Shakespeare Quick Quotes

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
- Hamlet (1.5.167-8), Hamlet to Horatio

your philosophy ] i.e., philosophy (or learning) in general.

The emphasis here should be on "dreamt of", as Hamlet is pointing out how little even the most educated people can explain.

One can imagine happier times when Hamlet and Horatio, studying together at Wittenberg, engaged in heated philosophical debates.

Shakespeare does not expand on the specific nature of Horatio's philosophy, and in the First Folio (1623), the text actually reads "our philosophy." Some editors, such as Dyce, White and Rowe, choose to use "our" instead of "your" (as found in Q2), believing Hamlet is speaking in general terms about the limitations of human thought.

For much more on this passage, please see the full explanatory notes for Hamlet.

How to cite this article:
Mabillard, Amanda. Shakespeare Quick Quotes. Shakespeare Online. 20 Nov. 2009. < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/quickquotes/quickquotehamletdreamt.html > .

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