William Shakespeare Quotes From Famous Plays

William Shakespeare, born in 1564 and died in 1616, was an English playwright, poet, and actor widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language and the world’s preeminent dramatist. He is often referred to as the “Bard of Avon” or simply “the Bard.”

Shakespeare’s works consist of approximately 39 plays, 154 sonnets, and several narrative poems. His plays encompass a wide range of genres, including tragedies (such as “Hamlet,” “Macbeth,” and “Romeo and Juliet”), comedies (such as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Twelfth Night”), histories (such as “Henry V” and “Richard III”), and romances (such as “The Tempest” and “The Winter’s Tale”).

Shakespeare’s works explore complex themes of love, betrayal, power, ambition, fate, and the human condition. His plays are known for their memorable characters, intricate plots, rich language, and profound insights into the human psyche. Shakespeare’s writing demonstrates his deep understanding of human emotions and his ability to capture the essence of the human experience.

Despite living over four centuries ago, Shakespeare’s works continue to be performed and studied extensively worldwide. His plays have been translated into numerous languages and adapted into various forms of media, including films, operas, and stage productions. Shakespeare’s contributions to literature and the arts have had a profound and lasting impact, making him a cultural icon whose works remain relevant and celebrated to this day.

Table of Contents

List of Plays By William Shakespeare

All’s Well That Ends Well
Antony and Cleopatra
As You Like It
Comedy of Errors
Coriolanus
Cymbeline
Hamlet
Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 2
Henry V
Henry VI, Part 1
Henry VI, Part 2
Henry VI, Part 3
Henry VIII
Julius Caesar
King John
King Lear
Love’s Labour’s Lost
Macbeth
Measure for Measure
Merchant of Venice
Merry Wives of Windsor
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Much Ado About Nothing
Othello
Pericles, Prince of Tyre
Richard II
Richard III
Romeo and Juliet
Taming of the Shrew
The Tempest
Timon of Athens
Titus Andronicus
Troilus and Cressida
Twelfth Night
Two Gentlemen of Verona
Two Noble Kinsmen
Winter’s Tale

Poems:

Venus and Adonis
The Rape of Lucrece
Sonnets

Famous Quotes From All’s Well That Ends Well

Here are some famous quotes from William Shakespeare’s play “All’s Well That Ends Well”:

“Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie, which we ascribe to heaven.” – All’s Well That Ends Well

“The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together.” – All’s Well That Ends Well

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” – All’s Well That Ends Well

“No legacy is so rich as honesty.” – All’s Well That Ends Well

“The hind that would be mated by the lion must die for love.” – All’s Well That Ends Well

“Moderate lamentation is the right of the dead, excessive grief the enemy to the living.” – All’s Well That Ends Well

“Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.” – All’s Well That Ends Well

“Love all, trust few, do wrong to none.” – All’s Well That Ends Well

“The inaudible and noiseless foot of Time.” – All’s Well That Ends Well

“The great globe itself, yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, and like this insubstantial pageant faded, leave not a rack behind.” – All’s Well That Ends Well

“My friends were poor, but honest.” – All’s Well That Ends Well

“There’s little can be said in ‘t; ’tis against the rule of nature.” – All’s Well That Ends Well

“Our own love waking cries to see what’s done, while shameful hate sleeps out the afternoon.” – All’s Well That Ends Well

“What’s mine is yours and what is yours is mine.” – All’s Well That Ends Well

“I can no other answer make but thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks.” – All’s Well That Ends Well

Famous Quotes From Hamlet

Here are some famous quotes from William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”:

“To be, or not to be: that is the question.” – Hamlet

“This above all: to thine own self be true.” – Hamlet

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” – Hamlet

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” – Hamlet

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” – Hamlet

“Brevity is the soul of wit.” – Hamlet

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” – Hamlet

“The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king.” – Hamlet

“Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have immortal longings in me.” – Hamlet

