William Shakespeare

Explore 310 quotes by William Shakespeare

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.

William Shakespeare

Hamlet

Buy Hamlet at Amazon Buy Hamlet at Amazon
Read Hamlet at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

Being true to oneself Authenticity Personal integrity

Speaker

Lord Polonius

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Hamlet

Medium

Play

Genre

Tragedy (play)

Statement Type

Advice

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. 3.

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.

To be or not to be—that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And, by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep—
No more—and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to—’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep—
To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there’s the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause.

William Shakespeare

Hamlet

Buy Hamlet at Amazon Buy Hamlet at Amazon
Read Hamlet at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

Suicide The afterlife

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 3, sc. 1.

Current Citation

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

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date.

William Shakespeare

Shakespeare's Sonnets

Buy Shakespeare's Sonnets at Amazon Buy Shakespeare's Sonnets at Amazon
Read the Sonnets at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

Summer The ephemeral Seasons

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Sonnet 18 Shakespeare's Sonnets

Medium

Sonnet Poem

Statement Type

Metaphor, analogy and simile Question

Language

English

Time

1609 1600s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Shake-speares Sonnets. London: Thomas Thorpe, 1609, sonnet 18, I. 1.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "The Sonnets." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, sonnet 18.

Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,
Men were deceivers ever,
One foot in sea and one on shore,
To one thing constant never.

William Shakespeare

Much Ado About Nothing

Buy Much Ado About Nothing at Amazon Buy Much Ado About Nothing at Amazon
Read Much Ado About Nothing at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

Flaws of men Nature of men Men and women Infidelity Relationships

Speaker

Balthasar

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Much Ado About Nothing

Medium

Play

Genre

Comedy (play)

Language

English

Time

1600 1600s 16th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing. London: Andrew Wise and William Aspley, 1600, act 2, sc. 3.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Much Ado About Nothing." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 2, sc. 3.

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.

William Shakespeare

Buy Romeo and Juliet at Amazon Buy Romeo and Juliet at Amazon
Read Romeo and Juliet at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

Generosity in love Love

Speaker

Juliet Capulet

Author

William Shakespeare

Genre

Tragedy (play)

Statement Type

Profession of love Paradox

Language

English

Time

1597 1590s 16th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. London: John Danter, 1597, act 2, sc. 2

Current Citation

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

What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable; in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god: the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals-And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?

William Shakespeare

Hamlet

Buy Hamlet at Amazon Buy Hamlet at Amazon
Read Hamlet at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

Man Human nature The human condition

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 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. 2.

Come what come may,
Time and the hour runs through the roughest day.

William Shakespeare

Macbeth

Buy Macbeth at Amazon Buy Macbeth at Amazon
Read Macbeth at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

Things get better

Speaker

Macbeth

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Macbeth

Medium

Play

Genre

Tragedy (play)

Language

English

Time

1616 1610s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Macbeth." Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. London: Edward Blount and William and Isaac Jaggard, 1623, act 1, sc. 3.

Current Citation

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

But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
Nor shall Death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st.
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

William Shakespeare

Shakespeare's Sonnets

Buy Shakespeare's Sonnets at Amazon Buy Shakespeare's Sonnets at Amazon
Read the Sonnets at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

Beautiful women

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Sonnet 18 Shakespeare's Sonnets

Medium

Sonnet Poem

Statement Type

Profession of love

Language

English

Time

1609 1600s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Shake-speares Sonnets. London: Thomas Thorpe, 1609, sonnet 18, I. 9.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "The Sonnets." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, sonnet 18.

Nothing emboldens sin so much as mercy.

William Shakespeare

Timon of Athens

Buy Timon of Athens at Amazon Buy Timon of Athens at Amazon
Read Timon of Athens at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

Perverse incentives Sin Mercy

Speaker

First Senator

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Timon of Athens

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. "Timon of Athens." Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. London: Edward Blount and William and Isaac Jaggard, 1623, act 3, sc. 5.

Current Citation

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

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red...
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound.

William Shakespeare

Shakespeare's Sonnets

Buy Shakespeare's Sonnets at Amazon Buy Shakespeare's Sonnets at Amazon
Read the Sonnets at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

Being in love Love

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Sonnet 130 Shakespeare's Sonnets

Medium

Sonnet Poem

Statement Type

Profession of love

Language

English

Time

1609 1600s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Shake-speares Sonnets. London: Thomas Thorpe, 1609, sonnet 130, I. 1.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "The Sonnets." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, sonnet 130.

