."
"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
"This above all: to thine own self be true."
Final words
The tragedy of "Hamlet" offers a rich tapestry of themes and quotes that not only underscore the brilliance of Shakespeare but also speak to timeless human experiences. From life and death, love and betrayal, to power and its corruption, each quote imparts wisdom and insight into the human condition. By examining these quotes, readers can connect with Hamlet's emotional turmoil and the philosophical depths of the narrative, appreciating the complex interplay of themes that make this work a masterpiece of English literature. These quotes continue to resonate with audiences today, demonstrating the enduring legacy of Shakespeare’s exploration of the human psyche and the precarious balance of choice and destiny. This collection of quotes captures the essence of "Hamlet" and invites readers to reflect on the moments of brilliance that define this enigmatic play.
Explore more than 100 profound quotes from Shakespeare's Hamlet, offering timeless wisdom and captivating insights. Perfect for literature enthusiasts and those seeking inspiration.
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