Over 100 Dirty Quotes by Shakespeare: Explore the Bard's Saucy Side

William Shakespeare is widely recognized for his remarkable contribution to literature, including a selection of bawdy and risqué quotes. Though the Bard lived in a different era, his savvy use of suggestive language has transcended time, given these references a distinctive charm, and even shed light on human nature. In this article, we'll delve into his world with ten different themes, each exploring the whimsical and cheeky sides of Shakespeare's writing that reveal much about societal norms and human tendencies. Prepare for a playful journey through the quips of history's master wordsmith.

Love and Mischief Quotes

• "To bait fish withal; if it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge with laughter."
• "O, what men dare do! What men may do! What men daily do, not knowing what they do!"
• "Canst thou perform all thy promises? I will take thy word for it, though it be the work of a wit."
• "Love sought is good, but given unsought is better."
• "The course of true love never did run smooth."
• "Speak low if you speak love."
• "Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs."
• "In jest, there is truth."
• "Must I hold a candle to my shames?"
• "Oh, that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek!"
• "A lover's eyes will gaze an eagle blind."
• "With cunning hast thou filched my daughter's heart."

Playful Provocations Quotes

• "Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?"
• "I'll pheeze you, in faith."
• "I am not of that feather to shake off my friend when he most needs me."
• "I do desire we may be better strangers."
• "I wish you the joy of the worm."
• "A very palpable hit."
• "The better part of valour is discretion."
• "I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at."
• "What, you egg? Young fry of treachery!"
• "I will converse with iron-witted fools."
• "'Tis a villain, sir, who prays on ladies."
• "Here's a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old turning the key."

Innuendos and Intrigues Quotes

• "These violent delights have violent ends."
• "The better for my foe if the nurse join not!"
• "But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?"
• "A little more than kin, and less than kind."
• "He draweth out the thread of his verbosity finer than the staple of his argument."
• "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
• "Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war."
• "So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see."
• "Though she be but little, she is fierce!"
• "What is past is prologue."
• "There's daggers in men's smiles."
• "Thus with a kiss, I die."

Wicked Wisdom Quotes

• "Come what may, time and the hour runs through the roughest day."
• "Much ado about nothing."
• "Confusion now hath made his masterpiece."
• "Nothing will come of nothing."
• "All the world's a stage."
• "Hell is empty and all the devils are here."
• "Double, double toil and trouble."
• "I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me."
• "Where words are scarce, they are seldom spent in vain."
• "The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool."
• "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
• "When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools."

Sly Suggestiveness Quotes

• "I have a woman's longing."
• "What hempen homespuns have we swaggering here?"
• "Come, woo me, woo me; for now I am in a holiday humor and like enough to consent."
• "Men are April when they woo, December when they wed."
• "The wildest hath not such a heart as you."
• "But what's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
• "By my troth, I care not."
• "There's a double meaning in that."
• "Your name is great in mouths of wisest censure."
• "When we mean to build, we first survey the plot."
• "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
• "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."

Rascally Remarks Quotes

• "O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!"
• "Out, out, brief candle!"
• "Are you good men and true?"
• "Methinks I am a prophet new inspired."
• "Lawless are they that make their wills their law."
• "The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."
• "I will go seek the traitor."
• "Virtue is bold, and goodness never fearful."
• "What a piece of work is man!"
• "I am one who loved not wisely but too well."
• "Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow."
• "Journeys end in lovers meeting."

Whispered Wit Quotes

• "Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall."
• "What's past is prologue."
• "Wasteful prayer runs through my mind."
• "Neither a borrower nor a lender be."
• "Now is the winter of our discontent."
• "Suit the action to the word, the word to the action."
• "Above all: to thine own self be true."
• "Can one desire too much of a good thing?"
• "They that have power should make a true accomplishment."
• "He that dies pays all debts."
• "I bear a charmed life."
• "Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none."

Playful Love Quotes

• "A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life."
• "To your keen faculty there stands a confident entreaty."
• "If music be the food of love, play on."
• "Love me little, love me long."
• "Passion lends them power."
• "Talk not of love: show me the market place."
• "Is not this a true love story?"
• "My only love sprung from my only hate."
• "What's mine is yours, and what is yours is mine."
• "The world must be peopled!"
• "I am yours forever."
• "Not stepping o'er the bounds of modesty."

Witty Rebuttals Quotes

• "Brevity is the soul of wit."
• "Many a true word hath been spoken in jest."
• "Make mad the guilty, and appall the free."
• "I am sick when I do look on thee."
• "I am bewitched by the rogue's company!"
• "Lord, what fools these mortals be!"
• "Wit, whither wilt?"
• "Words without thoughts never to heaven go."
• "Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow."
• "The expense of spirit in a waste of shame."
• "The villainy you teach me, I will execute."
• "Oft expectations fail, and most oft where most it promises."

Cheeky Banter Quotes

• "And what says she to my little jest?"
• "No sooner met but they looked; no sooner looked but they loved."
• "'Twas I who said that thou dost dance with wisdom."
• "Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows."
• "There's small choice in rotten apples."
• "Courage grows when shared."
• "Love goes by haps; some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps."
• "The better part of me loves all of you."
• "He hath eaten me out of house and home."
• "Though this be madness, yet there is method in it."
• "Who woo'd in haste and means to wed at leisure."
• "Better a witty fool than a foolish wit."

Final words

Shakespeare's mastery of language, especially in his more suggestive and playful lines, reminds us of the timeless charm of wit interwoven with wisdom. His ability to sound simultaneously mischievous and insightful showcases an understanding of human imperfections and the complexities of interactions. The Bard's words continue to entertain and provoke thought, with a resonance that spans both time and culture. Through exploring these ten categories of cheeky and clever quotes, we've taken a delightful voyage through snippets that show why his work persists in relevance today. As we examine the provocative wisdom embedded in his humor, we acknowledge an enduring narrative that intertwines human nature, mischief, and the bardic mastery of storytelling.