• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where does the phrase “something rotten in Denmark” come from and What does it mean?

Where does the phrase “something rotten in Denmark” come from and What does it mean?

June 24, 2020 by Karen Hill

The phrase “something rotten in Denmark” means: Something of a highly suspicious nature; something likely to be corrupt.

We have it from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act I, scene 4. Hamlet has been summoned by the ghost of his father, the murdered king of Denmark, into a conversation apart from his friends Horatio and Marcellus.

His friends urge him not to go alone, for fear of injury, but Hamlet insists and will not be denied, saying, “Unhand me, gentlemen, By heaven, I’ll make a ghost of him that lets me,” and departs with the ghost.

Marcellus then says, “Let’s follow; ’tis not fit thus to obey him.”

Horatio replies, “Have after. To what issue will this come?”

To which Marcellus responds, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”

Related Facts

  • Where does the phrase "to come to the end of one's rope" come from and What does it mean?
  • What does the phrase "come hell or high water" mean and Where does it come from?
  • What Does the Expression "Until the Cows Come Home" Mean and Where Did the Phrase Come From?
  • Where does the phrase "touch and go" come from and What does touch and go mean?
  • Where does the phrase "alpha and omega" come from and What does alpha and omega mean?
  • Where does the phrase "cock and bull story" come from and What does it mean?
  • Where does the phrase "to rain cats and dogs" come from and What does the expression mean?
  • Where does the phrase "best bib and tucker" come from and What does it mean?
  • What does the phrase "to swallow a tale hook, line, and sinker" mean and Where does it come from?
  • Where does the phrase "lock, stock, and barrel" come from and What does it mean?
  • Where does the phrase "a song and dance" come from and What does it mean?
  • Where does the phrase "to mind one's p's and q's" come from and What does it mean?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What does the expression “fatten (or sweeten) the kitty” mean and Where does it originate?
Next Post: What does the phrase “ivory tower” mean and Where did the term “ivory tower” come from? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy