| “In the same figure as the King that’s dead” | Barnado to Marcellus. The ghost relates to King Hamlet. Idea of seeing a ghost was accepted/believed in those times. |
| “Such was the very armor he had on when the ambitious Norway combated” | Horatio to Marcellus.The ghost in dressed in armor that King Hamlet had won in. Hamlet had won against Fortenbras and nowDenmark is preparing for war, Fortenbras wants the land back for his father. Is the ghost a warning sign? |
| “But to recover of us, by strong hand and terms compulsatory, those foresaid lands so by his father lost” | Horatio to Marcellus.Young Fortinbras was to get back the land in his father’s name. He wants revenge. |
| “A little more than kin and less than kind” | Hamlet to the King Claudius.Hamlet used to be his nephew, but when his dad died and Claudius became king, and he married Hamlets mom, Hamlet became his son. Hamlet does not like Claudius very much and yes they are related by blood, but not by personality. |
| “Seems,” madam? Nay, it is. I know not “seems.” Tis not alone my inky cloak” | Hamlet to Queen Gertrude. He doesn’t seem sad, he is actually sad. I would be pretty sad too if my mom married my uncle right after my father died. The queen does not understand why Hamlet is so caught up on this |
| “I shall in all my best obey you, madam” | Hamlet to the Queen. He obeys anything his mother says to him but honestly does not have any respect for the king. He stops his plan to go back to Whittenberg to study to obey his mother. |
| ‘Tis an unweeded garden that grows to seed” | Hamlet to himself.If we do not take care of ourselves we turn to ruin, just like if the garden does not receive water, then the plants that are supposed to go and thrive will not. There are many instances where this happens. Ophelia becoming mad, Hamlet going crazy, etc. Hamlet has lost fate in manhood, thinks that man is destroyed and corrupt. |
| “Why, she {would} hang on him as if increase of appetite had grown by what it fed on. And yet, within a month…why she, married with my uncle” | Hamlet to HimselfShe was so in love with King Hamlet, and the more his mother was with King Hamlet the more she loved him.. how is it possible that after two months passed she married my uncle? Hamlet talks to himself and realizes how corrupt his mother is, if she truly loved someone she would not move on so fast. |
| “Let me not think on ‘t: frailty, thy name is woman!” | Hamlet to himself. Hamlet refers to woman and especially his mother as being weak because they cannot be by themselves. they are not strong enough to support themselves. Woman are looked down upon in this era, as we can see in plays in which men play woman roles. He thinks it to be crazy how someone can go from loving someone with all their heart to moving one in two months, saying that a beast would have mourned for a longer time but he cannot say anything because it is his mother. He has too keep it all in. |
| “My fathers brother, but no more like my father than I to Hercules” | Hamlet to himself. This quote shows that Hamlet and his uncle the king Claudius are nothing alike. Hamlet stays true to who he is for most of the play, but Claudius is a deceiving bitch that stores his guilt within, and does not repent. |
| “It is not, nor it cannot come to good. But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue.” | Hamlet to himself.His mother and Claudius have done something bad and they are going to get punished one day. He is so caught up with all these emotions but he is unable to speak about them, inside he breaks his heart as he watches his mother and his uncle. |
| “We’ll teach you to drink(deep) ere you depart” | Hamlet to Horatio.Hamlet is asking Horatio why he is in Elsinore. Hamlet makes a joke comment that refers to the war the kingdom is now run, lots of partying and drinking. He tells Horatio that he will teach him how to drink a lot band to party which was very different when Hamlet was king. Things have changed over time and they are not as serious anymore. |
| “The funeral baked meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables” (1.2.33) | Hamlet to Horatio.The same food that was used at the funeral was used at the wedding. This shows how close the days were together where the food that should usually be rotten by the time another wedding came is used again. SHOWS THE CORRUPTION AND HOW DISGRACED HAMLET is. |
| “Give it an understanding but no tongue” (1.3.39) | Hamlet to all the knights.Think about what you see or hear, but do not talk about it. This is relevant when Hamlet is going to go and see the ghost but he doesn’t want the rest of the soldiers to talk about it. Many times throughout the novel, everyone has a blabbermouth and cannot keep their mouths shut, no one can be trusted. |
