You are here

"youth to itself rebels"
Metaphor
Act 1,
Scene 3
Lines 43-44

An explanation of the phrase “youth to itself rebels” in Act 1, Scene 3 of myShakespeare’s Hamlet.

Laertes

Be wary then, best safety lies in fear; 
Youth to itself rebels, though none else near. 

In this metaphor, sexual desire is compared to a rebellion against the good governance of reason.