Shakespeare quotes and what they mean

"To be, or not to be, that is the question:"

Hamlet, Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1

Hamlet asks whether it is better to keep living and put up with life's pain, or to end it. He is alone, weighed down by his father's death and the duty to avenge it, and he wonders why people endure so much when what comes after death is unknown.

"To sleep, perchance to dream, ay, there's the rub,"

Hamlet, Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1

In the same speech Hamlet compares death to sleep, then sees the catch: sleep can bring dreams, and no one knows what dreams death might bring. 'The rub' means the snag or obstacle, a word taken from the game of bowls.

"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,"

Hamlet, Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1

Here 'conscience' means thinking hard about something, especially about what might follow. Hamlet says that too much reflection drains people of the nerve to act. It sums up his own problem: he keeps thinking instead of doing.

"since brevity is the soul of wit,"

Polonius, Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2

Keeping things short is the heart of cleverness ('wit' meant intelligence). The joke is that Polonius, who says it, is one of the most long-winded characters in the play, and he takes ages to tell the king and queen his theory about Hamlet's madness.

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."

Marcellus, Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 4

Something is badly wrong in the country, and it starts at the top. The guard Marcellus says it after the ghost of the dead king appears and Hamlet follows it into the dark. People now use the line when they sense hidden corruption in any group or organization.

"This above all: to thine own self be true; And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man."

Polonius, Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3

Be honest with yourself and live by your own values, and you will be honest with everyone else too. It is the last piece of advice Polonius gives his son Laertes, who is leaving for France, at the end of a long list of fatherly tips.

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be: For loan oft loses both itself and friend;"

Polonius, Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3

Don't borrow money and don't lend it. Polonius warns Laertes that a loan often goes unpaid, and then you lose both the money and the friend you lent it to. The advice is still quoted whenever money and friendship mix.

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

Hamlet, Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5

The world holds more mysteries than any book learning can explain. Hamlet says this to his friend Horatio, a sensible university student, right after both of them have seen his father's ghost. It is a reminder to stay humble about what we think we know.

"The time is out of joint. O cursed spite, That ever I was born to set it right."

Hamlet, Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5

The world is out of order, like a dislocated bone, and Hamlet resents that the job of fixing it has fallen to him. He has just learned from the ghost that his uncle murdered his father, and he already feels the weight of that duty.

"That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain!"

Hamlet, Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5

A person can look friendly and cheerful while being thoroughly wicked. Hamlet scribbles this down after the ghost reveals that his smiling uncle Claudius is a murderer. A pleasant face, he realizes, proves nothing about someone's character.

"Frailty, thy name is woman!"

Hamlet, Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 2

Hamlet bitterly says that weakness and fickleness are the very definition of women. He is thinking of his mother, who married his uncle barely a month after his father's funeral. The line shows his grief and disgust rather than a fair judgment, and readers today often quote it critically.

"How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world!"

Hamlet, Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 2

Everything in life feels tired, dull and pointless to Hamlet. In his first speech alone on stage, he is grieving his father and sickened by his mother's quick remarriage, and the whole world looks to him like a garden gone to weeds.

"What a piece of work is man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties,"

Hamlet, Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2

Hamlet praises human beings as wonderfully made: noble in their thinking and almost limitless in their abilities. Yet he admits none of it delights him anymore. He says it to two old school friends who have been sent by the king to spy on him.

"there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so."

Hamlet, Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2

Things are not good or bad in themselves; the way we look at them makes them so. Hamlet says it while calling Denmark a prison, and his friends disagree. The idea is close to what people now call the power of mindset.

"The play's the thing Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King."

Hamlet, Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2

Hamlet plans to have actors perform a play that copies his father's murder while he watches his uncle's face. If the king reacts with guilt, Hamlet will know the ghost told the truth. The play becomes a trap for the truth.

"The lady protests too much, methinks."

Queen Gertrude, Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 2

The queen in the play Hamlet has staged swears so strongly that she will never remarry that her promises sound false. Gertrude says this while watching. People now quote it, usually as 'the lady doth protest too much,' when loud denials make someone seem guilty.

"I must be cruel, only to be kind:"

Hamlet, Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 4

Hamlet tells his mother that he has spoken harshly to her for her own good, to make her face what she has done. The line is now a common way to explain tough love: causing someone a little pain now to help them in the long run.

"When sorrows come, they come not single spies, But in battalions."

King Claudius, Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 5

Troubles never arrive one at a time; they come in whole armies. Claudius says this as problems pile up: Polonius is dead, Hamlet has been sent away, Ophelia has lost her mind and the people are restless. It matches the modern saying 'when it rains, it pours.'

"Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest,"

Hamlet, Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 1

Hamlet holds the skull of Yorick, the court jester who carried him on his back when he was a boy. Seeing what is left of someone so full of fun makes him think about how death comes to everyone. The line is often misquoted as 'I knew him well.'

"The readiness is all."

Hamlet, Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 2

What matters is being prepared for whatever comes, including death, since no one can choose the moment. Hamlet says this calmly to Horatio before his fencing match with Laertes, even though he senses that something is wrong.

"The rest is silence."

Hamlet, Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 2

These are Hamlet's last words. After all his talking, thinking and planning, he dies, and there is nothing left to say. The line can also suggest that whatever comes after death is beyond words.

"Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

Horatio, Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 2

Horatio says goodbye to his dying friend Hamlet, wishing him a peaceful rest carried by singing angels. It is one of the best-known farewells in English and is often read at memorial services.

"Fair is foul, and foul is fair:"

The Three Witches, Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 1

Things are not what they seem: the good can turn bad and the bad can look good. The three witches chant this in the opening scene, setting up a play where loyal-looking people turn traitor and appearances keep fooling everyone.

"There's no art To find the mind's construction in the face:"

King Duncan, Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 4

No skill can let you read someone's thoughts from their face. King Duncan says this about the traitor he once trusted, and then, with painful irony, he warmly greets Macbeth, the man who is about to betray him.

"Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires."

Macbeth, Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 4

Macbeth asks the stars to stop shining so that no one can see the dark ambition growing in him. He has just heard that the king's son, not he, will inherit the throne, and he starts to think about a crime.

"look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under't."

Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 5

Look harmless on the outside while hiding danger underneath, like a snake under a flower. Lady Macbeth coaches her husband to welcome the king warmly to their castle while they secretly plan his death.

"Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself And falls on th' other"

Macbeth, Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 7

Macbeth admits that only ambition pushes him to kill the king, and it is the kind that jumps too high, like a rider who leaps at a horse and tumbles off the far side. He can see that it might ruin him.

"But screw your courage to the sticking-place, And we'll not fail."

Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 7

Tighten your courage as far as it will go, like a string wound to its tightest point, and we will succeed. Lady Macbeth says it to push her doubting husband into the murder. People now quote it to mean 'find your nerve.'

"Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand?"

Macbeth, Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 1

On his way to the king's room, Macbeth sees a dagger floating in the air, pointing the way. He cannot tell whether it is real or a trick of his overheated mind. The vision shows how guilt and ambition are already working on him.

"Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleave of care,"

Macbeth, Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 2

Sleep mends the tangled threads of worry, the way you would repair frayed silk. Right after the murder, Macbeth fears he will never rest peacefully again, and he lists all the healing gifts that sleep brings to a clear conscience.

"There's daggers in men's smiles:"

Donalbain, Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 3

Smiling faces can hide deadly intentions. After their father is found dead, the king's younger son Donalbain decides the castle is too dangerous and runs away, since any friendly face there could belong to the killer.

"Things without all remedy Should be without regard: what's done is done."

Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Act 3, Scene 2

If something cannot be fixed, there is no point dwelling on it; the past is the past. Lady Macbeth tells her anxious husband to stop brooding over what they have done. 'What's done is done' is still an everyday saying.

"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes."

Second Witch, Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 1

A tingling in her thumbs tells the witch that someone evil is on the way, and it turns out to be Macbeth himself. The line shows how far he has fallen: even witches now see him as wicked.

"Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire, burn; and cauldron, bubble."

The Three Witches, Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 1

The witches chant this while stirring a magic brew in their cauldron, just before Macbeth comes to them for answers. The strong beat of the words makes it one of the best-known spells in literature, and it shows up every year at Halloween.

"Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak Whispers the o'er-fraught heart, and bids it break."

Malcolm, Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 3

Talk about your pain, because grief kept silent fills the heart until it breaks. Malcolm says this to Macduff, who has just heard terrible news about his family, urging him to let his sorrow out rather than hold it in.

"Out, damned spot! out, I say!"

Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 1

Sleepwalking, Lady Macbeth keeps trying to rub an imaginary bloodstain off her hand. Guilt has taken over her mind. The woman who once said a little water would wash the deed away now cannot feel clean.

"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time;"

Macbeth, Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5

Each day crawls slowly after the last until time itself runs out. Macbeth says this just after hearing that his wife has died. Everything he fought for now seems empty, and the future looks like a dull line of days.

"Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing."

Macbeth, Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5

Life is a passing shadow, or a poor actor who shows off and worries through his short time on stage and is then forgotten. It is a story told by a fool: loud and dramatic, but meaning nothing. Macbeth, near his end, sees human life as empty.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate:"

Poet, Sonnet 18

The poet asks whether he should compare his beloved to a summer day, then decides the person is lovelier and gentler. Summer can be too hot or too windy and always ends, but this beauty is steadier.

"So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."

Poet, Sonnet 18

As long as people are alive to read, this poem will last, and it will keep the beloved alive too. The sonnet ends by claiming that poetry can beat time and death.

"Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments, love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove."

Poet, Sonnet 116

Nothing should stand in the way of two people truly joined in mind. Real love does not change when circumstances change or when the other person changes. This sonnet is one of the most popular readings at weddings.

"O no, it is an ever-fixed mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken;"

Poet, Sonnet 116

True love is like a lighthouse or landmark that faces storms without moving. The poet goes on to compare love to the North Star, which guides lost ships.

"My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun,"

Poet, Sonnet 130

The poet pokes fun at over-the-top love poems by admitting his beloved's eyes are not like the sun and her lips are not like coral. At the end, he says his love is as rare as any woman praised with false comparisons.

"When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes, I all alone beweep my outcast state,"

Poet, Sonnet 29

When luck is against him and people look down on him, the poet sits alone feeling sorry for himself. But thinking of his beloved lifts his mood until he would not trade places with a king.

"When to the sessions of sweet silent thought, I summon up remembrance of things past,"

Poet, Sonnet 30

In quiet moments, the poet calls up memories and grieves again for old losses and lost friends. Thinking of his dear friend makes all the sorrow end. 'Remembrance of Things Past' later became the English title of a famous French novel.

"That time of year thou mayst in me behold, When yellow leaves, or none, or few do hang"

Poet, Sonnet 73

The poet compares himself to late autumn, when few leaves are left on the trees. He is growing old, and he tells his beloved that seeing this should make their love stronger, since they will soon be parted.

"Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore, So do our minutes hasten to their end,"

Poet, Sonnet 60

Just as waves keep rushing onto a pebble beach, our minutes keep hurrying to their end. Time pushes on without stopping, the poet says, though he hopes his verse will outlast it.

"Not marble, nor the gilded monuments Of princes shall outlive this powerful rhyme,"

Poet, Sonnet 55

Stone statues and golden monuments will crumble, but this poem will survive them. The poet promises his beloved that words can last longer than any building.

"Lilies that fester, smell far worse than weeds."

Poet, Sonnet 94

A rotting lily smells worse than any weed. The poet means that when good and powerful people go bad, they become worse than those who were never good in the first place.

"When my love swears that she is made of truth, I do believe her, though I know she lies,"

Poet, Sonnet 138

The poet pretends to believe his lover when she claims to be honest, even though he knows she is not. Both of them tell small lies, he admits, to keep their love comfortable.

"To me fair friend you never can be old, For as you were when first your eye I eyed,"

Poet, Sonnet 104

To the poet, his friend will never look old: he seems just as beautiful as when they first met, even though three years have passed.

"Devouring Time blunt thou the lion's paws,"

Poet, Sonnet 19

The poet tells Time it may do its worst to the world, wearing down even the lion, but it must not age his beloved. Even if it does, his poem will keep that person young forever.

"Beware the Ides of March."

Soothsayer, Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene 2

A fortune-teller warns Caesar to be careful on March 15 (the 'Ides'). Caesar waves him away as a dreamer. On that date he is assassinated by a group of senators, and the phrase has meant a warning of coming disaster ever since.

"Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings."

