Play

Explore 521 quotes from the following medium: Play

Doubt thou the stars are fire,
Doubt that the sun doth move,
Doubt truth to be a liar,
But never doubt I love.

William Shakespeare

Hamlet

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Topic

Love

Speaker

Lord Polonius

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Hamlet

Medium

Play

Genre

Tragedy (play)

Statement Type

Profession of love

Language

English

Time

1616 1610s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. London: Edward Blount and William and Isaac Jaggard, 1623, act 2, sc. 2.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 2, sc. 3.

Weigh’st thy words before thou giv’st them breath.

William Shakespeare

Othello

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Topic

Think before speaking Careless speech Talking

Speaker

Othello

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Othello

Medium

Play

Genre

Tragedy (play)

Statement Type

Advice

Language

English

Time

1604 1600s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Othello. King's Men, 1 Nov. 1604, Palace of Whitehall, Westminster, London, England, UK, act 3, sc. 3.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Othello." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 3, sc. 3.

And so from hour to hour we ripe and ripe,
And then from hour to hour we rot and rot,
And thereby hangs a tale.

William Shakespeare

As You Like It

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Topic

Aging Mortality The human condition

Speaker

Jaques

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

As You Like It

Medium

Play

Genre

Comedy (play)

Language

English

Time

1616 1610s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. "As You Like It." Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. London: Edward Blount and William and Isaac Jaggard, 1623, act 2, sc. 7.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "As You Like It." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 2, sc. 7.

The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.

William Shakespeare

The Tempest

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Topic

Mortality The human condition

Speaker

Prospero

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

The Tempest

Medium

Play

Genre

Comedy (play)

Language

English

Time

1616 1610s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. "The Tempest." Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. London: Edward Blount and William and Isaac Jaggard, 1623, act 4, sc. 1.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "The Tempest." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 4, sc. 1.

O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt,
Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,
Or that the Everlasting had not fixed
His canon ’gainst self-slaughter! O God, God,
How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable
Seem to me all the uses of this world!

William Shakespeare

Hamlet

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Topic

Over it Hopelessness and despair Suicide

Speaker

Hamlet

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Hamlet

Medium

Play

Genre

Tragedy (play)

Language

English

Time

1616 1610s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. London: Edward Blount and William and Isaac Jaggard, 1623, act 1, sc. 2.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 1, sc. 2.

Reputation is an idle and most false imposition, oft got without merit and lost without deserving.

William Shakespeare

Othello

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Topic

Reputation Randomness

Speaker

Iago

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Othello

Medium

Play

Genre

Tragedy (play)

Language

English

Time

1604 1600s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Othello. King's Men, 1 Nov. 1604, Palace of Whitehall, Westminster, London, England, UK, act 2, sc. 3.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Othello." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 2, sc. 3.

The brain may devise laws for the blood, but a hot temper leaps o'er a cold decree.

William Shakespeare

The Merchant of Venice

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Topic

Temper

Speaker

Portia

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

The Merchant of Venice

Medium

Play

Genre

Comedy (play)

Language

English

Time

1598 1590s 16th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. c. 1598, The Theatre, London, England, UK, act 1, sc. 2.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "The Merchant of Venice." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 1, sc. 2.

Fortune, that arrant whore,
Ne’er turns the key to th’ poor.

William Shakespeare

King Lear

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Topic

Fortune Good luck The poor

Speaker

Fool

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

King Lear

Medium

Play

Genre

Tragedy (play)

Statement Type

Proverbs, aphorisms and adages

Language

English

Time

1606 1600s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. King Lear. King's Men, 26 Dec. 1606, Palace of Whitehall, Westminster, England, UK, act 2, sc. 4.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "The Tragedy of King Lear." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 2, sc. 4.

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

William Shakespeare

Hamlet

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Topic

Limits of knowledge Knowledge

Speaker

Hamlet

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Hamlet

Medium

Play

Genre

Tragedy (play)

Language

English

Time

1616 1610s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. London: Edward Blount and William and Isaac Jaggard, 1623, act 1, sc. 5.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 1, sc. 5.

I must be cruel only to be kind.

William Shakespeare

Hamlet

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Topic

End justifies the means Justifications and rationales Cruelty Kindness

Speaker

Hamlet

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Hamlet

Medium

Play

Genre

Tragedy (play)

Statement Type

Paradox

Language

English

Time

1616 1610s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. London: Edward Blount and William and Isaac Jaggard, 1623, act 3, sc. 4.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 3, sc. 4.

The strongest man in the world is he who stands most alone.

Henrik Ibsen

An Enemy of the People

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Topic

Solitude Thinking for oneself

Speaker

Doctor Thomas Stockmann

Author

Henrik Ibsen

Source

An Enemy of the People

Medium

Play

Statement Type

Closing lines

Language

Norwegian

Time

1882 1880s 19th century

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Ibsen, Henrik. En folkefiende [An Enemy of the People]. Kobenhavn: Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag, 1882, act 5.

