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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.
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.
Claudius laments how sad it is that (1) Polonius is dead, (2) Hamlet had to be sent off to England, (3) Ophelia is crazy, and (4) Laertes has secretly arrived from France and is being bombarded with gossip about his father's death, which Claudius is sure is going to get pinned on him.
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.”
Ophelia is not well. A gentleman reveals to Gertrude and Horatio that she has been wandering around, talking nonsense and singing songs. Just then, Ophelia enters, acting utterly insane. She sings songs about death, love, and flowers.
O Gertrude, Gertrude, When sorrows come, they come not single spies But in battalions.