| ” (Foul) deeds will rise, though all the Earth overwhelm them, to men’s eyes .” (1.3.39) | Hamlet to himself.Bad things will show even if people are trying to hide them. nHe states this as he is on the way to meet with the ghost of his father. He believes that the truth will come out, even though Claudius tried to keep it a secret for so many years. |
| “Fear it, Ophelia: fear it, my dear sister, and keep you in the rear of your affection, out of the shot and danger of desire.” (1.3.41) | Laertes to Ophelia.Laertes warns Ophelia about Hamlet saying he is not his own person and he might not be able to choose who he wants. You can’t expect him to love you and don’t get tricked by him if he has affection for you one day because that might change. He probably doesn’t love you and you are gonna get hurt in the end so do not fall for him. Laertes is the older protective brother watching out for his sister. |
| “Be wary then: best safety lies in fear” (1.3.41) | Laertes to Ophelia. If you are fearful, it will stop you from doing things and Laertes believes that Ophelia needs this fear to stop her form falling in love with Hamlet.n |
| “Do not, as some ungracious pastors do, show me the steep and thorny way to heaven, whiles, like a puffed and reckless libertine, himself the primrose path of a dalliance treads and decks not his own rede” ( 1.3.43) | Ophelia to Laertes. You aren’t any better. shows the idea of hypocrisy. Don’t show me how to live a live of virtue and strictness when you live a life of self indulgence. you don’t take your own advice so why should I take yours. HYPOCRITE, |
| “Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice. Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgement, costly as thy habit as thy purse can buy, but not expressed in fancy, neither a borrower or a lender, for (loan) oft loses both itself and friend” (1.3.43) | Polonius to Laertes.Polonius gives this speech to Laertes about the person that he should be. He should watch what people say to him, but he does not need to go back and respond. You don’t need to be showy to look good and be self sufficient because money just leads to problems and friendships being broke. |
| “This above all:to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not be false to any man” (1.3.45) | Polonius to Laertes. He is speaking to him just before he leaves to France to pursue his education.This is significant because it addresses the question of truth vs. lies that evolves throughout the play. He tells him that if he is true to himself that he can be false to no one else. Most people throughout the play are not true to themselves or to anyone else. It is also an example of hypocrisy because Polonius himself is deceptive to his son by sending Reynaldo to spy on him. Reynaldo has to lie as well while spying, so we see many different layers of falsehood. |
| “I do know, when the blood burns, how prodigal the soul lends the tongue vows”( 1.3.47) | Polonius to Ophelia.Polonius is explaining to Ophelia that boys are deceptive and that when there is passion or lust involved, a guy will say just about anything to get what they want. He believes that Hamlet does not display true love for Ophelia and that she needs to watch out for him, he thinks she is too young to understand. She needs to make herself less available to him and stop seeing him, and because ophelia stays obedient to her father she does just that. Her obedience will lead to her downfall. |
| “But, to my mind, though I am native here and to the manner born, it is a custom.. They clept us drunkards and with a swinish phrase” (1.4.49) | Hamlet to Horatio.Hamlet states to Horatio that when Claudius took power, the country haas bon downhill. The usual day has turned into partying all the time and drinking. Shows the corruption of the town and it shows that Claudius is a corrupt leader. Other nations have begun to look down on them as they start to look weak and not s powerful as they used to be. This quote is said as the trumpets sound and the king is coming. Beneath Claudius and his court everything looks nice and everyone is partying and drinking, but there lies corruption underneath. |
| “I do not set my life at a pin’s fee” (1.4.53) | Hamlet to Horatio.Horatio is warning Hamlet to stay away front he ghost and to not follow it alone by himself but Hamlet has nothing to loose. His father has died, his mother is married to his uncle and he is miserable. If he dies by finding the truth about his father, then be it. Hamlet does not find worth in his life anymore, which is significant because Hamlet is so ready to just kill and call everyone out. |
| “My fate cries out”( 1.5.55) | Hamlet to Horatio.Hamlet believes that his life is control by fate, what is meant to happen will happen; he is not in control of his life and for this reason hen needs to follow the ghost even though Horatio warns him not too. Later in the play, it is his fate he believes that kills hims and he lays there dying on the floor. Hamlet believes that all people are sinners, and that upon death we either go to heaven, purgatory, or hell. |
