The quote “Brevity is the soul of wit” is one of the most famous and ironic lines from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It is spoken by the character Polonius in Act 2, Scene 2.
Context of the Quote
The line is spoken by Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain, while he is attempting to explain the cause of Hamlet’s madness to King Claudius and Queen Gertrude. The King and Queen have sent for Hamlet’s old friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to find out what is troubling him. Polonius, ever the self-important and verbose courtier, believes he has found the true cause: Hamlet’s unrequited love for his daughter, Ophelia.
In his characteristic long-winded style, Polonius begins his explanation, but he first makes this declaration to show off his supposed wisdom.
Meaning and Analysis
The quote, while a nugget of genuine wisdom, is completely undermined by the character who says it and the way he says it.
The Literal Meaning: The quote literally means that true intelligence or wit (in the Elizabethan sense, meaning quick-wittedness, wisdom, and cleverness) is best expressed through concise and to-the-point language. To be witty is to be brief, not long-winded. The line itself is a perfect example of its own meaning: a short, elegant, and clever statement.
The Ironic Context: The irony of the line is that Polonius, the character who says it, is notoriously verbose, rambling, and prone to long, convoluted speeches. Immediately after uttering this profound piece of advice, he launches into a lengthy, circular, and self-congratulatory speech.
“Madam, I swear I use no art at all.
That he is mad, ’tis true: ’tis true ’tis pity,
And pity ’tis ’tis true: a foolish figure;
But farewell it, for I will use no art.
Mad let us grant him then: and now remains
That we find out the cause of this effect,
Or rather say, the cause of this defect,
For this effect defective comes by cause…”
This speech, which goes on for many more lines, is the exact opposite of brevity. It is a perfect example of what Shakespeare’s audience would have recognized as the empty, self-serving rhetoric of a pompous fool.
Polonius’s Character: The quote is one of the key moments that define Polonius’s character. He is a man who loves the sound of his own voice and believes himself to be much wiser than he actually is. He is a master of platitudes and proverbs, but he lacks the genuine wit and self-awareness to apply them to himself. He is a comic figure precisely because of this contradiction between his words and his actions.
A Broader Thematic Point: The quote also serves a broader thematic purpose in the play. It contrasts the world of honest, direct action with the world of courtly intrigue and deceit. Polonius’s endless speeches and convoluted schemes are a reflection of the “rotten” state of Denmark, where truth is buried under layers of falsehood and manipulation. Hamlet, in his feigned madness, is often more direct and truthful than Polonius is in his sanity, showing that the supposed wit of the court is nothing but empty words.
In summary, “Brevity is the soul of wit” is a profound and memorable line that gains its power from the dramatic irony of its delivery. It is a piece of genuine wisdom spoken by a character who is incapable of following his own advice, thereby serving to define Polonius as a foolish and hypocritical courtier and to highlight the general corruption of the Danish court.
