Quotations by Play
Here you will find all the most important Shakespearean quotations and the ten most famous quotations from each play. You'll be amazed to see all of the phrases coined by the Bard!
Shakespeare Wedding Readings
Let the eloquence of the Bard make your wedding magical. Annotations are provided for selected quotations.
Shakespeare's Bible
Shakespeare's debt to Scripture is profound; biblical imagery is woven into every play. No writer has integrated the expressions and themes found in the Bible into his own work more magnificently than Shakespeare.
Shakespeare, Cain, and Abel
Like all citizens of Tudor England, Shakespeare would have had an intimate knowledge of every story in the Bible. There are scores of biblical references in Shakespeare's works, but the story of Cain and Abel seems to have been one of his favorites, as we see in the following quotations.
Shakespeare on Anger and Sloth
Although Shakespeare does not address directly the catalogue of deadly sins, he does have much to say on each individual offence, and so I have compiled the following list of quotes.
Shakespeare on Envy and Gluttony
Thou dost love her, because thou knowst I love her...
Shakespearean Insults and Threats
A selection of quotations revealing Shakespeare's nasty side.
Shakespeare's Fairies
I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green...
Shakespeare's Farewells
A collection of parting words from Shakespeare's most famous characters.
Shakespeare on Fathers
It is a wise father that knows his own child...
Shakespeare on Fate
Although the idea of the wheel of fortune existed before Boethius, his work was the source on the subject for Chaucer, Dante, Machiavelli, and of course, Shakespeare.
Shakespeare's Flowers
The many references in the plays and sonnets to flowers and gardening conjure images of Shakespeare relaxing at his home in Stratford, away from the frantic pace of the London stage.
Shakespeare on Friendship
The Bard's collected words of wisdom on the obligations, rewards, and pitfalls of friendship.
Shakespearean Quotations on Grief and Sorrow
When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions...
Shakespeare on Horses
He doth nothing but talk of his horse...
Shakespeare on Jealousy
Shakespearean quotations on the "green-eyed monster."
Shakespeare on Lawyers and the Law
Shakespeare mentions law more than any other profession. Although we assume Shakespeare did not formally study law, we see from the many references in the plays that he had acquired a significant general knowledge of legal terminology.
Shakespeare on Love
The most famous of all Shakespearean love poetry with detailed annotations.
Shakespeare on Lust
The classification of the "seven deadly sins" dates back to as early as the 6th century, when they were first grouped together by St. Gregory the Great, Pope from 590-604. The sins – pride, covetousness, lust, envy, gluttony (including drunkenness) anger, and sloth – were held to be transgressions that caused the death not of the body but of the soul.
Shakespeare on Music
Not surprisingly, Shakespeare alludes to or includes the text of well over one hundred songs in his works. Music was an integral part of Elizabethan life, as it is today. London publishers were constantly producing broadside ballads, madrigals, and consort pieces, and most educated people could read music and play a tune on a recorder, lute, or viola da gamba.
Shakespeare's Songs
Enjoy the following annotated selection of songs from Shakespeare's works.
Shakespeare on Marriage
A selection of Shakespearean quotations on wives, husbands, and holy matrimony.[/link]
Shakespeare on Old Age
A selection of Shakespearean quotations on aging.
Shakespeare on Omens and Prophecies
Shakespearean quotations on felicitous events and coming calamities.
Shakespeare on Poverty
The naked truth of it is, I have no shirt...
Shakespeare on Pride and Greed
A man can no more separate age and covetousness than a'
can part young limbs and lechery...
Shakespeare on Revenge
Thomas Kyd established the revenge tragedy with his wildly popular Spanish Tragedy (1587), and Shakespeare perfected the genre with Hamlet, which is likely based on another revenge play by Kyd called the Ur-Hamlet. Sadly, no copy of Kyd's Ur-Hamlet exists today. Here is a collection of Shakespeare's thoughts on revenge from a variety of plays.
Shakespeare on the Seasons
Quotations on the beauty, joy, and transitory nature of the four seasons. Who could say it better than Shakespeare?
Shakespeare on Sleep
Shakespearean quotations on blissful slumber, insomnia, and dreams.
Shakespeare on Soldiers
As full of spirit as the month of May...
Shakespeare's Swans
Shakespeare wrote more about birds than any other poet in western literature. Some of the Bard's many references to his favorite bird, the glorious swan, are featured here.
Shakespeare on War
A selection of Shakespearean quotations on the horror, futility and nobility of war.
Sweet Swan of Avon
A selection of quotations honoring William Shakespeare himself, from noted authors through the ages.
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