| “I could a tale unfold whose lightest world would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood,make thy two eyes…and each particular hair to stand an end” (1.5.57)… “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” | Ghost to Hamlet.Just as the ghost is about to go to hell, he needs to tell Hamlet something that will be so shocking to him that it will freeze his blood, stop it from moving, and make his hairs all stand up. The ghost wants Hamlet to take revenge right away. |
| “Haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love may sweep to my revenge” (1.5.59) | Hamlet to the Ghost.The ghost requests that Hamlet take revenge o Claudius the one that killed his father. Hamlet will do anything and asa soon as possible to avenge his father. |
| “sleeping in my orchard, a serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark is by a forged process of my death” n(1.5.59) | Ghost to Hamlet.The ghost of King Hamlet is explaining what had happened to him and why he has died. The whole town is told lies to and believes that Hamlet was stung with a snake. SHOWS THE FALSEHOOD and corruption. Instead the serpent himself was Claudius, who poisoned him while he was sleeping and took his kingdom and his family. The snake stands for deception and corruption which is a clear example of Claudius. |
| “So (lust) though to a radiant angle linked, will (sate) itself in a celestial bed and prey on garbage.” (1.5.59) | Ghost to Hamlet. The ghost of Hamlet does not understand how Gertrude ended up marrying Claudius. He considers him a piece of garbage that is with an angle. |
| “No reck’ning made, but sent to my account with all my imperfections on my head” ( 1.5.61). | Ghost to Hamlet.King Hamlet is being sent to hell because he was killed before he ever had the time to repent and say he was sorry for all the bad things he had done. |
| “Let her to heaven and to those thorns that in her bosom lodge to prick and sting her” ( 1.5.61) | Ghost to Hamlet.The ghost of King Hamlet wants Hamlet to leave Gertrude alone and let her go to heaven. The guilt she has will be enough for her and heaven will give her her punishment. |
| ***”That one may smile and smile and be a villain.” (1.5.63)**** | Hamlet to himself.People can be smiling and happy and look like everything is alright on the outside but inside they are evil. significant bc appearance vs reality. Many times throughout play we see these deceiving personalities, lauds probably sucked up to Hamlet before he poisoned him, and acted like nothing happened; Hamlets friends lying to him about what they are there for, etc.AMBIKA: The speaker is Hamlet, and he is speaking to himself. Hamlet has just found out from the ghost of Hamlet Sr. that it was Claudius who had murdered his father, fueling Hamlet’s discontent over Claudius. Now that he knows the murderer, Hamlet comes to the conclusion that even though Claudius has put up a friendly/ everything-is-going-fine facade, he is still evil and capable of inflicting harm on others. Smiling and laughing do not make Claudius any less of a villain. Although he pretends to care about Hamlet and the kingdom of Denmark, Claudius actually only cares about himself. As a result, Hamlet wishes to avenge his father’s death and punish Claudius as soon as possible. |
| “And therefore as a stranger give it welcome. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”(1.5.67) | Hamlet to Horatio. As Hamlet returns from the ghost,he makes the guards swear that they have not seen anything tonight. He says to Horatio that there is much more to life than you think you know. The significance is that Horatio doesn’t know what is all happening with the death of his father… Hamlet tells Horatio that if he is acting weird to just ignore it. |
| “And there put on him what forgeries you please-marry, none so rank as may dishonor him, take heed of that, but sir, such wanton, wild,and usual slips as are companions noted and most known to youth and liberty” ( 2.1.75) | Polonius to Reynaldo.Polonius is having Reynaldo spy on Laertes as he goes back to France. He insists that Reynaldo get the truth out out of people about his son by ruining his reputation a little bit and see who talks. This way he can see what his son is doing. Polonius is purposely telling Reynaldo to lie about his son, after he tells Laertes to be true to himself.. shows hypocrisy. Polonius is nosy and this nosiness will lead to his downfall. |