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

“Though this be madness, yet there is method in ‘t.” – Hamlet

“When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions.” – Hamlet

“I must be cruel only to be kind.” – Hamlet

“There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow.” – Hamlet

“The readiness is all.” – Hamlet

“This is the very ecstasy of love.” – Hamlet

“The rest is silence.” – Hamlet

“O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” – Hamlet

“We know what we are, but know not what we may be.” – Hamlet

“There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will.” – Hamlet

“To be, or not to be: that is the question.” – Hamlet

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” – Hamlet

“This above all: to thine own self be true.” – Hamlet

“We know what we are, but know not what we may be.” – Hamlet

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” – Hamlet

“Words without thoughts never to heaven go.” – Hamlet

“The very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream.” – Hamlet

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” – Hamlet

Famous Quotes From Romeo and Juliet

Here are some famous quotes from William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet”:

“O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?” – Romeo and Juliet

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” – Romeo and Juliet

“Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow.” – Romeo and Juliet

“For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” – Romeo and Juliet

“These violent delights have violent ends.” – Romeo and Juliet

“A plague o’ both your houses!” – Romeo and Juliet

“O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!” – Romeo and Juliet

“See how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O, that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek!” – Romeo and Juliet

“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.” – Romeo and Juliet

“Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs.” – Romeo and Juliet

“Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say good night till it be morrow.” – Romeo and Juliet

“These violent delights have violent ends and in their triumph die, like fire and powder, which, as they kiss, consume.” – Romeo and Juliet

“O, then I see Queen Mab hath been with you.” – Romeo and Juliet

“Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.” – Romeo and Juliet

“It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.” – Romeo and Juliet

“Young men’s love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.” – Romeo and Juliet

“O happy dagger! This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die.” – Romeo and Juliet

“My only love sprung from my only hate!” – Romeo and Juliet

“Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.” – Romeo and Juliet

“O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon, that monthly changes in her circled orb, lest that thy love prove likewise variable.” – Romeo and Juliet

Famous Quotes From As You Like It

Here are some famous quotes from William Shakespeare’s play “As You Like It”:

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” – As You Like It

“Can one desire too much of a good thing?” – As You Like It

“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” – As You Like It

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.” – As You Like It

“I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it.” – As You Like It

“The worst fault you have is to be in love.” – As You Like It

“Sweet are the uses of adversity.” – As You Like It

“Blow, blow, thou winter wind, thou art not so unkind as man’s ingratitude.” – As You Like It

“The more pity that fools may not speak wisely what wise men do foolishly.” – As You Like It

“Love is merely a madness.” – As You Like It

“Men are April when they woo, December when they wed.” – As You Like It

“I had rather have a fool to make me merry than experience to make me sad.” – As You Like It

“The robin-redbreast and the nightingale never live long in cages.” – As You Like It

“No legacy is so rich as honesty.” – As You Like It

“I would not be thy executioner; I fly thee, for I would not injure thee.” – As You Like It

“True is it that we have seen better days.” – As You Like It

“I do desire we may be better strangers.” – As You Like It

“We that are true lovers run into strange capers.” – As You Like It

“In the forest, there is a gentle shepherd.” – As You Like It

“Love is merely a madness.” – As You Like It

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” – As You Like It

“A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.” – As You Like It

Famous Quotes From Comedy of Errors

Here are some famous quotes from William Shakespeare’s play “Comedy of Errors”:

“A wretched soul, bruised with adversity, we bid be quiet when we hear it cry; but were we burdened with like weight of pain, as much or more we should ourselves complain.” – Comedy of Errors

“We came into the world like brother and brother, and now let’s go hand in hand, not one before another.” – Comedy of Errors

“There’s not a minute of our lives should stretch without some pleasure now.” – Comedy of Errors

“Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow; he who would search for pearls must dive below.” – Comedy of Errors