Cassius, Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene 2

We cannot blame fate or the stars for our position; it is our own fault if we let others rule us. Cassius says this to persuade his friend Brutus to join the plot against Caesar's growing power.

"Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much: such men are dangerous."

Julius Caesar, Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene 2

Caesar distrusts Cassius because he looks thin and restless and thinks too much. Caesar prefers well-fed, contented men around him. His instinct is right: Cassius is already plotting against him.

"Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once."

Julius Caesar, Julius Caesar, Act 2, Scene 2

Cowards suffer death over and over in their fears, while brave people face it only once, when it really comes. Caesar says this when his wife begs him not to go to the Senate because of bad dreams and warnings.

"But I am constant as the northern star,"

Julius Caesar, Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1

Caesar boasts that he never changes his mind, comparing himself to the North Star, which stays fixed while the other stars move. Moments later the conspirators strike, and his proud claim shows how blind he is to danger.

"Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar!"

Julius Caesar, Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1

'And you, Brutus?' Caesar is shocked to see his trusted friend Brutus among his attackers, and he gives up. The Latin words are still used to express hurt surprise at being betrayed by someone close.

"Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war,"

Mark Antony, Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1

Alone with Caesar's body, Antony predicts that revenge will unleash chaos and war across the land. 'Cry havoc' was an order to start plundering. 'The dogs of war' now means the terrible forces that war sets loose.

"Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more."

Brutus, Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 2

Brutus tells the crowd that he did not join the plot because he stopped caring for Caesar, but because he cared even more about Rome's freedom. He believes he acted for the public good.

"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him."

Mark Antony, Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 2

Antony opens his funeral speech by asking for the crowd's attention and claiming he is not there to praise Caesar. In fact he praises him brilliantly, turning the people against the conspirators. It is a classic example of persuasive speaking.

"The evil that men do lives after them, The good is oft interred with their bones;"

Mark Antony, Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 2

People remember the bad things someone did long after they die, while the good is often buried with them. Antony says this at Caesar's funeral, cleverly hinting that Caesar's good deeds deserve to be remembered.

"This was the most unkindest cut of all;"

Mark Antony, Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 2

Showing the crowd Caesar's torn cloak, Antony points to the wound made by Brutus, Caesar's beloved friend, and calls it the cruelest of all. The double 'most unkindest' adds emphasis. Today 'the unkindest cut' means a painful betrayal.

"There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;"

Brutus, Julius Caesar, Act 4, Scene 3

Opportunities come like a rising tide; if you act at the right moment, you succeed, and if you wait, you miss your chance. Brutus uses this to argue for marching to battle at once.

"This was the noblest Roman of them all."

Mark Antony, Julius Caesar, Act 5, Scene 5

Standing over the body of Brutus, his enemy, Antony says he was the best of the conspirators, because he alone acted out of honest belief rather than envy. It is a generous tribute to a defeated rival.

"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!"

Romeo, Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2

Standing in the Capulet garden at night, Romeo sees Juliet appear at her window and compares her to the sunrise. 'But soft' means 'wait, quiet.' He met her only hours earlier and is already completely in love.

"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"

Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2

Juliet is asking why Romeo has to be Romeo, a Montague from the family her own family hates. 'Wherefore' means 'why,' not 'where.' She is not looking for him; she is wishing he had a different name.

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet;"

Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2

A name is only a label; it does not change what something really is. Juliet reasons that Romeo would be just as dear to her if he were not called Montague. The line is quoted whenever people argue that labels do not matter.

"My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite."

Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2

Juliet says her love is as endless and deep as the ocean. The more love she gives Romeo, the more she seems to have, because it has no limit. It is one of the most generous descriptions of love in the play.

"Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow That I shall say good night till it be morrow."

Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2

Saying goodbye hurts, but it is also sweet, because it shows how much they care. Juliet would happily keep saying good night until morning. 'Sweet sorrow' is now used for any bittersweet farewell.

"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."

Romeo, Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 5

Romeo arrived at the party pining for someone else, but one look at Juliet convinces him he has never truly loved before. 'Forswear it' means 'take it back.' His feelings change in an instant, which says a lot about him.

"O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!"

Romeo, Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 5

Juliet is so radiant that she seems to show the torches in the hall how to shine. This is the first thing Romeo says when he sees her at the Capulet party, before he even knows who she is.

"My only love sprung from my only hate!"

Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 5

Juliet learns that the young man she has just fallen for is a Montague, from the family her own family is feuding with. Her one true love has come from her one great enemy, and she senses trouble ahead.

"Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast."

Friar Lawrence, Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 3

Go carefully and slowly, because people who rush tend to trip. Friar Lawrence gives this advice when Romeo begs him to marry him and Juliet that very day. Romeo does not listen, and haste drives the whole tragedy.

"These violent delights have violent ends,"

Friar Lawrence, Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 6

Joys that are wild and intense tend to end just as suddenly and badly. The friar warns Romeo of this minutes before marrying him to Juliet, comparing their passion to fire and gunpowder that destroy each other the moment they meet.

"A plague o' both your houses."

Mercutio, Romeo and Juliet, Act 3, Scene 1

Mercutio, wounded in a street fight, curses both feuding families, the Montagues and the Capulets, for the quarrel that is costing him his life. People still say 'a plague on both your houses' to blame both sides of a fight.

"Thus with a kiss I die."

Romeo, Romeo and Juliet, Act 5, Scene 3

Romeo's last words, spoken over Juliet, whom he believes is dead. She is only in a deep, drugged sleep and wakes moments too late. The line sums up how closely love and death are tied together in the play.

"Nothing will come of nothing: speak again."

King Lear, King Lear, Act 1, Scene 1

Lear asks his three daughters to say how much they love him, promising the most land to the best speech. When his honest youngest, Cordelia, says she has 'nothing' to add, he warns that saying nothing will earn her nothing.

"Love, and be silent."

Cordelia, King Lear, Act 1, Scene 1

Cordelia, listening to her sisters flatter their father with grand speeches, decides she will simply love him and say little. Her honesty costs her everything when the king mistakes her quiet answer for coldness.

"How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is To have a thankless child!"

King Lear, King Lear, Act 1, Scene 4

An ungrateful child hurts more than a snakebite. Lear says this after his daughter Goneril, who praised him so warmly to win her share of the kingdom, starts treating him as a nuisance.

