“ The very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream. ”
William Shakespeare, Hamlet (1623). copy citation
| Author | William Shakespeare |
|---|---|
| Source | Hamlet |
| Topic | darkness dream ambition |
| Date | 1623 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Written between 1599 and 1602 |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1524/1524-h/1524-h.htm |
Context
“Why, then your ambition makes it one; 'tis too narrow for your mind. HAMLET. O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams. GUILDENSTERN. Which dreams, indeed, are ambition; for the very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream. HAMLET. A dream itself is but a shadow. ROSENCRANTZ. Truly, and I hold ambition of so airy and light a quality that it is but a shadow's shadow. HAMLET. Then are our beggars bodies, and our monarchs and outstretch'd heroes the beggars' shadows.”
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Meaning and analysis
