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What's the origin of the phrase 'When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions'? From Shakespeare’s Hamlet , 1602: Claudius: O, this is the poison of deep grief; it springs All from her father’s death.
O Gertrude, Gertrude, When sorrows come, they come not single spies But in battalions. First, her father slain. Next, your son gone, and he most violent author Of his own just remove.
Jun 26, 2016 · The quote “ When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions ” was used by Claudius in Shakespeare play, Hamlet, Act IV, Scene V. Claudius meant that, when bad incidents occur, they do not happen alone and many other bad happenings occur simultaneously to contribute to human tragedy.
In William Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy *Hamlet*, the complexity of grief and the overwhelming nature of suffering are encapsulated in the line, “When sorrows come, they come not single spies, But in battalions.”
When sorrows come, they come not single spies. But in battalions! First, her father slain; 2940 Next, your son gone, and he most violent author Of his own just remove; the people muddied, Thick and and unwholesome in their thoughts and whispers For good Polonius' death, and we have done but greenly In hugger-mugger to inter him; poor Ophelia 2945
[To Queen.]: —None of the original texts have these stage directions; editors often insert them because they seem appropriate: Fennel, an emblem of flattery, and columbine, an emblem of ingratitude, to King Claudius, and rue, emblem of sorrow and repentance, to Queen Gertrude.
When sorrows come, they come not single spies But in battalions. First, her father slain: Next, your son gone; and he most violent author Of his own just remove: the people muddied, Thick and unwholesome in their thoughts and whispers, For good Polonius’ death; and we have done but greenly, In hugger-mugger to inter him: poor Ophelia
