Thursday, November 19, 2009

this Quintessence of Dust

For some reason, I can't help thinking in Hamlet quotes while I'm teaching it. There's just something about that Bard that moves me.
While not the central focus of my piece over at eGO.com, I do mention teaching it and I do use a line from this same speech in the title: "In Apprehension, How Like a God?"

The quote comes from a little bit of Free Verse Hamlet throws out at Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and it goes like this:
"What a piece of worke is a man! how Noble in
Reason? how infinite in faculty? in forme and mouing
how expresse and admirable? in Action, how like an Angel?
in apprehension, how like a God? the beauty of the
world, the Parragon of Animals; and yet to me, what is
this Quintessence of Dust? Man delights not me; no,
nor Woman neither; though by your smiling you seeme
to say so"
(No spelling comments, please, this is how the piece appears in the First Folio)

Who agrees with Hamlet?
Class?

1 comment:

  1. It would be hard for me to agree tha man is "the Quintessence of Dust."

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