"Have more than thou showest, Speak less than thou knowest, Lend less than thou owest,"

The Fool, King Lear, Act 1, Scene 4

The Fool gives Lear a rhyme of practical advice: own more than you show, say less than you know and lend less than you have. It is a gentle jab at Lear, who has just given his whole kingdom away to two flattering daughters.

"O, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven!"

King Lear, King Lear, Act 1, Scene 5

Lear begs not to lose his mind. Rejected by one daughter and about to be turned away by another, he feels his reason slipping. It is a painful moment of a proud man becoming afraid.

"More sinn'd against than sinning."

King Lear, King Lear, Act 3, Scene 2

Out in a raging storm, Lear says he has suffered more wrong than he has done. He admits his own faults, but feels his daughters' cruelty is far greater. People still use the phrase for someone treated worse than they deserve.

"As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods, They kill us for their sport."

Gloucester, King Lear, Act 4, Scene 1

We are like flies to careless boys: the gods hurt us just for fun. Gloucester, who has been blinded and cast out, has lost all hope that anyone above is fair. It is one of the darkest views of fate in Shakespeare.

"When we are born, we cry that we are come To this great stage of fools."

King Lear, King Lear, Act 4, Scene 6

Babies cry when they are born because they have arrived in a world full of foolishness. Lear, wandering half mad, says this to the blind Gloucester. It is a sad twist on the idea that life is a play.

"Men must endure Their going hence, even as their coming hither; Ripeness is all."

Edgar, King Lear, Act 5, Scene 2

We have to accept leaving life just as we accepted arriving in it; what matters is being ready when the time comes, like fruit that falls when it is ripe. Edgar says it to lift his despairing father.

"The weight of this sad time we must obey; Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say."

Edgar, King Lear, Act 5, Scene 3

In the play's closing lines, the survivors agree to say what they truly feel, not what they are expected to say. After a tragedy that began with flattering speeches, honesty is the lesson left standing.

"O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-ey'd monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on."

Iago, Othello, Act 3, Scene 3

Iago warns Othello that jealousy is a monster that torments the very person it lives in. The warning is fake friendship: Iago is the one planting jealousy in Othello's mind. 'The green-eyed monster' is now a common name for jealousy.

"Who steals my purse steals trash. 'Tis something, nothing; 'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands. But he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him, And makes me poor indeed."

Iago, Othello, Act 3, Scene 3

Money is trivial and passes from hand to hand, but a good reputation is priceless; stealing it ruins the victim without making the thief any richer. The irony is that Iago says this while he is busy destroying other people's good names.

"I am not what I am."

Iago, Othello, Act 1, Scene 1

Iago tells Roderigo openly that he is not the person he pretends to be. He serves Othello only to pay him back for a grudge. The short line marks Iago as one of literature's great deceivers, honest on the outside and false within.

"But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve For daws to peck at:"

Iago, Othello, Act 1, Scene 1

Iago says that showing his real feelings would be like pinning his heart to his sleeve for birds to peck at, something he will never do. Today 'wearing your heart on your sleeve' means letting your emotions show openly.

"Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation!"

Cassio, Othello, Act 2, Scene 3

Cassio, Othello's lieutenant, has been tricked by Iago into a drunken brawl and dismissed from his post. He cries that he has lost his good name, the part of himself he thought would last. Iago, who caused it all, pretends to comfort him.

"How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees?"

Iago, Othello, Act 2, Scene 3

People without patience are truly poor, because every wound heals only little by little. Iago tells the impatient Roderigo to wait, since his schemes need time. It is sound advice from a man who uses it for bad ends.

"Trifles light as air Are to the jealous confirmations strong As proofs of holy writ."

Iago, Othello, Act 3, Scene 3

To a jealous person, the tiniest things feel like solid proof. Iago plans to leave Desdemona's handkerchief where Cassio will find it, knowing that Othello will treat this small object as evidence that she is unfaithful.

"But jealous souls will not be answer'd so; They are not ever jealous for the cause, But jealous for they are jealous:"

Emilia, Othello, Act 3, Scene 4

Jealous people do not need a real reason. Emilia tells Desdemona that jealousy feeds on itself: some people are jealous simply because they are the jealous type, and no explanation will calm them.

"She lov'd me for the dangers I had pass'd, And I lov'd her that she did pity them."

Othello, Othello, Act 1, Scene 3

Othello explains to the Venetian senators how he and Desdemona fell in love: she was moved by his stories of the dangers he had survived, and he loved her for caring. No magic was involved, he says, only stories and sympathy.

"Of one that loved not wisely, but too well;"

Othello, Othello, Act 5, Scene 2

Near the end, Othello asks to be remembered as a man who loved too much rather than wisely. Deceived by Iago, he has taken the life of his faithful wife Desdemona out of jealousy, and only now learns that she was innocent.

"If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it; that, surfeiting, The appetite may sicken and so die."

Orsino, Twelfth Night, Act 1, Scene 1

Duke Orsino, lovesick for a countess who will not have him, asks his musicians to keep playing. He hopes that too much music will make his hunger for love sick and fade away. It is the play's opening line.

"Better a witty fool than a foolish wit."

Feste, Twelfth Night, Act 1, Scene 5

It is better to be a clever person who plays the fool than a fool who thinks he is clever. Feste, the professional jester, says this as he prepares to prove that his lady Olivia is the real fool for mourning so long.

"O time, thou must untangle this, not I, It is too hard a knot for me t'untie!"

Viola, Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 2

Viola, disguised as a young man, realizes that the countess Olivia has fallen for her, while she herself loves Duke Orsino. The mix-up is too complicated to fix, so she leaves it to time.

"Present mirth hath present laughter. What's to come is still unsure. In delay there lies no plenty, Then come kiss me, sweet and twenty. Youth's a stuff will not endure."

Feste, Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 3

In this song, Feste says to enjoy happiness now, because the future is uncertain and youth does not last. Waiting gains nothing, so love while you are young. It is a cheerful version of 'seize the day.'

"Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?"

Sir Toby Belch, Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 3

Sir Toby asks the stern steward Malvolio if he thinks that, just because he is strict and proper, nobody else should have fun. 'Cakes and ale' became a phrase for the simple pleasures of life.

"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em."

