Vol. 08 · Shakespeare ·Hamlet, Act II.ii ·Hamlet
"What a piece of work is man!"
Not quite the line.
How it's usually quoted
"What a piece of work is man!"
What Shakespeare actually wrote
"What a piece of work is a man!" Hamlet — Hamlet, Act II.ii
Why it matters
The Folio keeps the article "a." Many 20th-century printings dropped it for snappiness — you hear this most in the "Hair" musical setting, which re-set the line.
More from the canon.
Browse the rest of the shelf, or try a cold reading.