William Shakespeare

Explore 310 quotes by William Shakespeare

Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.

William Shakespeare

Henry IV, Part 1

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Topic

Danger Safety

Speaker

Hotspur

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Henry IV, Part 1

Medium

Play

Genre

History (play)

Statement Type

Metaphor, analogy and simile

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. 3.

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, act 2, sc. 3.

O, what may man within him hide,
Though angel on the outward side!

William Shakespeare

Measure for Measure

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Topic

Looks are deceiving Wolf in sheep's clothing Appearance vs. reality

Speaker

Duke Vincentio

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 3, 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 3, sc. 2.

Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?

William Shakespeare

As You Like It

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Topic

Love at first sight Love

Speaker

Phebe

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

As You Like It

Medium

Play

Genre

Comedy (play)

Statement Type

Question

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 3, sc. 5.

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 3, sc. 5.

O Fortune, Fortune, all men call thee fickle.

William Shakespeare

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Topic

Fickleness of fortune Randomness Fortune

Speaker

Juliet Capulet

Author

William Shakespeare

Genre

Tragedy (play)

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 3, sc. 5.

Current Citation

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

Harp not on that string, madam; that is past.

William Shakespeare

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Topic

Letting go of the past

Speaker

King Richard III

Author

William Shakespeare

Genre

History (play)

Statement Type

Advice

Language

English

Time

1597 1590s 16th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Richard III. London: Andrew Wise, 1597, act 4, sc. 4.

Current Citation

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

My thoughts are whirled like a potter's wheel.

William Shakespeare

Henry VI, Part 1

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Topic

Confusion Thoughts

Speaker

Talbot

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Henry VI, Part 1

Medium

Play

Genre

History (play)

Statement Type

Metaphor, analogy and simile

Language

English

Time

1592 1590s 16th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Henry VI, Part 1. Lord Strange's Men, 1592, Rose Theatre, London, England, UK, act 1, sc. 5.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "The First Part of Henry the Sixth." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 1, sc. 5.

The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils.

William Shakespeare

The Merchant of Venice

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Topic

Music

Speaker

Lorenzo

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 5, sc. 1.

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 5, sc. 1.

How many ages hence
Shall this our lofty scene be acted over
In states unborn and accents yet unknown!

William Shakespeare

Julius Caesar

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Speaker

Cassius

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Julius Caesar

Medium

Play

Genre

History (play) Tragedy (play)

Statement Type

Prophecies and predictions

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 3, sc. 1.

Current Citation

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

Oftentimes, to win us to our harm,
The instruments of darkness tell us truths,
Win us with honest trifles, to betray ’s
In deepest consequence.

William Shakespeare

Macbeth

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Topic

Manipulation Betrayal

Speaker

Banquo

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.

Thou art thy mother's glass, and she in thee
Calls back the lovely April of her prime.

William Shakespeare

Sonnet 3

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Topic

Women's attractiveness Mothers and daughters

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Sonnet 3 Shakespeare's Sonnets

Medium

Sonnet Poem

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 3, 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 3.

Glory is like a circle in the water,
Which never ceaseth to enlarge itself
Till by broad spreading it disperse to naught.

William Shakespeare

Henry VI, Part 1

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Topic

Glory

Speaker

Joan la Pucelle

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Henry VI, Part 1

Medium

Play

Genre

History (play)

Statement Type

Metaphor, analogy and simile

Language

English

Time

1592 1590s 16th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Henry VI, Part 1. Lord Strange's Men, 1592, Rose Theatre, London, England, UK, act 1, sc. 2.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "The First Part of Henry the Sixth." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 1, sc. 2.

The course of true love never did run smooth.

William Shakespeare

A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Topic

Relationship challenges Nature of love Love

Speaker

Lysander

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Medium

Play

Genre

Comedy (play)

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 1, sc. 1.

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. 1, sc. 1.

The primrose way to th' everlasting bonfire.

William Shakespeare

Macbeth

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Topic

Attraction of sin Temptation

Speaker

Porter

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 2, sc. 3.

Current Citation

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

They surfeited with honey and began
To loathe the taste of sweetness, whereof a little
More than a little is by much too much.

William Shakespeare

Henry IV, Part 1

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Topic

Excess

Speaker

King Henry the Fourth

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 3, sc. 2.

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, act 3, sc. 2.

Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care,
The death of each day’s life, sore labor’s bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,
Chief nourisher in life’s feast.

William Shakespeare

Macbeth

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Topic

Sleep

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 2, sc. 2.

Current Citation

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

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother.

William Shakespeare

Henry V

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Topic

Brothers in war Brotherhood

Speaker

King Henry V

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Henry V

Medium

Play

Genre

History (play)

Language

English

Time

1599 1590s 16th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Henry V. The Lord Chamberlain's Men, c. 1599, The Curtain, Shoreditch, London, England, UK, act 4, sc. 3.

Current Citation

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

The undiscovered country from whose bourn
No traveler returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?

William Shakespeare

Hamlet

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Topic

Mystery of death Death 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.

Sleep, that sometimes shuts up sorrow's eyes,
Steal me awhile from mine own company.

William Shakespeare

A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Topic

Sleep as balm Sleep

Speaker

Helena

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Medium

Play

Genre

Comedy (play)

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 3, 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 3, sc. 2.

For violent fires soon burn out themselves;
Small showers last long, but sudden storms are short.

William Shakespeare

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Topic

Intensity

Speaker

John of Gaunt

Author

William Shakespeare

Genre

History (play)

Statement Type

Metaphor, analogy and simile

Language

English

Time

1595 1590s 16th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Richard II. 9 Dec. 1595, The house of Edward Hoby, Westminster, London, England, UK, act 2, sc. 1.

Current Citation

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

I am sure care's an enemy to life.

William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night, Or What You Will

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Topic

Worry Stress

Speaker

Sir Toby Belch

Author

William Shakespeare

Source

Twelfth Night, Or What You Will

Medium

Play

Genre

Comedy (play) Romantic comedy (play)

Language

English

Time

1602 1600s 17th century

Era

European Renaissance

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night, Or What You Will. 1602, Middle Temple Hall, London, England, UK, act 1, sc. 3.

Current Citation

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