Polonius says it in Act 2 of Shakespeare's Hamlet. The irony is that Polonius is a windbag to whom brevity is unknown. The person he is speaking to, Gertrude, is the mistress of the terse remark. Her comment: "More matter with less art."
The line "brevity is the soul of wit" is spoken by Polonius in William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet." The irony lies in the fact that Polonius is known for being long-winded and verbose in his speech and actions, contradicting the very idea of brevity that he espouses.
The character who says it is long winded.
It means someone misheard the quotation, which is actually "brevity is the soul of wit."
The irony of Polonius' statement is that he himself is known for being long-winded and verbose, not brief. By claiming that brevity is the soul of wit, he unintentionally highlights his own lack of wit and self-awareness.
Brevity is the soul of wit.
The quotation is this:Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,I will be brief.It comes from the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, and is spoken by the character Polonius.
"Brevity is the soul of wit" is from Lord Polonious' speech in Shakespeare's Hamlet, in Act II, scene ii.
Hamlet.Polonius says;"My liege, and madam, to expostulateWhat majesty should be, what duty is,What day is day, night night, and time is time,Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time;Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,I will be brief. Your noble son is mad. . . .
Brevity is the soul of wit
"Brevity is the soul of wit". It is a quotation from Shakespeare's Hamlet. Removing the vowels is a joke, because it makes the sentence shorter. ('Brevity' is the noun from 'brief' = short).
"Brevity is the soul of wit" is a line from Hamlet, Act 2. It is said by Polonius, and it is ironic because although Polonius is saying that brevity is a virtue, it appears to be a virtue he does not posess. He is incapable of brevity, which by his maxim means he has very little wit.
It is self-explanatory. "Brevity" means terseness, saying things with few words. "Wit" is intelligent and clever use of language, although it can also mean just plain intelligence. Saying that something is the soul of something is the same as saying that it is at the heart of that thing, or that it is the essence of that thing. So, the saying could be rephrased (with a less satisfactory rhythm) as "brevity is at the heart of wit" or "brevity is the essence of wit". Therefore what it means is that if you want to speak intelligently you should use just as many words as you need and no more. Of course it says that much more briefly and therefore more intelligently. The irony is that the guy who says this line, Polonius in Hamlet, is notoriously neither brief nor witty.
Hamlet, Act 2 Scene 2