Shakespeare Quick QuotesWhat a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! piece ] i.e. excellent piece; a work of art. For similar usage see Lucrece 1443, and The Winter's Tale (5.3.44). faculty ] powers of thought. express ] perfectly suited; possibly expressive (full of expression). apprehension ] the ability to apprehend or understand. paragon ] without peer; i.e. the most perfect of animals. quintessence ] Besides the four elements of fire, earth, air, and water, the early alchemists believed that there was a fifth essence, which was the highest. This, then, means the concentrated virtue of the spirit (the "dust"). Compare As You Like It: The quintessence of every sprite Hamlet, speaking with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, explains that he has lost all joy, and although he can still appreciate the grandeur of humanity conceptually, he no longer derives happiness from human interaction. The corrupt moral condition of Denmark is to blame. Hamlet's reflections on the nobility of man illustrate his profound intellect, curiosity and idealism. The significance of his moral philosophy is made that much greater by the company he keeps, for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern -- also students of philosophy at Wittenberg -- are unmoved by Hamlet's words. Thoughts on human nature do not trouble Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as they do Hamlet, and they are content in their ignorance. Hamlet, in his current pessimistic state, cannot find inspiration in human potential or anything else. His melancholy, already deep before the Ghost's visit, is now all-consuming. In this depressed mood his philosophic nature has become his undoing -- his "thinking too precisely" has made the "foul and pestilent" world his "prison" and he ends his lofty praise of humanity with the grievous admission, "man delights not me." How fitting that this unintended double entendre is the only thing Rosencrantz gleans from Hamlet's words. Aside from Hamlet's great wit and select moments with Horatio, only the passage above and his moments with the players (2.2.411-441 and 3.2.1-46) give us a sense of the real Hamlet; the "rose of the fair state", who was once a joyful participant in uncovering the infinite capability of humanity, and the very embodiment of the ideals he himself expounds. This much-beloved passage, written in prose, is considered to be one of Shakespeare's finest. "Shakespeare has raised prose to the sublimest pitch of verse.... It would be hard to cull from the whole body of our prose literature a passage which should demonstrate more strikingly the splendour and the majesty of our language, when freed from the shackles of verse" (John Churton Collins). Textual Notes Hamlet's conversation with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern does not appear in Q1, and the punctuation differs markedly between Q2 and the First Folio versions, reprinted below: What a piece of worke is a man! how Noble in ____ For more on the different versions of the text of Hamlet, please click here. For more on why the passage does not appear in Q1 and a discussion of Shakespeare's changes and the influence of the philosopher Michael de Montaigne, please click here. For full explanatory notes for this scene and study questions, please see Hamlet (2.2). For more quotes from Hamlet explained, please see the Hamlet quotations page. How to cite this article:____ More Resources  Where is Hamlet During the Murder of his Father?A Note on Hamlet Killing PoloniusPoloniusFortinbrasThe Ghost of Hamlet's Father
| Thoughts on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern "They are received with cordiality by the Prince, and are entertained without reserve until he perceives they have been corrupted by the King. They are typical of men whose inclinations are good, but who lack character to follow those inclinations. They cannot even practice villainy with success. "You were sent for," says Hamlet, "and there is a kind of confession in your looks, which your modesties have not craft enough to colour." They commit no actual crime in the play, and are apparently no worse than the society in which they move." F. A. Purcell. Read on... More to ExploreHamlet: The Complete Play with Explanatory NotesIntroduction to HamletThe Hamlet and Ophelia Subplot The Norway Subplot in Hamlet
Essential Resources ... Our comprehensive list of every Shakespearean character and the play in which he or she appears. Included is our exclusive spelled pronunciation guide, essential for actors and teachers, and an in-depth biography of many of Shakespeare's most popular and fascinating creations. How do you pronounce Fortinbras, anyway? Read on...
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FAQs
Shakespeare Quick Quotes - What a piece of work is a man? ›
What 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?
