Vol. 08 · Shakespeare ·Hamlet, Act IV.v ·Claudius

"When sorrows come, they come in battalions."

Not exactly. The full line is "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, / But in battalions." — from Hamlet, Act IV.v.

Not quite the line.

How it's usually quoted

"When sorrows come, they come in battalions."

What Shakespeare actually wrote

"When sorrows come, they come not single spies, / But in battalions." Claudius — Hamlet, Act IV.v

Why it matters

The "single spies" half is the setup — sorrows arrive not as scouts but as whole armies. Cutting it loses the extended military metaphor.

Browse the rest of the shelf, or try a cold reading.