---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What man art thou that, thus bescreened…"
description: "\"What man art thou that, thus bescreened in night, So stumblest on my counsel? *Who are you? Why do you hide in the darkness and listen to my private th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/256/william-shakespeare-4_art_what-man-art-thou-that-thus-bescreened-i_3196683.jpg"
---

#  What man art thou that, thus bescreened in night, So…

![“What man art thou that, thus bescreened in night, So stumblest on my counsel? &#42;Who are you? Why do you hide in the darkness and listen to my private thoughts?&#42;” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/256/william-shakespeare-4_art_what-man-art-thou-that-thus-bescreened-i_3196683.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/256/william-shakespeare-4_art_what-man-art-thou-that-thus-bescreened-i_3196683.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/256/william-shakespeare-4_art_what-man-art-thou-that-thus-bescreened-i_3196683.jpg)

> “What man art thou that, thus bescreened in night, So stumblest on my counsel? \*Who are you? Why do you hide in the darkness and listen to my private thoughts?\*”

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker questions a hidden observer, demanding identity and motives for eavesdropping.

**In simple terms:** Who is watching and why?

Key Takeaway

Demand transparency from secret watchers.

Themes

trust privacy power communication

Mood

suspicious inquisitive

Type

dramatic philosophical

When to use this quote

- relationships
- office politics
- online anonymity
- family dynamics

Key Concepts

surveillance psychology authority

Questions to Reflect On

- Who might you be watching without knowing?
- How does secrecy affect trust?

A Different Perspective

The observer may be a trusted confidant, not an adversary.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Counsel Hide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counsel-hide-5918042/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Darkness Listen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness-listen-2106574/) [Hide Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hide-darkness-1612612/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Night Stumblest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night-stumblest-4733623/) [Private Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/private-thoughts-290314/)

## Related quotes

> [“What man art thou that thus bescreen'd in night so stumblest on my counsel?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/what-man-art-thou-that-thus-bescreen-d-in-night-so-stumblest-on-my/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I sometimes like to sit in the silence and darkness and listen to my heart shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-d-gilroy/i-sometimes-like-to-sit-in-the-silence-and-darkness-and-listen-to-my/)

[Frank D. Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-d-gilroy/)

> [“You were chased here by darkness. Listen to the curve of the hills, the guttering voice. The way to anywhere leads through humiliation. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lilburn/you-were-chased-here-by-darkness-listen-to-the-curve-of-the-hills-the/)

[Tim Lilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lilburn/)

> [I want as much time in the darkness as I can possibly have. The darkness provides cover, the darkness provides places to hide and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/i-want-as-much-time-in-the-darkness-as-i-can-possibly-have-the/)

[James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/)

> [We must understand how to hide in darkness in order to escape the gnat-swarms of utterly annoying admirers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-must-understand-how-to-hide-in-darkness-in-order-to-escape-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Stars do not hide from darkness. Roses do not hide from thorns. Diamonds do not hide from pressure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/stars-do-not-hide-from-darkness-roses-do-not-hide-from-thorns/)

[Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/)

> [I have lived alone, I have fought alone, I have dealt with the pain alone. I will die alone. I think when I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/i-have-lived-alone-i-have-fought-alone-i-have-dealt-with-the-pain/)

[James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/)

> [“And he had no qualms whatsoever about prying into someone’s private thoughts and experiences. And no guilt about hoarding his own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/and-he-had-no-qualms-whatsoever-about-prying-into-someone-s-private/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“We seldom realize, for example, that our most private thoughts and emotions are not actually our own. For we think in terms of languages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-wilson-watts/we-seldom-realize-for-example-that-our-most-private-thoughts-and/)

[Alan Wilson Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-wilson-watts/)

> [We rode along in silence, thinking our private thoughts. Charlie and I had an unspoken agreement not to throw ourselves into speedy travel just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/we-rode-along-in-silence-thinking-our-private-thoughts-charlie-and-i/)

[Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/)

> [Evil…doesn’t mean doing things that have bad consequences for people. It means private thoughts and actions that are not to “the Christian majority’s” private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/evil-doesn-t-mean-doing-things-that-have-bad-consequences-for-people/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [“After years of watching adversaries comb through her public records for any hint of a scandal, and after accessing her own aides’ e-mails, Hillary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/after-years-of-watching-adversaries-comb-through-her-public-records/)

[Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/)

> [I remain convinced that obstinate addiction to ordinary language in our private thoughts is one of the main obstacles to progress in philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-remain-convinced-that-obstinate-addiction-to-ordinary-language-in/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [“Should we go into people’s inner and private thoughts and motivations, we would see that their wishes and hopes are almost invariably at someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/should-we-go-into-people-s-inner-and-private-thoughts-and-motivations/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [It's odd how different a house feels when one is alone in it. It makes it easier to think rather private thoughts...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/it-s-odd-how-different-a-house-feels-when-one-is-alone-in-it-it-makes/)

[Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/)

## More by William Shakespeare

> [Let us kill all lawyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/let-us-kill-all-lawyers/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-tiger-s-heart-wrapped-in-a-woman-s-hide/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Divers philosophers hold that the lips is parcel of the mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/divers-philosophers-hold-that-the-lips-is-parcel-of-the-mouth/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Short time seems long in sorrow's sharp sustaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/short-time-seems-long-in-sorrow-s-sharp-sustaining/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs; Being purg'd, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; Being vex'd, a sea nourish'd with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-is-a-smoke-made-with-the-fume-of-sighs-being-purg-d-a-fire/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I, measuring his affections by my own, Which then most sought where most might not be found, Being one too many by my weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-measuring-his-affections-by-my-own-which-then-most-sought-where/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“Thou hast no figures nor no fantasies Which busy care draws in the brains of men; Therefore thou sleep’st so sound. Julius Caesar (2.1.248-251)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/thou-hast-no-figures-nor-no-fantasies-which-busy-care-draws-in-the/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Truth needs no color; beauty, no pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/truth-needs-no-color-beauty-no-pencil/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Have you not heard it said full oft, A woman's nay doth stand for naught?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/have-you-not-heard-it-said-full-oft-a-woman-s-nay-doth-stand-for/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Omittance is no quittance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/omittance-is-no-quittance/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“Yes, madam: yet I cannot choose but laugh, To think it should leave crying and say 'Ay.' And yet, I warrant, it had upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/yes-madam-yet-i-cannot-choose-but-laugh-to-think-it-should-leave/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I take thee at thy word: Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized; Henceforth I never will be Romeo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-take-thee-at-thy-word-call-me-but-love-and-i-ll-be-new-baptized/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

[Explore all 5,604 William Shakespeare quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

[Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/)

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What man art thou that, thus bescreened in night, So stumblest on my counsel? *Who are you? Why do you hide in the darkness and listen to my private thoughts?*",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Shakespeare"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/what-man-art-thou-that-thus-bescreened-in-night-so-stumblest-on-my/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/what-man-art-thou-that-thus-bescreened-in-night-so-stumblest-on-my/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/256/william-shakespeare-4_art_what-man-art-thou-that-thus-bescreened-i_3196683.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/256/william-shakespeare-4_art_what-man-art-thou-that-thus-bescreened-i_3196683.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/256/william-shakespeare-4_art_what-man-art-thou-that-thus-bescreened-i_3196683.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What man art thou that, thus bescreened in night, So stumblest on my counsel? *Who are you? Why do you hide…” — William Shakespeare",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "William Shakespeare",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What man art thou that, thus...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/what-man-art-thou-that-thus-bescreened-in-night-so-stumblest-on-my/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/what-man-art-thou-that-thus-bescreened-in-night-so-stumblest-on-my/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
