Vol. 08 · Shakespeare ·Hamlet, Act III.i ·Hamlet
"To take arms against a sea of troubles."
Not quite the line.
How it's usually quoted
"To take arms against a sea of troubles."
What Shakespeare actually wrote
"Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, / And by opposing end them." Hamlet — Hamlet, Act III.i
Why it matters
The mixed metaphor — fighting a sea — is famous and often mocked. The second line resolves it ("by opposing end them"): the arms, not the sea, are the real target.
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