Hamlet Quote by T. S. Eliot
““No I am not Prince Hamlet nor was meant to be Am an attendant lord one that will do To swell a progress start a scene or two Advise the prince no doubt an easy tool Deferential glad to be of use Politic cautious and meticulous Full of high sentence but a bit obtuse At times indeed almost ridiculous— Almost at times the Fool. I grow old … I grow old … I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled. Shall I part my hair behind Do I dare to eat a peach I shall wear white flannel trousers and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing each to each. I do not think that they will sing to me. I have seen them riding seaward on the waves Combing the white hair of the waves blown back When the wind blows the water white and black. We have lingered in the chambers of the sea By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown Till human voices wake us and we drown.””
About This Quote
Source Poem: The Waste Land, 1922
The speaker reflects on aging, artistic doubt, and the elusive nature of meaning, juxtaposing personal uncertainty with mythic sea imagery.
In simple terms: Aging and uncertainty meet mythic sea imagery.
Key Takeaway
Embrace uncertainty, seek authentic expression.
Themes
aging
uncertainty
myth
artistic doubt
identity
reflection
Mood
melancholic
contemplative
introspective
Type
literary
philosophical
poetic
When to use this quote
- personal crisis
- creative process
- literary analysis
- philosophical contemplation
Key Concepts
existentialism
modernism
symbolism
Questions to Reflect On
- How does aging affect your creative voice?
- What mythic symbols resonate with your doubts?
A Different Perspective
The poetic style may obscure practical insight for everyday decisions.
![“the ordinary man's experience is chaotic, irregular, fragmentary. [He] falls in love or reads Spinoza, and these two experiences have nothing to do with each other, or with the noise of the typewriter, or the smell of cooking; in the mind of the poet these experiences are always forming new wholes” quote by T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/18e/t-s-eliot-633_art_the-ordinary-man-s-experience-is-chaotic_93688.jpg)
