Hamlet Quotes

To be

“To be or not to be, that is the question” — Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1, Themes: Philosophy, Mortality, Madness

Too too solid

“O that this too too solid flesh would melt” — Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 2, Themes: Suicide, Despair, Mortality

Pigeon-livered

“I am pigeon-livered and lack gall” — Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2, Themes: Inaction, Self-loathing

Bloody or nothing

“O from this time forth, my thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth” — Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 4, Themes: Action, Revenge, Honour

Play’s the thing

“The play’s the thing / Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king” — Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2, Themes: Deception, Justice, Appearance vs Reality

More than kin

“A little more than kin, and less than kind” — Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 2, Themes: Family, Tension, Irony

Piece of work

“What a piece of work is man” — Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2, Themes: Philosophy, Humanity

Denmark prison

“Denmark’s a prison” — Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2, Themes: Entrapment, Corruption

Method in’t

“Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t” — Polonius, Act 2, Scene 2, Themes: Madness, Observation

Unweeded garden

“’tis an unweeded garden / That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature” — Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 2, Themes: Corruption, Despair

Speak daggers

“I will speak daggers to her, but use none” — Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 2, Themes: Gender, Family

Weary stale flat

“How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world” — Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 2, Themes: Despair, Mortality

Now might I

“Now might I do it pat, now he is praying” — Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 3, Themes: Revenge, Religion

Let be

“Since no man knows aught of what he leaves, what is’t to leave betimes? Let be.” — Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 2, Themes: Mortality, Fate

Hawk

“I know a hawk from a handsaw” — Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2, Themes: Madness, Sanity

Love you not

“I did love you once… I loved you not” — Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1, Themes: Love, Deceit

Guts of beggar

“A king may go a progress through the guts of a beggar” — Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 3, Themes: Death, Equality

Alexander barrel

“Alexander died, Alexander was buried… might they not stop a beer-barrel?” — Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 1, Themes: Mortality, Philosophy

Am I coward

“Am I a coward?” — Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2, Themes: Inaction, Honour

Too precise

“Thinking too precisely on th’ event” — Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 4, Themes: Inaction, Intellect

Smiling villain

“Smiling, damned villain!” — Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5, Themes: Appearance vs Reality, Betrayal

Offence is rank

“O my offence is rank, it smells to heaven” — Claudius, Act 3, Scene 3, Themes: Guilt, Religion

Fly up

“My words fly up, my thoughts remain below” — Claudius, Act 3, Scene 3, Themes: Hypocrisy, Religion

Kindless villain

“Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain” — Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2, Themes: Villainy, Anger

Speed to England

“He shall with speed to England” — Claudius, Act 4, Scene 3, Themes: Power, Deception

Sword unbated

“You may choose a sword unbated” — Claudius, Act 5, Scene 2, Themes: Betrayal, Murder

Venom’d stuck

“If he by chance escape your venom’d stuck, our purpose may hold there” — Claudius, Act 4, Scene 7, Themes: Deceit, Murder

Unwatched

“Madness in great ones shall not unwatched go” — Claudius, Act 3, Scene 1, Themes: Power, Madness

Frailty woman

“Frailty, thy name is woman” — Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 2, Themes: Misogyny, Gender

Protest too much

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks” — Gertrude, Act 3, Scene 2, Themes: Gender, Appearance vs Reality

Eyes soul

“Thou turn’st mine eyes into my very soul” — Gertrude, Act 3, Scene 4, Themes: Guilt, Family

Much offended

“Mother, you have my father much offended” — Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 4, Themes: Family, Confrontation

Hamlet’s wife

“I hoped thou shouldst have been Hamlet’s wife” — Gertrude, Act 5, Scene 1, Themes: Love, Gender

Conjunctive

“She is so conjunctive to my life and soul” — Claudius, Act 4, Scene 7, Themes: Power, Love

Incestuous sheets

“Incestuous sheets” — Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 2, Themes: Morality, Gender

Nunnery

“Get thee to a nunnery” — Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1, Themes: Gender, Love, Madness

Rue for you

“There’s rue for you, and here’s some for me” — Ophelia, Act 4, Scene 5, Themes: Madness, Gender

More deceived

“I was the more deceived” — Ophelia, Act 3, Scene 1, Themes: Love, Betrayal

Green girl

“You speak like a green girl” — Polonius, Act 1, Scene 3, Themes: Gender, Obedience

Seen what I’ve seen

“T’have seen what I have seen, see what I see” — Ophelia, Act 3, Scene 1, Themes: Innocence, Tragedy

Forty thousand

“I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not… make up my sum” — Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 1, Themes: Love, Grief

Violets withered

“I would give you violets, but they withered all when my father died” — Ophelia, Act 4, Scene 5, Themes: Madness, Death

Brevity

“Brevity is the soul of wit” — Polonius, Act 2, Scene 2, Themes: Irony, Language

No tongue

“Give thy thoughts no tongue” — Polonius, Act 1, Scene 3, Themes: Advice, Control

Rash fool

“Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell” — Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 4, Themes: Death, Irony

Tedious

“These tedious old fools” — Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2, Themes: Foolishness, Mockery

Loose daughter

“I’ll loose my daughter to him” — Polonius, Act 2, Scene 2, Themes: Espionage, Manipulation

Fishmonger

“You are a fishmonger” — Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2, Themes: Madness, Mockery

Cut throat

“To cut his throat i’th’ church” — Laertes, Act 4, Scene 7, Themes: Revenge, Passion

Revenged

“I’ll be revenged most thoroughly for my father” — Laertes, Act 4, Scene 5, Themes: Revenge, Honour

Forgiveness

“Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet” — Laertes, Act 5, Scene 2, Themes: Redemption, Family

Devil soul

“The devil take thy soul” — Laertes, Act 5, Scene 1, Themes: Grief, Revenge

Eggshell

“To all that fortune, death and danger dare, / And for an eggshell” — Hamlet (on Fortinbras), Act 4, Scene 4, Themes: Honour, Action

Tender prince

“Delicate and tender prince” — Hamlet (on Fortinbras), Act 4, Scene 4, Themes: Foil, Respect

Little patch

“We go to gain a little patch of ground that hath in it no profit but the name” — Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 4, Themes: Futility, Action

Rotten

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” — Marcellus, Act 1, Scene 4, Themes: Corruption, Politics

Horrible

“O, horrible! O, horrible! most horrible!” — Ghost, Act 1, Scene 5, Themes: Betrayal, Injustice

Forged process

“So the whole ear of Denmark / Is by a forged process of my death / Rankly abused” — Ghost, Act 1, Scene 5, Themes: Corruption, Deceit

Skull

“That skull had a tongue in it and could sing once” — Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 1, Themes: Mortality, Decay

Caesar clay

“Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay / Might stop a hole to keep the wind away” — Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 1, Themes: Death, Irony

Shards flints

“Shards, flints, and pebbles should be thrown on her” — Priest, Act 5, Scene 1, Themes: Death, Religion, Gender

Christian burial

“Is she to be buried in Christian burial that wilfully seeks her own salvation?” — Gravedigger, Act 5, Scene 1, Themes: Death, Suicide

Adders fanged

“My two schoolfellows, whom I will trust as I will adders fang’d” — Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 4, Themes: Betrayal, Espionage

King’s thanks

“Your visitation shall receive such thanks as fits the king’s remembrance” — Claudius, Act 2, Scene 2, Themes: Deceit, Surveillance

Madness unwatched

“It shall be so. Madness in great ones shall not unwatched go.” — Claudius, Act 3, Scene 1, Themes: Madness, Control