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All Site ContentHamletAct 2Scene 2
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"digested," "sallets," and "savory"
Wordplay
Act 2,
Scene 2
Lines 426-435

An explanation of wordplay in Act 2, Scene 2 of myShakespeare’s Hamlet.

Hamlet

I heard thee speak me a speech once, but it was
never acted, or if it was, not above once. For the
play, I remember, pleased not the million; 'twas
caviar to the general. But it was, as I received it 
(and others whose judgment in such matters cried
in the top of mine) an excellent play, well digested
in the scenes, set down with as much modesty as
cunning. I remember one said there was no sallets
in the lines to make the matter savory, nor no matter
in the phrase that might indict the author of affectation,

This moment of wordplay means these lines can be read in two ways:

  • Salads with salted meat and egg (“sallets”) might make a meal too spicy (“savory”) to be comfortably “digested.” A simpler dish might be more enjoyable.
  • Too much cleverness in the language can make a play too fancy. This play pleased Hamlet because it was unadorned and well organized.