- Source
- Hamlet
- Date
- c. 1600
- Local voice
- Fictional character · Polonius
Meaning of “Brevity is the soul of wit.”
The line praises compression: saying less can sharpen meaning when the words that remain do real work.
Where does it come from?
Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2; Polonius says this while promising the King and Queen he will be brief, immediately before continuing at comic length. The dramatic irony is part of the line’s context.
Why the local voice matters
Polonius says this in Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2, within a deliberately verbose speech.