Current Citation

Ibsen, Henrik. "An Enemy of the People." A Doll's House and Other Plays, translated by Deborah Dawkin and Erik Skuggevik. Penguin Classics, 2016, act 5.

The best part of married life is the fights. The rest is merely so-so.

Thornton Wilder

More information about this quote

Topic

Conflict in marriage Marriage

Speaker

Mrs. Molloy

Author

Thornton Wilder

Source

The Matchmaker

Medium

Play

Genre

Comedy (play)

Language

English

Time

1954 1950s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Wilder, Thornton. The Matchmaker. 4 Nov. 1954, Edinburgh Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland, act 2.

Current Citation

Wilder, Thornton. "The Matchmaker." Three Plays: Our Town, The Skin of Our Teeth, and The Matchmaker. Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2020, act 2.

The nature of bad news infects the teller.

William Shakespeare

Antony and Cleopatra

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Topic

Bearer of bad news Bad news

Speaker

Messenger

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Antony and Cleopatra

Medium

Play

Genre

Tragedy (play)

Language

English

Time

1607 1600s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Antony and Cleopatra. King's Men, c. 1607, London, England, UK, act 1, sc. 2.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Antony and Cleopatra." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 1, sc. 2.

He takes false shadows for true substances.

William Shakespeare

Titus Andronicus

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Topic

Credulity Deception Appearance vs. reality

Speaker

Marcus Andronicus

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Titus Andronicus

Medium

Play

Genre

Tragedy (play)

Language

English

Time

1594 1590s 16th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Titus Andronicus. Sussex's Men, 1594, The Rose, London, England, UK, act 3, sc. 2.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Titus Andronicus." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 3, sc. 2.

Night hath a thousand eyes.

John Lyly

More information about this quote

Topic

Stars

Author

John Lyly

Medium

Play

Language

English

Time

1600 1600s 17th century

Authentication Score 1

Citation

Lyly, John. The Maydes Metamorphosis. Children of Paul's, 1600, Paul's Cathedral, England, UK, act 3, sc. 1.

We're all of us sentenced to solitary confinement inside our own skins, for life.

Tennessee Williams

More information about this quote

Topic

Existential solitude

Speaker

Valentine Xavier

Author

Tennessee Williams

Source

Orpheus Descending

Medium

Play

Language

English

Time

1957 1950s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Williams, Tennessee. Orpheus Descending. Directed by Harold Clurman. Performed by Elizabeth Eustis and Jane Rose and Warren Kemmerling. 17 Mar. 1957, Martin Beck Theatre, New York City, New York, USA, act 2, sc. 1.

Current Citation

Williams, Tennessee. "Orpheus Descending." Orpheus Descending and Suddenly Last Summer. New Directions, 2012, act 2, sc. 1.

There are more dead people than living. And their numbers are increasing. The living are getting rarer.

Eugene Ionesco

More information about this quote

Topic

Dead people

Speaker

Berenger

Author

Eugene Ionesco

Source

Rhinoceros

Medium

Play

Language

French

Time

1959 1950s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Ionesco, Eugene. Rhinoceros. 1959, Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, Düsseldorf, Germany, act 1.

My heart suspects more than mine eye can see.

William Shakespeare

Titus Andronicus

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Topic

Intuition Suspicion Heart vs. mind

Speaker

Quintus

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Titus Andronicus

Medium

Play

Genre

Tragedy (play)

Language

English

Time

1594 1590s 16th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Titus Andronicus. Sussex's Men, 1594, The Rose, London, England, UK, act 2, sc. 3.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Titus Andronicus." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 2, sc. 3.

Two souls dwell, alas! in my breast.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Faust

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Topic

Divided self

Speaker

Faust

Author

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Source

Faust

Medium

Play

Genre

Tragedy (play) Tragedy

Language

German

Time

1808 1800s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang. "Vor dem Thor [Before the Gate]." Faust. Eine Tragödie [Faust: A Tragedy]. Tübingen: J. G. Cotta’schen Buchhandlung, 1808.

The deed is all, the glory nothing.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Faust

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Topic

Accomplishment Glory

Speaker

Faust

Author

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Source

Faust

Medium

Play

Genre

Tragedy (play) Tragedy

Language

German

Time

1832 1830s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Von Goethe, Johann Wofgang. Faust. Der Tragödie zweiter Teil [Faust. The Tragedy's Second Part]. 1832, act 4, sc. 1.

Current Citation

Von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang. Faust: Part 2, translated by David Luke. Oxford University Press, 2008, act 4, sc. 1.