“The course of true love never did run smooth.” – Comedy of Errors

“I to the world am like a drop of water that in the ocean seeks another drop.” – Comedy of Errors

“O, teach me how you look, and with what art you sway the motion of Demetrius’ heart.” – Comedy of Errors

“O, had I but followed the arts!” – Comedy of Errors

“A fiend, a fairy, pitiless and rough; a wolf, nay, worse, a fellow all in buff!” – Comedy of Errors

“How many fond fools serve mad jealousy.” – Comedy of Errors

“My heart is heavy, and mine age is weak; grief would have tears, and sorrow bids me speak.” – Comedy of Errors

“Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.” – Comedy of Errors

“By mine own tongue, I am condemned and mine own eyes are witnesses against me.” – Comedy of Errors

“Why should their liberty than ours be more?” – Comedy of Errors

“The world is still deceived with ornament.” – Comedy of Errors

“What, will you walk with me about the town and then go to my inn and dine with me?” – Comedy of Errors

“Make me acquainted with your cause of grief.” – Comedy of Errors

“He beats me and I rail at him.” – Comedy of Errors

“So study evermore is overshot; while it doth study to have what it would, it doth forget to do the thing it should.” – Comedy of Errors

“We came into the world like brother and brother; and now let’s go hand in hand, not one before another.” – Comedy of Errors

Famous Quotes From A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Here are some famous quotes from William Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”:

“The course of true love never did run smooth.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“Lord, what fools these mortals be!” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“The lunatic, the lover, and the poet are of imagination all compact.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“And though she be but little, she is fierce.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“I’ll follow thee and make a heaven of hell, to die upon the hand I love so well.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“Are you sure that we are awake? It seems to me that yet we sleep, we dream.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“Reason and love keep little company together nowadays.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“The course of true love never did run smooth.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“The best in this kind are but shadows, and the worst are no worse if imagination amend them.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“I am not yet so low but that my nails can reach unto thine eyes.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“Masters, spread yourselves.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended, that you have but slumbered here while these visions did appear.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“So quick bright things come to confusion.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“Jack shall have Jill, naught shall go ill, the man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“A good persuasion; therefore, hear me, Hermia. I have a widow aunt, a dowager of great revenue, and she hath no child.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“Reason and love keep little company together nowadays.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“I will roar you as gently as any sucking dove; I will roar you, an ’twere any nightingale.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“The course of true love never did run smooth.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“The course of true love never did run smooth.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Famous Quotes From Twelfth Night

Here are some famous quotes from William Shakespeare’s play “Twelfth Night”:

“If music be the food of love, play on.” – Twelfth Night

“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. – Twelfth Night

“Love sought is good, but given unsought is better.” – Twelfth Night

“Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” – Twelfth Night

“O time, thou must untangle this, not I. It is too hard a knot for me to untie!” – Twelfth Night

“Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.” – Twelfth Night

“I can no other answer make but thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks.” – Twelfth Night

“Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?” – Twelfth Night

“Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun; it shines everywhere.” – Twelfth Night

“My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go.” – Twelfth Night

“In nature there’s no blemish but the mind; none can be called deformed but the unkind.” – Twelfth Night

“Make me a willow cabin at your gate and call upon my soul within the house.” – Twelfth Night

“Some are born mad, some achieve madness, and some have madness thrust upon ’em.” – Twelfth Night

“Love is merely a madness.” – Twelfth Night

“What’s to come is still unsure: In delay there lies no plenty.” – Twelfth Night

“This is the air; that is the glorious sun; this pearl she gave me, I do feel ‘t and see ‘t.” – Twelfth Night

“Farewell, fair cruelty.” – Twelfth Night

“O, what a deal of scorn looks beautiful in the contempt and anger of his lip!” – Twelfth Night

“Journeys end in lovers meeting.” – Twelfth Night

“Then come kiss me, sweet and twenty; youth’s a stuff will not endure.” – Twelfth Night