Vol. 08 · Shakespeare ·Hamlet, Act I.ii ·Hamlet
"Frailty, thy name is woman."
Not quite the line.
How it's usually quoted
"Frailty, thy name is woman."
What Shakespeare actually wrote
"Frailty, thy name is woman! — / A little month, or ere those shoes were old…" Hamlet — Hamlet, Act I.ii
Why it matters
Hamlet is railing against his mother's remarriage — a specific rant, not a universal statement. Quoting the line alone converts personal grievance into misogynistic doctrine.
More from the canon.
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