| “By indirections find directions out” (2.1.77). | Polonius to Reynaldo.By asking the right questions, you can find out things secretly. you need to give a little to get a little. He insists that Reynaldo get the truth out out of people about his son by ruining his reputation a little bit and see who talks. This way he can see what his son is doing. Polonius is purposely telling Reynaldo to lie about his son, after he tells Laertes to be true to himself.. shows hypocrisy. Polonius is nosy and this nosiness will lead to his downfall. |
| “Mad for thy love?” (2.1. 79) | Polonius to Ophelia.Back in the play, polonius warned Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet because he believed that Hamlet was deceiving Ophelia and did not truly love her. Now when Ophelia come running in, seeing that Hamlet has gone crazy, Polonius is sure that it is because he loves Ophelia so much and that is the reason he is going crazy because he cannot have her. SHOWS IMAGE VS REALITY. in reality, hamlet is doing this as a show to take revenge on Claudius. Polonius is blind to the eye, doesn’t really see what is happening around him |
| “But beshrew my jealously! By heaven it is as proper to our age to cast beyond ourselves in our opinions as it is common for the younger sort to lack discretion” (2.1.81) | Polonius to Ophelia. After Polonius has heard that Hamlet has gone mad, he believes that it is all his fault because he had kept his daughter away. He thinks that he has over reacted and starts to feel guilty. He has cast an opinion about Hamlet that was completly not true. There are many signs of guilt in this play, and changes the mindset to do things in which the person might not truly believe in. |
| “To draw him on to pleasures, and to gather so much as from occasion as you may glean” (2.2.83) | King to Rosencratz and Guildenstern.These two men are asked by the king to spy on Hamlet because maybe he will open up to them because they are his friends. This is another good example of deception and falsehood. They lie to Hamlet on the matter that they are there to talk to him for and instead spy on him. BITCHASS FRIENDS |
| “I doubt it is no other but the main- His father’s death and our (o’erhasty) marriage” (2.2.85) | Queen to King.The queen totally gets why Hamlet is feeling this way. Everything around him is going bad, the question is why doesn’t the queen stop what she is doing if she knows that it is hurting her son? |
| “Therefore, {since} brevity is the soul of wit… I will be brief”(2.2.89) | Polonius to the Queen. Poloynius has come to talk to the Queen and King about the reason that Hamlet is mad, trying to explain to them that it is because of Ophelia. Polonius is very wordy and this quote explains how it is smart to be brief . Many characters within the play are not brief and it lead them into trouble: ex. CLAUDIUS |
| “Take this from this,is this be otherwise. If circumstances lead me I will find where truth is hid, though it were hid, indeed, within the center” (2.2.93) | Polonius to King.Polonius is positive that the reason that Hamlet is mad is because he does not have Ophelias love. He tells Claudius that he can cut his head off if he is lying. He will follow the clues and find the truth even if it is at the center of the earth. This quote goes deeper ingot he personality of Polonius and shows his nosiness. |
| **”Ay sir. To be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand” (2.2.95) ** | Hamlet to Polonius.honesty is a rare attribute to possess in such a world of cruelty.. no one is honest anymore: ophelia, hamlet, queen, king, polonius… everyone lies to get their way. |
| **”there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so” (2.2.99)** | Hamlet to Rosencrantz.Hamlet is telling Rosencrantz that Denmark is like a prison to him, but Rosencrantz has to disagree with him, telling him that he has too much ambition. Hamlet responds to him telling him that truly nothing is really good or bad.. it is how we perceive it that will make it good or bad and to him Denmark is bad. People can have different opinions on different things. ex: Claudius is king, Hamlet thinks it is bad, not everyone else thinks it is bad. |
| “there is a kind of confession in your looks which your modesties have not craft enough to color” (2.2..101) | Hamlet to Rosencrantz.Rosencratz and Guildenstern were sent to spy on Hamlet and try to get out of him what has caused the state that he is in. But right away Hamlet can tell that they are lying, because it is written right on their faces. They are bad liars and it just makes Hamlet not trust them as friends anymore, they have betrayed him. |
| “what is this quintessence of dust” (2.2.103). | Hamlet to Rosencrantz.He compares human life to dust and how our potential is so great but we end up screwing it up. We end friendships and betray each other because we lie and are selfish, we look out for our self interests. He ironically describes mankind as originating from dust and returning to the dust. |
