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"shall I couple hell?"
Context and Language Videos
Act 1,
Scene 5
Lines 92-97

A discussion of heaven, earth, and hell in Act 1, Scene 5 of myShakespeare's Hamlet.

myShakespeare | Hamlet 1.5 Discussion: Shall I Couple Hell?

Hamlet 

Oh, all you host of heaven! Oh, earth! What else, 
And shall I couple hell? Oh, fie! Hold, my heart, 
And you, my sinews, grow not instant old, 
But bear me stiffly up. Remember thee?
Ay, thou poor ghost, while memory holds a seat 
In this distracted globe. Remember thee? 
Video Transcript: 

RALPH: Hamlet is dumbstruck by the ghost, and it's clear that he's not quite sure what the ghost is, or where it's truly from. First, he calls it one of the spirits of heaven. Then he adds, "of earth," because maybe it's just a spirit returning from the earthly realm, the grave. And then he wonders — should he also add the possibility that the ghost is from hell, and that therefore it has come to do him harm?

SARAH: But Hamlet doesn't want to face this possibility, so after asking himself, "shall I couple Hell?", he answers "Fie, no!" "Fie" is an exclamation of rejection.