The Smart Words and Wicked Wit of William Shakespeare

By Max Morris (Editor)

“Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit,” said the world’s greatest and most preeminent English writer of all time, William Shakespeare.

Have you ever wanted to quote the most quoted writer in the English language? Deliver the most inventive and debasing Shakespearean insult (“Would thou wert clean enough to spit upon!”)? Recite titillating love poetry like a modern-day Romeo to his (or her) Juliet? Or commit a learned wisdom about life’s woes to memory? The Smart Words and Wicked Wit of William Shakespeare is the perfect pocket book to carry around in your arsenal. Laugh, cry, rage, and muse along with beloved (or not so beloved) Shakespeare characters like Hamlet, Lady Macbeth, King Lear, and Cleopatra on the topics of love, art, beauty—as well as life’s most irreverently relevant insights.

Full of savvy wisdoms from works such as Twelfth Night, Othello, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, and many others, this inspiring collection compiles the wisest and wittiest Shakespearean quotations that speak of the writer’s enduring legacy—even in contemporary pop culture.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Skyhorse
• Release date: Sep 5, 2017
• ISBN: 9781510715837

Book preview

Doubt thou the stars are fire;

Doubt that the sun doth move;

Doubt truth to be a liar;

But never doubt I love.

POLONIUS, READING HAMLET’S

LETTER TO OPHELIA, HAMLET

Love is a spirit all compact of fire.

VENUS AND ADONIS

With love’s light wings did I

o’er-perch these walls;

For stony limits cannot hold love out.

ROMEO, ROMEO AND JULIET

Shall I compare thee

to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely

and more temperate.

SONNET 18

Eternity was in our lips and eyes.

CLEOPATRA, ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA

But soft, what light through

yonder window breaks?

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

ROMEO, ROMEO AND JULIET

All days are nights to

see, till I see thee,

And nights, bright days,

when dreams do

Show thee me.

SONNET 43

Good night, good night!

Parting is such sweet sorrow

That I shall say good

night till it be morrow.

JULIET, ROMEO AND JULIET

Men have died from time to time, and

worms have eaten them, but not for love.

ROSALIND, AS YOU LIKE IT

Love comforteth, like sunshine after rain.

VENUS AND ADONIS

Love alters not with his brief

hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to

the edge of doom.

SONNET 116

Love sought is good, but

given unsought is better.

OLIVIA, TWELFTH NIGHT

Not marble, nor the gilded monuments

Of princes, shall outlive this

powerful rhyme;

But you shall shine more

bright

Reviews for The Smart Words and Wicked Wit of William Shakespeare

[muumuumousie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This charming little book is a handy reference guide to some of Shakespeare’s best-known quotes. Divided into sections by topic, the book lists a series of quotes that fit each section’s theme, as well as the play or poem from which the quote was taken. This slender volume isn’t cluttered with commentary or even with background information; consequently, the casual reader can peruse many different remarks one right after another. I found that this approach made for a surprisingly deep and strangely moving experience. And despite the brevity of the excerpts, Shakespeare’s talent and his unique voice come through loud and clear.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

According to Polonius, “Brevity is the soul of wit,” and if that is true, then this collection is definitely witty. Organized into chapters such as “Love’s Light Wings” and “Get Thee a Wife or Husband,” there is bound to be something here that will appeal to any fan of Shakespeare. Undoubtedly, you will come across quotes you have either read or memorized back in school. It’s a varied collection, and a nice reference to find a quick Shakespearean quote. Meanwhile, “Live a little; comfort a little; cheer thyself a little.” (Orlando in “As You Like It.”)