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Brevity is the soul of wit.

William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Literature

The story behind the card

Polonius, the elderly chief adviser to the king of Denmark, says this in Act 2 of Hamlet, written around 1600. He has come to tell the king and queen that he has found the cause of Prince Hamlet's strange behaviour, promises to be brief, then talks in circles until Queen Gertrude cuts in: “More matter, with less art.” The joke is that the court's most long-winded man is praising brevity. In Shakespeare's day “wit” meant intelligence rather than humour: a sharp mind says much in few words.

Türkçe oku
Kısalık, zekânın ruhudur.
William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Bu sözü, Shakespeare'in 1600 dolaylarında yazdığı Hamlet'in ikinci perdesinde, Danimarka kralının yaşlı danışmanı Polonius söyler. Polonius, Prens Hamlet'in tuhaf davranışlarının nedenini bulduğunu kralla kraliçeye haber vermeye gelmiştir. Sözü kısa keseceğini söyler, sonra lafı dolandırıp durur; sonunda Kraliçe Gertrude dayanamaz: “Daha çok öz, daha az süs.” Espri şuradadır: Kısalığı öven, sarayın en geveze adamıdır. Shakespeare'in çağında İngilizcedeki “wit” sözcüğü espri değil zekâ demekti. Türkçedeki “Az söyle, öz söyle” öğüdü de aynı şeyi anlatır.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: William Shakespeare
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