You are here

All Site ContentHamletAct 2Scene 2
Back to the Play
"ill at these numbers"
Wordplay
Act 2,
Scene 2
Lines 115-123

An explanation of the double meaning in the phrase “ill at these numbers” in Act 2, Scene 2 of myShakespeare’s Hamlet.

Polonius

"Doubt thou the stars are fire,
Doubt that the sun does move,
Doubt truth to be a liar,
But never doubt I love.
Oh, dear Ophelia, I am ill at these numbers.
I have not art to reckon my groans. But that I  
love thee best, oh, most best, believe it. Adieu.
Thine evermore, most dear lady, 
Whilst this machine is to him,  Hamlet."

This phrase has a double meaning, and can be read in two ways:

  • “I am so lovesick that I can’t count the number of times I’ve groaned.”
  • “I am such a bad writer that my love poems don’t have the right number of syllables in each line.”