Thy name is
Encyclopedia
"______, thy name is ______" is a snowclone
used to indicate the completeness with which something or somebody (indicated by the second part) embodies a particular quality (indicated by the first part), usually a negative one.
(I, ii, 146). In this work, the title character is chastised by his uncle (and new stepfather) Claudius, for grieving his father so much, calling it unmanly. In the following soliloquy, Hamlet denounces his mother's swift remarriage, with the statement, "Frailty, thy name is woman." He thus equates womankind with the attribute of frailty.
Full quote: Dr Cox, "Hypocrisy, thy name is -- Boon, would you like to finish that for me? No? Not bright enough to follow?"
Boon, "No"
Dr Cox, "It's you, Barbie, Hypocrisy, thy name is you."
Snowclone
A snowclone is a type of cliché and phrasal template originally defined as "a multi-use, customizable, instantly recognizable, time-worn, quoted or misquoted phrase or sentence that can be used in an entirely open array of different variants"....
used to indicate the completeness with which something or somebody (indicated by the second part) embodies a particular quality (indicated by the first part), usually a negative one.
History
The term is generally agreed to come from the Shakespearean play HamletHamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
(I, ii, 146). In this work, the title character is chastised by his uncle (and new stepfather) Claudius, for grieving his father so much, calling it unmanly. In the following soliloquy, Hamlet denounces his mother's swift remarriage, with the statement, "Frailty, thy name is woman." He thus equates womankind with the attribute of frailty.
Quoted
- Amos Bronson AlcottAmos Bronson AlcottAmos Bronson Alcott was an American teacher, writer, philosopher, and reformer. As an educator, Alcott pioneered new ways of interacting with young students, focusing on a conversational style, and avoided traditional punishment. He hoped to perfect the human spirit and, to that end, advocated a...
famously said of William Ellery ChanningWilliam Ellery ChanningDr. William Ellery Channing was the foremost Unitarian preacher in the United States in the early nineteenth century and, along with Andrews Norton, one of Unitarianism's leading theologians. He was known for his articulate and impassioned sermons and public speeches, and as a prominent thinker...
in 1871, "Whim, thy name is Channing." He was referring to Channing's TranscendentalistTranscendentalismTranscendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the 1830s and 1840s in the New England region of the United States as a protest against the general state of culture and society, and in particular, the state of intellectualism at Harvard University and the doctrine of the Unitarian...
poetry style.
Television
- In an episode of Are You Being Served?Are You Being Served?Are You Being Served? is a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John...
, Mr. HumphriesMr. HumphriesMr Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries is a fictional character from the BBC One comedy show, Are You Being Served?. He was played by John Inman from 1972-1993.-Role:...
exclaims, "Deceit, thy name is man!" - In an episode of Everybody Loves RaymondEverybody Loves RaymondEverybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...
, RaymondRaymondRaymond is a male given name . It was borrowed into English from French...
says, "Devil, thy name is woman!" - In The Simpsons episode entitled "Krusty Gets BustedKrusty Gets Busted"Krusty Gets Busted" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons first season, and originally aired on April 29, 1990. The episode was written by Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky, and directed by Brad Bird. In the episode, Krusty the Clown, a famous TV comedian, is convicted of the armed robbery of the...
", in reference to the titular clown, Bart pronounces, "Comedy, thy name is Krusty." - Episode 21 of the television show Joan of ArcadiaJoan of ArcadiaJoan of Arcadia is an American television fantasy/family drama telling the story of teenager Joan Girardi , who sees and speaks with God and performs tasks she is given. The series originally aired on Fridays, 8-9 p.m...
is titled "Vanity, Thy Name is Human." - Episode 3 Season 7 of the television show ScrubsScrubs (TV series)Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
, Dr Cox says to Elliot ReidElliot ReidDr. Elliot Reid is a fictional character played by Sarah Chalke in the American comedy-drama Scrubs. She has appeared in every episode during the first eight seasons except two Season 8 episodes, "My Last Words" and "My Lawyer's in Love"....
"Hypocrisy, thy name is you."
Full quote: Dr Cox, "Hypocrisy, thy name is -- Boon, would you like to finish that for me? No? Not bright enough to follow?"
Boon, "No"
Dr Cox, "It's you, Barbie, Hypocrisy, thy name is you."
- Professor Farnsworth of FuturamaFuturamaFuturama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
once proclaims "Oh, Vanity, thy name is Professor Farnsworth." - Episode 2 Season 1 of the television show Sports NightSports NightSports Night is an American television series about a fictional sports news show also called Sports Night. It focuses on the friendships, pitfalls, and ethical issues the creative talent of the program face while trying to produce a good show under constant network pressure...
, Casey McCall says "Sarcasm, thy name is Dana." - In "Plankton's Army," Episode 58b in Season 2 of SpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
, PlanktonPlankton (SpongeBob SquarePants)Sheldon Jim Plankton, Jr., or simply Plankton, is a fictional character on the American television cartoon series SpongeBob SquarePants. He is voiced by Mr. Lawrence. The character is also in video games and other media based on the series...
states "Victory, thy name is Plankton!" - In Episode 16, Season 3 of Married With Children titled "The House That Peg Lost":
- MARCY "Man, thy name is Steve."
- STEVE "And love, thy name is Marcy. The warmth of your arms is my hearth."
Literature
- The poet Anne SextonAnne SextonAnne Sexton was an American poet, known for her highly personal, confessional verse. She won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1967...
has a poem called "Divorce, Thy Name Is Woman". - In The Count of Monte CristoThe Count of Monte CristoThe Count of Monte Cristo is an adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas. It is often considered to be, along with The Three Musketeers, Dumas's most popular work. He completed the work in 1844...
, Edmond Dantès (disguised as Abbé Busoni) utters the phrase "Frailty, thy name is woman!" after learning that his fiancee Mercédès has married his rival Fernand.
Music
- The Half Man Half BiscuitHalf Man Half BiscuitHalf Man Half Biscuit, often "HMHB", are an English rock band from Birkenhead, Merseyside, active since the mid-1980s, known for satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs. The group comprises Nigel Blackwell , Neil Crossley , Ken Hancock , and Carl Henry...
song "Whiteness, Thy Name Is Meltonian" from the album This Leaden Pall. The title refers to a brand of none-more-white shoe polish. - The following lyrics appear in the Dark TranquillityDark TranquillityDark Tranquillity is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Gothenburg. They are one of the longest-standing bands from the original Gothenburg metal scene, and are one of the most integral pioneers of the melodic death metal genre of music....
song "...Of Melancholy Burning": "Frailty, thy name is weakness. Vengeance, thy name is pain."
External links
- "Frailty, thy name is woman", from The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy