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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.
- Act 4, Scene 6
HORATIO [reads] “Horatio, When thou shalt have overlooked...
- Act 4, Scene 6
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.
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.
When sorrows come, they come not single spies, But in battalions: first, her father slain; Next, your son gone, and he most violent author 85 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 90 In hugger-mugger to inter him; poor Ophelia
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.
Pray you, let’s have no words of this, but when they ask you what it means, say you this: (sings) Tomorrow is Saint Valentine’s day, All in the morning betime, And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine. Then up he rose, and donned his clothes, And dupped the chamber door. Let in the maid that out a maid.
