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Citation Information
How to Cite
Manser, Martin H. "alas, poor Yorick!" Writer's Reference Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 18 Apr. 2025. <http://fofweb.infobase.com/wrc/Detail.aspx?iPin=DOA00069>.
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alas, poor Yorick!

Pronunciation pronunciation key
yorik

Definition 
An expression of lamentation over someone dead or otherwise fallen. The phrase comes from William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet (c. 1600), specifically from act 5, scene 1, in which Hamlet muses upon the skull of a long-deceased court jester called Yorick. In modern usage, this overfamiliar expression is only ever employed facetiously. The dreams I once had of becoming head of this department and making life hell for everyone else I have reluctantly had to let go—alas, poor Yorick!"

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