Vol. 08 · Shakespeare ·Hamlet, Act II.ii ·Polonius
"Brevity is the soul of wit."
Not quite the line.
How it's usually quoted
"Brevity is the soul of wit."
What Shakespeare actually wrote
"Since brevity is the soul of wit, / And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, / I will be brief." Polonius — Hamlet, Act II.ii
Why it matters
Polonius says this while launching into a famously long-winded speech. The irony is the whole point — Shakespeare writes him into immediate self-contradiction.
More from the canon.
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