Famous Quotes of Hamlet: 40 Quotes That Still Resonate Today

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet remains a timeless classic. This tragic play is filled with memorable lines that resonate with people. The quotes of Hamlet demonstrate deep questions about life, death, and betrayal. In this blog, we have covered some of the most famous quotes of Hamlet that you must know about. From the iconic line “To be, or not to be”, to more complex introspective lines, we have provided a list of quotes you must read. These lines will help you get an insight into the character’s mind and showcase the moral complexity of the play.

5 Famous Quotes from Hamlet and Their Meaning

These are the most famous quotes from Hamlet. We have provided the meaning of the quote as well for your reference.

1. To be or not to be, that is the question- Hamlet (The quote showcases the anguish of Hamlet and his reflection on life vs death.)
2. This above all to thine own self be true – Polonius  (In this quote, Polonius emphasises the importance of personal integrity. This means that honesty with oneself is the foundation for all other virtues)
3. Though this be madness, yet there is method in it – Polonius  ( He observes that apparent folly may conceal calculated purpose. The line hints that Hamlet’s strange behaviour serves a deliberate plan 
4. There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so – Hamlet proposes that our judgments assign moral value, implying that reality is shaped by individual perceptions (spoken by Hamlet)
5. Get thee to a nunnery – Hamlet ( This harsh rebuke by Hamlet is a protective warning, urging Ophelia to seek safety from a corrupt world. He discourages her from pursuing  romantic entanglement (spoken by Hamlet)

Also Read: 80 Thoughts for the Day to Inspire & Motivate You

5 Famous Hamlet Quotes and Who Said Them

These are some of the most famous quotes from the Hamlet play. The name of the character who said the quote is also provided below:

1. Brevity is the soul of wit – Polonius
2. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark – Marcellus
3. The lady protests too much, methinks – Queen Gertrude
4. O that this too, too solid flesh would melt – Hamlet
5. The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king – Hamlet

5 Famous Quotes of Hamlet About Life

These are some of the most quotes from Hamlet about life 

1. O God God how weary stale flat and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world – Hamlet
2. To die to sleep perchance to dream ay there’s the rub – Hamlet
3. The undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns – Hamlet
4. We defy augury there is special providence in the fall of a sparrow – Hamlet
5. When sorrows come they come not single spies but in battalions – Claudius

5 Short Famous Quotes of Hamlet

Here are some short quotes from Hamlet (by Shakespeare)

1. Frailty thy name is woman – Hamlet
2. The rest is silence – Hamlet
3. Get thee to a nunnery – Hamlet
4. The play’s the thing – Hamlet
5. By indirections find directions out – Polonius

Also Read: Inspiring Resilience: 53 Quotes Every Student Needs to Hear

5 Important Quotes from Hamlet, Act 1

These are the important quotes fro Hamlet ACT 1 

1. O that this too too solid flesh would melt Thaw and resolve itself into a dew – Hamlet (I.ii)
2. Neither a borrower nor a lender be, For loan oft loses both itself and friend – Polonius (I.iii)
3. Give thy thoughts no tongue nor any unproportion’d thought his act – Polonius (I.iii)
4. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark – Marcellus (I.iv)
5. This above all to thine own self be true – Polonius (I.iii)

Also Read: Famous Books by Shakespeare

5 Hamlet Quotes About Life

These are the famous quotes of Hamlet about life

1. There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so – Hamlet
2. In my mind’s eye – Hamlet
3. We know what we are but know not what we may be – Ophelia
4. Lord we know what we are but know not what we may be – Hamlet
5. Wisdom begins in wonder – Hamlet

5 Hamlet Quotes About Love

These are some of the top quotes of Hamlet about love

1. Doubt thou the stars are fire but never doubt I love – Hamlet
2. I loved Ophelia forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum – Hamlet
3. They bore me on their back a thousand times and now how abhorred in my imagination it is – Hamlet
4. Love his affections do not that way tend – Ophelia
5. Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind – Hamlet

Also Read: Love Quotes in English

5 of Shakespeare’s Most Famous Quotes

Here are the five most famous quotes about Hamlet you must know about

1. All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players – As You Like It
2. A horse a horse my kingdom for a horse – Richard III
3. Romeo Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo – Romeo and Juliet
4. If you prick us do we not bleed – The Merchant of Venice
5. Now is the winter of our discontent – Richard III

Also Read: 40 Life-Changing Shakespeare Quotes That Will Make You Positive And Enthusiastic 

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