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Mr. Tom Posted 8 years ago
Vocabulary

Ghost unlaid forbear thee

Hi

These lines are from Shakespeare's poem 'Fear no more'. Do I understand it correctly?

Ghost unlaid forbear thee

Nothing ill will come near thee

Quiet consummation have

And renowned be thy grave

Once you are dead, nothing can frighten/bother you -- nothing will harm you. Once your life is peacefully complete (quiet consummation have) and you go to your grave with grace, you will be remembered (renowned be thy grave).

Thanks,

Tom

PS: What does ghost unlaid forbear thee exactly mean?

  

Top answer

An "unlaid ghost" is a ghost of a person who wasn't properly buried. Such a ghost is restless and goes about scaring people. When you're alive, you might be troubled by something like this, but not when you're dead.

— Anonymous

  • An "unlaid ghost" is a ghost of a person who wasn't properly buried.
  • Such a ghost is restless and goes about scaring people.
  • When you're alive, you might be troubled by something like this, but not when you're dead.
  • The sense of the four lines is something like the following (overflowing with irony, as is so much of Shakespeare): Restless ghost, leave this (dead) person alone - you're wasting your time trying to scare him now.
  • But, dear deceased person, no harm can come to you now, anyway.
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2 Answers
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An "unlaid ghost" is a ghost of a person who wasn't properly buried. Such a ghost is restless and goes about scaring people. When you're alive, you might be troubled by something like this, but not when you're dead.


The sense of the four lines is something like the following (overflowing with irony, as is so much of Shakespeare):


Restless ghost, leave this (dead) person

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The writer is expressing good wishes. The "unlaid" ghost is a spirit not at rest in the ground. The next line is, nothing ill "come near", not "will come near". We would say, "may nothing bad happen to you, may wandering ghosts pass you by, may your end be quiet, and may your grave be well-known."

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