See what a ready tongue suspicion hath!

William Shakespeare

Henry IV, Part 2

Buy Henry IV, Part 2 at Amazon Buy Henry IV, Part 2 at Amazon
Read Henry IV, Part 2 at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

Suspicion Accusations

Speaker

Northumberland

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Henry IV, Part 2

Medium

Play

Genre

History (play)

Language

English

Time

1597 1590s 16th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Henry IV, Part 2. The Lord Chamberlain's Men, c. 1597, The Theatre, London, England, UK, act 1, sc. 1.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "The Second Part of Henry the Fourth." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 1, sc. 1.

Eat no onions nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath.

William Shakespeare

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Buy A Midsummer Night's Dream at Amazon Buy A Midsummer Night's Dream at Amazon
Read A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

Bad breath Food

Speaker

Bottom

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Medium

Play

Genre

Comedy (play)

Statement Type

Advice

Language

English

Time

1599 1590s 16th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream. The Lord Chamberlain's Men, c. 1599, The Theatre, London, England, UK, act 4, sc. 2.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act. 4, sc. 2.

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

William Shakespeare

Julius Caesar

Buy Julius Caesar at Amazon Buy Julius Caesar at Amazon
Read Julius Caesar at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

Courage Cowardice Death

Speaker

Caesar

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Julius Caesar

Medium

Play

Genre

History (play) Tragedy (play)

Language

English

Time

1599 1590s 16th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. The Lord Chamberlain's Men, 1599, Globe Theatre, London, England, UK, act 2 sc. 2.

Current Citation

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

There lives not three good men unhanged in England, and one of them is fat and grows old.

William Shakespeare

Henry IV, Part 1

Buy Henry IV, Part 1 at Amazon Buy Henry IV, Part 1 at Amazon
Read Henry IV, Part 1 at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

England

Speaker

Falstaff

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Henry IV, Part 1

Medium

Play

Genre

History (play)

Language

English

Time

1597 1590s 16th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Henry IV, Part 1. The Lord Chamberlain's Men, c. 1597, The Theatre, London, England, UK, act 2, sc. 4.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "The First Part of Henry the Fourth." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, 2015, act 2, sc. 4.

He’s loved of the distracted multitude,
Who like not in their judgment, but their eyes.

William Shakespeare

Hamlet

Buy Hamlet at Amazon Buy Hamlet at Amazon
Read Hamlet at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

The masses Public opinion

Speaker

King Claudius

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 4, sc. 3.

Current Citation

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

I am not in the roll of common men.

William Shakespeare

Henry IV, Part 1

Buy Henry IV, Part 1 at Amazon Buy Henry IV, Part 1 at Amazon
Read Henry IV, Part 1 at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

Arrogance Self-assurance

Speaker

Glendower

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Henry IV, Part 1

Medium

Play

Genre

History (play)

Statement Type

Boast

Language

English

Time

1597 1590s 16th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Henry IV, Part 1. The Lord Chamberlain's Men, c. 1597, The Theatre, London, England, UK, act 3, sc. 1.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "The First Part of Henry the Fourth." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015act 3, sc. 1.

Good counselors lack no clients.

William Shakespeare

Measure for Measure

Buy Measure for Measure at Amazon Buy Measure for Measure at Amazon
Read Measure for Measure at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

Lawyers

Speaker

Pompey Bum

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Measure for Measure

Medium

Play

Genre

Comedy (play)

Language

English

Time

1616 1610s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

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

Current Citation

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

Frailty, thy name is woman!

William Shakespeare

Hamlet

Buy Hamlet at Amazon Buy Hamlet at Amazon
Read Hamlet at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

Women

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.

Madness in great ones must not unwatched go.

William Shakespeare

Hamlet

Buy Hamlet at Amazon Buy Hamlet at Amazon
Read Hamlet at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

Insanity Powerful people

Speaker

King Claudius

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 3, sc. 1.

Current Citation

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

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.

William Shakespeare

Macbeth

Buy Macbeth at Amazon Buy Macbeth at Amazon
Read Macbeth at The Folger Shakespeare Library

More information about this quote

Topic

Absurdity of life The absurd Life as performance Ephemeral nature of life Life

Speaker

Macbeth

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Macbeth

Medium

Play

Genre

Tragedy (play)

Statement Type

Metaphor, analogy and simile

Language

English

Time

1616 1610s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

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

Current Citation

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