The lady doth protest too much

Cultural Dictionary

The lady doth protest too much definition


A line from the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, spoken by Gertrude, Hamlet's mother. She is watching a play, and a character in it swears never to remarry if her husband dies. The play is making Hamlet's mother uncomfortable, because she herself remarried almost immediately after the murder of her first husband.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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The lady doth protest too much is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
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