Malvolio, Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 5

Malvolio reads these words in a fake love letter that he thinks is from Olivia. Greatness, it says, can come by birth, by effort or by luck. The letter is a trick to make him look ridiculous, but the line is quoted seriously today.

"This fellow is wise enough to play the fool, And to do that well, craves a kind of wit:"

Viola, Twelfth Night, Act 3, Scene 1

Viola notices that the jester Feste must be clever to do his job well: he has to read people and know when and how to joke. Playing the fool, she says, is a skill.

"Love sought is good, but given unsought is better."

Olivia, Twelfth Night, Act 3, Scene 1

Love that you chase is good, but love freely given without being asked for is even better. Olivia says this while declaring her love to Viola, who is disguised as a young man and cannot return it.

"And thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges."

Feste, Twelfth Night, Act 5, Scene 1

Time spins like a top, and sooner or later it pays people back. Feste says this to Malvolio at the end of the play, after Malvolio has been tricked and humiliated. Malvolio once mocked Feste, and now the tables have turned.

"All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts,"

Jaques, As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 7

Life is like a play: people enter, act their parts and leave. Jaques goes on to describe the seven ages of a person, from baby to schoolboy, lover, soldier, judge, old man and finally second childhood. It is one of the most quoted speeches in English.

"Last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything."

Jaques, As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 7

The final stage of life, Jaques says, is a second childhood and forgetfulness, with no teeth, eyes, taste or anything else ('sans' means 'without'). Right after this, a loyal old servant is carried in, showing old age with dignity.

"Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head;"

Duke Senior, As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 1

Hard times can bring good things, just as people once believed an ugly toad carried a jewel in its head. The banished duke says this in the forest, where he has learned to value a simple life away from the court.

"And this our life, exempt from public haunt, Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones, and good in everything."

Duke Senior, As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 1

Living in the forest, far from crowds, the duke finds lessons everywhere in nature: trees seem to speak, streams are like books and even stones teach. It is a celebration of learning from the natural world.

"Love is merely a madness,"

Rosalind, As You Like It, Act 3, Scene 2

Rosalind, disguised as a young man, tells Orlando that love is nothing but madness, and offers to cure him of it. She is joking, because she is deeply in love with him herself.

"Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?"

Phoebe, As You Like It, Act 3, Scene 5

Has anyone ever truly loved who did not fall in love at first sight? Phoebe, a shepherdess, quotes this line from the poet Christopher Marlowe after falling instantly for Rosalind, who is disguised as a young man.

"Men have died from time to time and worms have eaten them, but not for love."

Rosalind, As You Like It, Act 4, Scene 1

People die of many things, but nobody has ever really died of a broken heart. Rosalind teases Orlando, who swears he would die if she refused him, by pointing out that lovers only talk that way.

"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool."

Touchstone, As You Like It, Act 5, Scene 1

Foolish people believe they are clever, while wise people know how much they do not know. Touchstone, the court jester, quotes this saying to a simple country lad. It echoes an old idea that wisdom begins with admitting ignorance.

"The course of true love never did run smooth."

Lysander, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 1, Scene 1

Real love always runs into trouble. Lysander comforts Hermia, whose father is forcing her to marry another man, by saying that lovers in every story face obstacles. The line is quoted whenever a romance hits a bump.

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind."

Helena, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 1, Scene 1

Love is not about what we see but about what we imagine, which is why Cupid is shown wearing a blindfold. Helena, whose love is ignored by Demetrius, says this to explain why love so often makes no sense.

"Lord, what fools these mortals be!"

Puck, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 3, Scene 2

The mischievous fairy Puck laughs at the young lovers chasing each other through the woods, their feelings scrambled by a magic love potion that he himself put on the wrong person. Humans in love, he thinks, are ridiculous.

"And though she be but little, she is fierce."

Helena, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 3, Scene 2

Helena warns that Hermia may be small, but she has a fiery temper. It comes in the middle of a comic quarrel in the woods. Today the line is a popular way to praise small people with big spirit.

"I have had a most rare vision. I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was."

Bottom, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 4, Scene 1

Bottom, a weaver who was magically given a donkey's head and adored by the fairy queen, wakes up thinking it was all a dream. He tries to describe it and gets comically tangled up.

"The lunatic, the lover, and the poet Are of imagination all compact:"

Theseus, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 5, Scene 1

Madmen, lovers and poets are all made of pure imagination. Duke Theseus doubts the young lovers' strange story of their night in the woods, grouping lovers and poets with madmen who see things that are not there.

"If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended, That you have but slumber'd here While these visions did appear."

Puck, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 5, Scene 1

In the play's last speech, Puck tells the audience that if they did not like the show, they can pretend they just fell asleep and dreamed it. 'Shadows' means actors. It is a playful apology and farewell.

"I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano, A stage, where every man must play a part, And mine a sad one."

Antonio, The Merchant of Venice, Act 1, Scene 1

Antonio, a rich merchant, says the world is like a stage where everyone has a role, and his is a sad one. He feels low without knowing why, and his friend Gratiano tries to cheer him up.

"But love is blind, and lovers cannot see The pretty follies that themselves commit,"

Jessica, The Merchant of Venice, Act 2, Scene 6

People in love do not notice the silly things they do. Jessica, running away to be with Lorenzo, is embarrassed that she is disguised as a boy, and is glad love keeps him from seeing her foolishness.

"All that glisters is not gold, Often have you heard that told."

Prince of Morocco, The Merchant of Venice, Act 2, Scene 7

Something that looks valuable may not be. The Prince of Morocco picks the gold box hoping to win Portia, and finds only a skull and a scroll with this warning. 'Glisters' means 'glitters.' The saying was already old.

"If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?"

Shylock, The Merchant of Venice, Act 3, Scene 1

Shylock, a Jewish moneylender who has been insulted for years, argues that he is as human as the men who mistreat him. If they feel pain and want revenge, so does he. The speech is both a plea for shared humanity and a threat.

"The quality of mercy is not strain'd, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath."

Portia, The Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene 1

Mercy cannot be forced; it falls freely, like gentle rain. Portia, disguised as a young lawyer, asks Shylock to show mercy to Antonio instead of demanding the harsh penalty written in their contract.

