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Quotation record · reviewed 2026-08-09

“Methinks the lady doth protest too much.”

Circulates under William Shakespeare

Editorial status

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Gertrude's wording places ‘methinks’ at the end. The rearranged version is familiar, but it is not the order in Shakespeare's text.

The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

Earliest traceable appearance in this record: 1603, Hamlet, act 3, scene 2.

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