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Alas, Poor Yorick!
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Hamlet's soliloquy with Yorick's skull is one of Shakespeare's most famous scenes, but the iconic opening line is often slightly embellished in memory.
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What People Remember
Many people recall Hamlet saying, 'Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio,' or 'I knew him well, Horatio,' adding his confidante's name.
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What's Actually True
The actual line is simply 'Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio:' (with the colon being a stage direction in some versions, but not part of the spoken quote) in the First Folio, or 'Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him well' in some popular texts, but often the name 'Horatio' is not part of the spoken lament in the most quoted phrasing.
Tags
#quotes#literary#shakespeare#hamlet#theater
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