"The man that hath no music in himself, Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils;"

Lorenzo, The Merchant of Venice, Act 5, Scene 1

A person who is not moved by music cannot be trusted and is capable of any treachery. Lorenzo says this to Jessica on a moonlit night as musicians play. It is an old idea that music shows the harmony of a good soul.

"How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world."

Portia, The Merchant of Venice, Act 5, Scene 1

A small candle can be seen from far away in the dark, and a good deed shines the same way in a bad world. Portia notices a light from her house as she returns home at night. 'Naughty' meant wicked.

"Hell is empty, And all the devils are here."

Ariel, The Tempest, Act 1, Scene 2

The spirit Ariel reports what one terrified passenger cried as he leapt from the ship in the storm Ariel had raised. The line is now quoted, often jokingly, when the world seems full of wicked people.

"You taught me language, and my profit on 't Is, I know how to curse."

Caliban, The Tempest, Act 1, Scene 2

Caliban, the island's original inhabitant, tells Prospero and Miranda that the only good he got from learning their language is being able to curse them. The line is often discussed in talks about power and colonization.

"what's past is prologue,"

Antonio, The Tempest, Act 2, Scene 1

Everything that has happened so far is just the introduction to what comes next. Antonio says this to convince Sebastian to seize power. Today it means that history sets the stage for the future.

"Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises, Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not."

Caliban, The Tempest, Act 3, Scene 2

Don't be afraid: the island is full of music and sounds that bring pleasure and do no harm. Surprisingly, it is Caliban, often treated as a monster, who speaks these gentle, beautiful lines about the island he loves.

"Our revels now are ended. These our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits and Are melted into air, into thin air:"

Prospero, The Tempest, Act 4, Scene 1

Prospero ends a magical show he has staged for the young couple, explaining that the performers were spirits who have vanished. The speech goes on to compare the whole world to a show that will one day fade away.

"We are such stuff As dreams are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep."

Prospero, The Tempest, Act 4, Scene 1

Human beings are as fleeting as dreams, and our short lives begin and end in sleep. Prospero says this after his magic show vanishes, and many readers hear Shakespeare himself saying goodbye to the stage.

"How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world That has such people in 't!"

Miranda, The Tempest, Act 5, Scene 1

Miranda, who has grown up on an island seeing almost no one, meets a group of people for the first time and is amazed. 'Brave' means splendid. Her innocence is touching, since some of these men are schemers.

"I wonder that you will still be talking, Signior Benedick: nobody marks you."

Beatrice, Much Ado About Nothing, Act 1, Scene 1

Beatrice teases Benedick that he keeps talking although nobody is listening. It is the first round of their 'merry war' of insults, a battle of wits between two people who are, without admitting it, attracted to each other.

"I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me."

Beatrice, Much Ado About Nothing, Act 1, Scene 1

Beatrice says she would rather listen to her dog barking than hear a man declare his love. She claims to have no interest in romance, which makes it funnier when she later falls for Benedick.

"there was a star danced, and under that was I born."

Beatrice, Much Ado About Nothing, Act 2, Scene 1

Asked if she was born in a merry hour, Beatrice says a star was dancing when she was born. It is a charming explanation for her playful, cheerful nature and her quick wit.

"Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more, Men were deceivers ever;"

Balthasar, Much Ado About Nothing, Act 2, Scene 3

In this song, Balthasar tells women not to sigh over men, because men have always been unfaithful. He advises them to let men go and be cheerful instead. The song fits a play full of tricks and misunderstandings.

"I do love nothing in the world so well as you: is not that strange?"

Benedick, Much Ado About Nothing, Act 4, Scene 1

Benedick finally admits his love to Beatrice, the woman he has spent the whole play arguing with. He finds it strange himself. The confession comes at a tense moment, just after her cousin Hero has been falsely accused.

"everyone can master a grief but he that has it."

Benedick, Much Ado About Nothing, Act 3, Scene 2

It is easy to handle someone else's sorrow; only the person suffering finds it hard. Benedick, now secretly lovesick, says this when his friends tease him about looking sad. It is a sharp point about giving easy advice.

"Love all, trust a few, Do wrong to none."

Countess, All's Well That Ends Well, Act 1, Scene 1

Be kind to everyone, but trust only a few people, and never harm anyone. The Countess gives this advice to her son Bertram as he leaves home for the royal court.

"Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie, Which we ascribe to heaven:"

Helena, All's Well That Ends Well, Act 1, Scene 1

The solutions to our problems are often within us, even though we tend to credit fate. Helena decides to stop waiting and act to win Bertram, the man she loves.

"The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together;"

First Lord, All's Well That Ends Well, Act 4, Scene 3

Life is woven from mixed threads of good and bad. A French lord says this while discussing Bertram's mix of courage and bad behavior. Nobody, he suggests, is wholly good or wholly bad.

"All's well that ends well; still the fine's the crown."

Helena, All's Well That Ends Well, Act 4, Scene 4

If things turn out well in the end, the troubles along the way do not matter; the ending ('fine') is what crowns everything. Helena says it as her plan nears success. The saying, also the play's title, was already a proverb.

"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale Her infinite variety."

Enobarbus, Antony and Cleopatra, Act 2, Scene 2

Time cannot fade Cleopatra's beauty, and getting used to her never makes her dull, because she is always surprising. Antony's friend Enobarbus says this to explain why Antony will never leave her.

"The barge she sat in, like a burnished throne, Burned on the water."

Enobarbus, Antony and Cleopatra, Act 2, Scene 2

Enobarbus describes the first time Antony saw Cleopatra, arriving on a golden boat that seemed to glow on the river like a blazing throne. The speech paints her as dazzling and almost magical.

"There's beggary in the love that can be reckoned."

Mark Antony, Antony and Cleopatra, Act 1, Scene 1

Love that can be measured or counted is poor love. When Cleopatra asks how much he loves her, Antony replies that true love is too great to put a number on.

"Give me my robe. Put on my crown. I have Immortal longings in me."

Cleopatra, Antony and Cleopatra, Act 5, Scene 2

Cleopatra dresses in her royal robes as she prepares to die rather than be paraded through Rome as a prisoner. She longs for eternity and imagines joining Antony after death.

"If all the year were playing holidays, To sport would be as tedious as to work;"

Prince Hal, Henry IV, Part 1, Act 1, Scene 2

If every day were a holiday, having fun would be as boring as working. Prince Hal explains that he is enjoying a wild life now so that his later change into a serious ruler will seem all the more impressive.

