A piece of work: Meaning Then

What was Big Willy Shakes going for?

Simply put, Hamlet is saying that man is a supreme being, better than any other living thing on the planet. That's a big statement, so we've gotta ask: Why does Hamlet think that?

Let's break it down. According to the prince, men are:

  • noble in reason.
  • infinite in mental abilities.
  • have amazing bodies.
  • move around better than animals.
  • can understand a lot of complicated things.
  • are like gods.

So man is awesome. Cool. We're done here, right?

Nope. Despite all this, Hamlet is not delighted with the human race. Men can do all those fancy things, and Hamlet still isn't impressed? Sheesh. He's hard to please.

But nothing is that simple with Hamlet. He might not actually think that at all. See, he knows he's talking to the king's patsies in this speech, even if they are pretending to be his friends. Does he actually think men are not supreme, or is he faking because he knows they're spying on him?

If the latter's the case, Hamlet might just be talking about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. This whole speech could be Hamlet's way of saying "I'm disgusted by the fact that you're spying on me, guys. I thought we were buddies."

Then again, Hamlet sure is disenchanted with the people around him—and with good reason. It might be just another speech where he is philosophizing about the meaning of life in light of all his hardships and woes. Usually he does this when no one else is around, but maybe he wants the people around him to hear this one. After all, they're the ones who are bugging him, making him lose faith in humanity.

One thing's for sure: there are many levels at work here. Shakespeare created a real head-scratcher with this new phrase. But this isn't actually the first time he used this phrase. He first used "piece of work" in The Taming of the Shrew, then again in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, Timon of Athens, and Cymbeline.

Hamlet isn't the first or the last time Shakespeare says something or someone is a "piece of work," but it's certainly the most significant. This speech catapulted the phrase into our mouths today.