Words, words, words.
Act II, Scene 2 · Hamlet
Quote Type: DialogueDifficulty: ★★☆Quotability: ★★★★★
Context
When Polonius asks what Hamlet is reading, Hamlet answers with a single phrase repeated three times.
Analysis
The triple repetition drains the word 'words' of meaning, reducing language to empty sound. This refusal to answer mirrors the gap between signifier and signified—Hamlet points to the fact that words can circulate without communicating, which is exactly what Polonius does throughout the play.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that Hamlet distrusts language as a vehicle for truth—this quote shows him treating words as hollow vessels, which explains why he later turns to the more direct 'language' of the play-within-the-play.