| “Pray God your voice, like a piece of uncurrent gold, be not cracked within the ring” (2.2.109) | Hamlet to one of the boys playing female role.He is hoping that the boys voice has not changed yet. Back in the day boys would play the role of women. Shakespheare includes this exert about the play because he wants to show his excitement of the theater . |
| ” One speech in ‘t I chiefly loved. ‘Twas Aeneas’ (tale) to Dido” (2.2.111) | Hamlet to a playerHe really enjoys the take of dido: Aeneas tells Dido story of Trojan war, where Primaq, king of troy was killed by Pyrhus seeking revenge for the death of his father, Achillles. Like hamlet to Claudius. |
| “O, what a rogue and pleasant slave am I! Is it not monstrous that this player here, but in a fiction, in a dream of passion, could force his soul so to his own conceit… Am I a coward?” (2.2.117) | Hamlet to himself. Hamlet compares himself to the player and is angry at the fact that the player who has no idea or relations to he person he is talking about, his able to bring up so emotion and show this emotion through the play, unlike Hamlet. He can’t seem to seek the vengeance that he wants to seek and doesn’t know how to show his emotion. He doesn’t understand how the actor can be so passionate about something that does not even concern him? |
| The play’s the thing wherein i’ll catch the conscience of the king? (2.2.119). | Hamlet to himself.Hamlet is using a play based on murder to see how Claudius will react: if he gets up and is shocked then he did it, if not then he didn’t. Hamlet just wants to be sure with himself. |
| “The harlots cheek beautified with plastering art is not more ugly to the thing that helps it than is my deed to my most painted world. Oh heavy burden!” (3.1.127) | King to himself. How right he is! His words whip up my guilty feelings. The whores pockmarked cheek made pretty with make-up is just like the ugly actions I’m disguising with fine words. What a terrible guilt I feel! The words from the play get to Claudius and it proves his guilt. |
| ***To be or not to be-that is the question:” ** (3.1.127) | Hamlet to himself.To live or not to live in a world where you feel like everything is against you or you have a fake life. Do you suffer the time that we have or end our lives. Hamlet will not come to kill himself because suicide is against god and will send him to hell, which Hamlet is very scared of… nwhy he doesn’t kill Claudius either while he is praying. |
| “Thus conscience does make cowards (of us all)” ( 3.1.129) | Hamlet to himself. We stop ourselves from doing something because our minds tell us not too. |
| “Ha,ha, are you honest” ( 3.1.131) | Hamlet to Ophelia.Hamlet disses ophelia on her honesty and chastity as well. He is really not happy with her right now because she is one in many that have come to lie to him. |
| **”God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another.” (3.1.133) ** | Hamlet to OpheliaOphelia has lost her goodness (the goodness God gave her) because she is spying on him. Hamlet tells her that he knows that he is spying on him and suspects that Claudius told her to do it. Hamlet tells Ophelia that he is not easy to fool and has lost trust in Ophelia and the king and queen and Polonius. Hamlet keeps telling Ophelia to go to a nunnery (nunnery could have two meanings–(1) a place where nuns hang out (2) a brothel–place where people have sex w/ prostitutes.) Hamlet is suggesting that Ophelia is dirty and sinful because of her obedience to evil people like King Claudius and her father, Polonius.Hamlet is furious here, and Claudius and Polonius find out about his anger later. YOU MAKE YOURSLEF LOOK ONE WAY BUT ARE TOTALLY DIFFERENT INSIDE( appearance vs reality) |
| “all but one, shall live” (3.1.133) | Hamlet to ophelia.Hamlet knows that everyone around him is watching. Foreshadowing him killing Claudius and his mother staying alive |
| “if she find him not, to England send him, or confine him where your wisdom best shall think” (3.2.135) “Madness in great ones must not ( unwatched) go. | Polonius to King. Send Hamlet to his mother and see is she can get the secret out of him. If not you are more than welcome to send him to England. Claudius wants to send Hamlet to England because it will take away his problems and Hamlet can be killed in England. He says that h is sending him to take care of his madness but truly it is to kill him so people don’t find out about what Claudius has done king to Polonius. same idea. WE NEED TO WATCH THE MADNESS. |
| “I must be idle” (3.2.141). | Hamlet to Horatio.Hamlet has just finished telling the plan to Horatio of how he is gonna catch Claudius in the act. He sees them all coming to the play, so now he has to put his act back on with being crazy.appearance vs.. reality, deception |
| “Here’s metal more attractive” ( 3.2.143) | Hamlet to Ophelia.hamlet insults Ophelia because he has come to disrespect her. |
Hamlet pg.1-143 Quotes
September 13, 2019