What a Piece of Work is Man

A detailed Summary of What a Piece of Work is Man


"What a piece of work is man...and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?"

In this scene from William Shakespeare's "Hamlet," Hamlet is speaking to his old university friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, explaining the sadness that has engulfed him since his father's death. The speech that precedes these lines essentially contains rhetorical ideas and thoughts, building an elaborate and elevated picture of the earth and humanity before finally declaring it all merely a "quintessence of dust." In the selected quotation, Hamlet begins by glorifying the creation of man and the earth with sophisticated and regal description. He calls men 'noble' and 'like a god' and he mentions 'the beauty of the world.' By labeling


Hamlet's previous statements on the greatness of humanity were spoken with a wry, satirical tone. Within the hidden meaning of these lines, Hamlet expresses his belief that humanity is weak, worthless, and as ignoble as dust. He bounces back and forth between admiration at the nobility and beauty of man and his own disillusionment at how evil man can be. His final declaration illustrates Hamlet's loss of faith in humanity.

Throughout the monologue, Hamlet mentions allusions to the Bible. He first describes men as Godlike but then contradicts himself by demonstrating that man is the epitome of dust. In Genesis, God formed Adam, the first man, out of the earth. Hamlet redefines the position of man as simply 'that which came from dust.' It is in

Some common words found in the essay are:
Rosencrantz Guildenstern, Genesis God, , Hamlet Hamlet, quintessence dust, quintessence dust hamlet, dust hamlet, belief humanity, father's death,

Approximate Word count = 509
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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