Vol. 08 · Shakespeare ·Hamlet, Act II.ii ·Hamlet
"The play's the thing."
Not quite the line.
How it's usually quoted
"The play's the thing."
What Shakespeare actually wrote
"The play's the thing / Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King." Hamlet — Hamlet, Act II.ii
Why it matters
Shortened, the line reads as a theatre truism. In context Hamlet is planning entrapment — the couplet is a scheme, not an appreciation of drama.
More from the canon.
Browse the rest of the shelf, or try a cold reading.