"Why, so can I, or so can any man, But will they come when you do call for them?"

Hotspur, Henry IV, Part 1, Act 3, Scene 1

When the Welsh leader Glendower boasts that he can call up spirits from the deep, Hotspur replies that anyone can call them; the question is whether they come. It is a famous put-down of empty bragging.

"What is honour? A word."

Falstaff, Henry IV, Part 1, Act 5, Scene 1

Before the battle, Falstaff reasons that honor is just a word, nothing he can touch, and it cannot heal a wound. So why die for it? His speech is funny but also a sharp challenge to the idea of glory in war.

"The better part of valour is discretion,"

Falstaff, Henry IV, Part 1, Act 5, Scene 4

The wiser side of courage is knowing when to avoid danger. Falstaff says this after pretending to be dead on the battlefield to escape a fight. Today people say 'discretion is the better part of valor' to justify caution.

"Our doubts are traitors, And make us lose the good we oft might win By fearing to attempt."

Lucio, Measure for Measure, Act 1, Scene 4

Doubts betray us, because fear of failing stops us from trying and winning good things. Lucio urges Isabella to go and plead for her brother's life instead of assuming she will fail.

"Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall."

Escalus, Measure for Measure, Act 2, Scene 1

Life is not always fair: some people get ahead by doing wrong, and some good people are ruined. The kind judge Escalus says this while thinking about the harsh punishment facing a young man.

"O, it is excellent To have a giant's strength; but it is tyrannous To use it like a giant."

Isabella, Measure for Measure, Act 2, Scene 2

It is fine to have great power, but cruel to use all of it. Isabella tells the strict deputy Angelo that his legal power over her brother should be used with mercy.

"But man, proud man, Dressed in a little brief authority,"

Isabella, Measure for Measure, Act 2, Scene 2

Isabella mocks proud people who are given a little power for a short time and let it go to their heads. She is speaking to Angelo, who is ruling the city in the duke's absence and enforcing the law without pity.

"Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this son of York;"

Richard, Duke of Gloucester, Richard III, Act 1, Scene 1

Our long season of unhappiness has turned into a glorious summer thanks to Richard's brother King Edward, the 'son of York' (with a pun on 'sun'). Richard, however, hates peacetime and goes on to reveal his plans to seize the crown.

"A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!"

King Richard, Richard III, Act 5, Scene 4

His horse killed under him in battle, King Richard would trade his whole kingdom for a new one. The line shows how all his power has shrunk to one desperate need. People now use it jokingly when they badly want something simple.

"Conscience is but a word that cowards use, Devised at first to keep the strong in awe."

King Richard, Richard III, Act 5, Scene 3

Richard claims that conscience is just a word invented to scare strong men into behaving. After a night of terrible dreams, he tries to talk himself out of guilt before his final battle.

"True hope is swift, and flies with swallow's wings; Kings it makes gods, and meaner creatures kings."

Richmond, Richard III, Act 5, Scene 2

Real hope moves fast, like a swallow, and lifts people up: it makes kings feel like gods and ordinary people feel like kings. Richmond encourages his soldiers as they march to face Richard.

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin,"

Ulysses, Troilus and Cressida, Act 3, Scene 3

One shared human trait makes all people alike. Ulysses means that everyone tends to praise what is new and forget what is past. Today the line is often used in a warmer sense, for the things that unite people.

"Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back, Wherein he puts alms for oblivion,"

Ulysses, Troilus and Cressida, Act 3, Scene 3

Time carries a bag on its back and drops past good deeds into it, where they are forgotten. Ulysses warns the proud warrior Achilles that old victories will not keep his fame alive.

"Women are angels, wooing: Things won are done;"

Cressida, Troilus and Cressida, Act 1, Scene 2

Women are adored while they are being courted, but once won, the chase is over. Cressida explains why she is holding back from Troilus, even though she loves him.

"Take but degree away, untune that string, And hark what discord follows!"

Ulysses, Troilus and Cressida, Act 1, Scene 3

Remove order and rank from society and everything falls apart, like music when a string is out of tune. Ulysses argues that the Greek army is failing because no one respects the chain of command.

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more,"

King Henry, Henry V, Act 3, Scene 1

King Henry urges his soldiers to charge again at the gap ('breach') in the walls of a French town. The phrase is now used, often with humor, when someone gathers courage to try something difficult one more time.

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers."

King Henry, Henry V, Act 4, Scene 3

Before the battle of Agincourt, Henry tells his small, outnumbered army that they are lucky to be few, because each man will share the glory. Fighting side by side makes them brothers. 'Band of brothers' became a lasting phrase.

"the King is but a man as I am."

King Henry, Henry V, Act 4, Scene 1

Disguised as an ordinary soldier the night before battle, Henry tells his men that the king is just a man like them, with the same senses and fears. It shows his understanding of the common soldier.

"This royal throne of kings, this sceptered isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,"

John of Gaunt, Richard II, Act 2, Scene 1

The dying John of Gaunt praises England as a royal island blessed by nature and war. His speech is a love letter to his country, but it ends in grief, because he believes King Richard is ruining it.

"let us sit upon the ground And tell sad stories of the death of kings"

King Richard, Richard II, Act 3, Scene 2

As his power slips away, King Richard asks his followers to sit on the ground with him and tell stories of kings who were overthrown or died. He realizes that a crown cannot protect anyone from loss.

"I wasted time, and now doth time waste me;"

King Richard, Richard II, Act 5, Scene 5

Alone in prison, Richard sees that he wasted his time as king, and now time is wearing him away. It is a simple, painful line about regret.

"I come to wive it wealthily in Padua; If wealthily, then happily in Padua."

Petruchio, The Taming of the Shrew, Act 1, Scene 2

Petruchio announces that he has come to Padua to marry a rich woman, and if she is rich, he will be happy. He cares more about money than love at first, which sets up his match with the fiery Katherina.

"If I be waspish, best beware my sting."

Katherina, The Taming of the Shrew, Act 2, Scene 1

If I am as sharp as a wasp, watch out for my sting. Katherina fires this warning at Petruchio during their first meeting, a fast and funny duel of insults and wordplay.

