We are such stuff as dreams are made on.
Shakespeare, The Tempest 4.1
What it means
Prospero ends a magic show by saying the whole world will dissolve like it. Life is brief and strange. Hold it lightly and treasure it.
The source
"We are such stuff as dreams are made on." Shakespeare said it in The Tempest 4.1. Written in English: Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100.
"We are such stuff As dreams are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep."Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100), The Tempest 4.1. Text read at gutenberg.org.
Who said it
Shakespeare (1564–1616). The playwright and poet of Stratford and the Globe. His characters still say the things we feel and cannot put into words.
Questions
- What does "We are such stuff as dreams are made on." mean?
- Prospero ends a magic show by saying the whole world will dissolve like it. Life is brief and strange. Hold it lightly and treasure it.
- Who said "We are such stuff as dreams are made on."?
- Shakespeare (1564–1616). Source: The Tempest 4.1.
- What is the original wording?
- We are such stuff As dreams are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep (Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)). Written in English: Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100.
- Is "We are such stuff as dreams are made on." on a shirt?
- Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.
Cite this line
"We are such stuff as dreams are made on." (Shakespeare, The Tempest 4.1, trans. Original English (Complete Works, Project Gutenberg #100)). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/we-are-such-stuff-as-dreams-are-made
Filed under Quotes about time.
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More from Shakespeare
- To thine own self be true.Hamlet 1.3
- Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so.Hamlet 2.2
- Cowards die many times. The brave die only once.Julius Caesar 2.2
- The fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves.Julius Caesar 1.2
- There is a tide. Take it at the flood.Julius Caesar 4.3
- Our doubts are traitors.Measure for Measure 1.4