What a piece of work is man figures of speech? ›Answer. Explanation: Now we come to the most famous words of this speech: 'What a piece of work is a man' means 'what a masterpiece of creation is a human being': God really excelled himself when he created mankind.
What is a famous quote from Shakespeare and list which work it is from? ›“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.” (A Midsummer Night's Dream) This means that it shouldn't matter what a person looks like, you love them for their personality and what's inside.
What happens in Hamlet Act 4 Scene 4? ›In Act 4, Scene 4 of Hamlet, Hamlet encounters the army of Fortinbras as they prepare to invade Poland. This encounter gets Hamlet thinking about his own inner battle for revenge; he expresses himself through a lengthy soliloquy, the voicing of one's thoughts aloud regardless of whether or not anyone is around to hear.
What is a meaningful quote from Shakespeare? ›1. "Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.”
What a piece of work is man indirect speech? ›Answer. Answer: hamlet exclaimed with joy that man is a piece of work.
What figure of speech is used in the man with the hoe? ›later in 1899 titled “Man with a Hoe.” In the poem, Markham used metaphors to describe the man in the painting. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which one thing is described in terms of another, without making the comparison explicit.
What are Shakespeare's 5 famous quotes? ›- “To be, or not to be: that is the question.” ...
- “All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” ...
- “A horse! a horse! ...
- “We are such stuff as dreams are made on.” ...
- “The course of true love never did run smooth.” ...
- “If music be the food of love, play on.” ...
- “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.”
"To be, or not to be: that is the question." Perhaps the most famous of Shakespearean lines, the anguished Hamlet ponders the purpose of life and suicide in this profound soliloquy.
What is the greatest line in Shakespeare? ›1. “To be, or not to be: that is the question.” 2. “All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”
What is the opening line of Hamlet? ›
Hamlet's first line is ''Who's there?'' This ties in with the theme of identity later on in the play as Hamlet pretends to be mad and later kills Polonius for mistaking him for someone else.
Why did Ophelia go mad? ›Why does Ophelia go mad? Ophelia goes mad because her father, Polonius, whom she deeply loved, has been killed by Hamlet. In addition, Hamlet, whom she also loved, has cruelly rejected her.
What is Hamlet's last soliloquy? ›Hamlet's last soliloquy is again full of self-reproach: "How all occasions do inform against me And spur my dull courage!" Three parts of his failure, he says, are due to cowardice and only one part due to wisdom.
What was Shakespeare's best quote on life? ›"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."
What is the most famous quote ever? ›- 1. “ Imagination is more important than knowledge.” – Albert Einstein.
- 2. “ ...
- 3. “ ...
- “I have a dream.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
- 5. “ ...
- 6. “ ...
- “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
- 8. “
“Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice; take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment.” Wisdom can be measured based on the regulation of one's own emotion. People with higher intellect are taught how to see people and respond to them. A wise man listens to everyone but speaks less!
Why does Hamlet say what a piece of work is man? ›' (act 2 scene 2) For all its wonder, he is saying, a human being is essentially only a pile of dust. That is not only a profound expression of depression but a quite shocking view of human worthlessness.
What are the figures of speech in figure of speech? ›Some examples of common figures of speech include the simile, metaphor, pun, personification, hyperbole, understatement, paradox and oxymoron. However, these are just some figures of speech. Whenever a speaker does not intend the literal interpretation of his words, then he is using a figure of speech.
What figure of speech is used? ›A figure of speech is a figurative or rhetorical device used to emphasize the meaning of what is being said. There are many kinds of figures of speech, including metaphors, similes, puns, hyperbole, euphemisms, onomatopoeia, and idioms. Each kind of figure of speech creates a different effect.
What is an example of figures of speech? ›Examples of Figures of Speech
Metaphor – The whole world is a stage. Personification – The wind whispered in my ears. Apostrophe – O William, you should be living now to see all this. Alliteration – Sally sold some seashells.