"My tongue will tell the anger of my heart, Or else my heart, concealing it, will break;"

Katherina, The Taming of the Shrew, Act 4, Scene 3

Katherina insists on speaking her mind, because keeping her anger inside would break her heart. She says it while Petruchio refuses to let her have a new hat and gown. Many readers see her as defending her right to speak.

"What is the city but the people?"

Sicinius, Coriolanus, Act 3, Scene 1

A city is nothing without its people. Sicinius, an official who speaks for ordinary Romans, says this while turning the crowd against the proud general Coriolanus, who scorns them.

"Action is eloquence,"

Volumnia, Coriolanus, Act 3, Scene 2

Actions can speak as powerfully as words. Volumnia coaches her son Coriolanus to win over the people with humble gestures, since he is too proud to say the right things.

"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."

King Henry, Henry IV, Part 2, Act 3, Scene 1

A king cannot rest easily, because power brings constant worry. Henry IV, sick and unable to sleep, envies the poorest of his subjects, who sleep soundly. The line is now used for anyone in charge who carries heavy responsibility.

"We have heard the chimes at midnight, Master Shallow."

Falstaff, Henry IV, Part 2, Act 3, Scene 2

Falstaff and his old friend Justice Shallow remember their wild youth, when they stayed out late enough to hear the midnight bells. The line is both funny and sad, a look back at days long gone.

"Farewell? A long farewell to all my greatness!"

Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIII, Act 3, Scene 2

Cardinal Wolsey, once the most powerful man after the king, has just fallen from favor. He says goodbye to all his power and reflects that a person's fortunes can bloom and then be killed by a sudden frost.

"Heat not a furnace for your foe so hot That it do singe yourself."

Duke of Norfolk, Henry VIII, Act 1, Scene 1

Don't let your anger at an enemy grow so fierce that it ends up hurting you. Norfolk warns the angry Duke of Buckingham to calm down before acting against Wolsey. It is good advice about the dangers of revenge.

"Grief fills the room up of my absent child, Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me,"

Constance, King John, Act 3, Scene 4

Constance, whose young son Arthur has been taken prisoner, says that grief has taken his place: it lies in his bed and walks around with her. It is one of Shakespeare's most moving descriptions of a parent's loss.

"Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale Vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man;"

Louis the Dauphin, King John, Act 3, Scene 4

After losing a battle, the French prince Louis says life now feels as boring as a story told twice to a sleepy listener. 'A twice-told tale' still means something stale and overfamiliar.

"every why hath a wherefore."

Dromio of Syracuse, The Comedy of Errors, Act 2, Scene 2

Everything has a reason. Dromio, a servant who has just been beaten for something he did not do, jokes with his master about why it happened. 'Why' and 'wherefore' both mean reason here.

"Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast."

Balthasar, The Comedy of Errors, Act 3, Scene 1

A simple meal with a warm welcome makes a happy feast. Balthasar, a guest, politely says that friendliness matters more than fancy food. It is a pleasant reminder about hospitality.

"Exit, pursued by a bear."

Stage direction, The Winter's Tale, Act 3, Scene 3

Perhaps the most famous stage direction in Shakespeare. Antigonus, who has just left a baby on a lonely shore, is chased off stage by a bear. The moment marks the play's turn from tragedy toward comedy.

"What's gone and what's past help, Should be past grief."

Paulina, The Winter's Tale, Act 3, Scene 2

What is lost and cannot be fixed should no longer be grieved over. Paulina says this to King Leontes after his jealousy has led to terrible losses, though she is far from finished reminding him of them.

"'Tis not enough to help the feeble up, But to support him after."

Timon, Timon of Athens, Act 1, Scene 1

It is not enough to help someone back on their feet; you must keep supporting them afterward. Timon, generous to a fault, says this after paying a friend's debts. Later he finds that few will do the same for him.

"Men shut their doors against a setting sun."

Apemantus, Timon of Athens, Act 1, Scene 2

People turn away from someone whose good fortune is fading. The grumpy Apemantus warns Timon that his many 'friends' will vanish once his money runs out, and he is proved right.

"They do not love that do not show their love."

Julia, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 1, Scene 2

If someone does not show love, they probably do not feel it. Julia's maid says that Proteus, who rarely speaks of his feelings, may love her most, and Julia disagrees. Actions, she believes, reveal the heart.

"Home-keeping youth have ever homely wits."

Valentine, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 1, Scene 1

Young people who never leave home end up with plain, limited minds. Valentine, setting out to see the world, teases his friend Proteus for staying behind because he is in love.

"Fear no more the heat o' th' sun, Nor the furious winter's rages; Thou thy worldly task hast done, Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages. Golden lads and girls all must, As chimney-sweepers, come to dust."

Guiderius, Cymbeline, Act 4, Scene 2

Two brothers sing this funeral song over someone they believe is dead. They say the dead no longer need fear heat or cold, because their work is done, and that everyone, golden youth and chimney sweep alike, comes to dust.

"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."

Dick the Butcher, Henry VI, Part 2, Act 4, Scene 2

Dick, a follower of the rebel Jack Cade, suggests getting rid of all lawyers when they take over. Cade's rebels want to wipe out anyone educated. It is often quoted as a lawyer joke, though in the play it shows how dangerous the mob is.

"A jest's prosperity lies in the ear Of him that hears it, never in the tongue Of him that makes it."

Rosaline, Love's Labour's Lost, Act 5, Scene 2

Whether a joke succeeds depends on the listener, not the person telling it. Rosaline tells the witty Berowne to spend a year joking with the sick, to learn which jokes really help.

"the great ones eat up the little ones:"

First Fisherman, Pericles, Act 2, Scene 1

Asked how fish live in the sea, a fisherman says they live as people do on land: the big ones eat the small ones. He compares rich misers to whales that swallow everything. It is a sharp, funny picture of greed.

"Better three hours too soon than a minute too late."

Ford, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 2, Scene 2

It is better to be very early than a little late. The jealous husband Ford says this as he rushes off to catch his wife with Falstaff. The line is still quoted by anyone who hates being late.

"Sorrow concealed, like an oven stopped, Doth burn the heart to cinders where it is."

Marcus, Titus Andronicus, Act 2, Scene 4

Hidden grief is like a closed oven: it burns the heart from the inside. Marcus says this when he finds his niece Lavinia, who has been cruelly harmed and cannot speak of it.