You are here

All Site ContentHamletAct 1Scene 3
Back to the Play
Household Management
Context and Language Videos
Act 1,
Scene 3
Lines 75-80

A discussion of household management in Act 1, Scene 3 of myShakespeare's Hamlet.

myShakespeare | Hamlet 1.3 Language: Husbandry

Polonius 

Neither a borrower nor a lender be, 
For loan oft loses both itself and friend, 
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. 
This above all — to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day, 
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Video Transcript: 

SARAH: "borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry"— what's this about, Ralph?

RALPH: Well Sarah, in this instance, "husbandry" means household financial management. Just as a dull knife makes it hard to trim off unwanted fat on a piece of meat, so borrowing money to cover your expenses makes it likely you'll spend more, instead of less, cutting back on the "unwanted fat" of your personal expenses.