The phrase "The witch has shuffled off this mortal coil" is a metaphorical expression that refers to the death of a witch. It uses the phrase "shuffle off this mortal coil," which is derived from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, where Hamlet contemplates the nature of life and death. In this context, the phrase implies that the witch has passed away and is no longer among the living. Using the term "witch" further adds to the mystical and magical connotation of the phrase. Witches have long been associated with supernatural powers, potions, and spells, making their death a significant event in mythical contexts. "The witch has shuffled off this mortal coil" can be interpreted as a poetic and slightly whimsical way of saying that the witch has died.
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Specifically, he wonders whether it might be preferable to commit suicide to end one s suffering and to leave behind the pain and agony associated with living. Finally, some have suggested that Shakespeare was inspired to write Hamlet by the tensions that cropped up during the English Reformation , which raised questions as to whether the Catholics or Protestants held more legitimate beliefs interestingly, Shakespeare intertwines both religions in the play.
"The witch has shuffled off this mortal coil" can be interpreted as a poetic and slightly whimsical way of saying that the witch has died. The use of the phrase adds a touch of mystery and intrigue to the idea of death, suggesting that even in death, the witch's presence may linger in some way. Overall, the phrase "The witch has shuffled off this mortal coil" serves as a creative and imaginative expression to describe the death of a witch, invoking a sense of magic and wonder in the process.
‘Shuffle Off This Mortal Coil’ Meaning
‘Shuffle off this mortal coil’ is a phrase from what is perhaps the most famous soliloquy in all of Shakespeare’s plays or, in fact, any Renaissance plays. It is from Hamlet’s soliloquy ‘To be or not to be.’
Millions of words of explanation and interpretation of the soliloquy have been written by scholars and critics, but it seems that there is not yet any definitive interpretation of what Shakespeare meant by the phrase ‘Mortal coil’.
On one level it’s clear that Hamlet is referring to dying. After all, that is what the soliloquy is about. Hamlet is cataloguing the tedious things about life – the things that make life unbearable, or even irritating. Why suffer all that when one could put an end to it with the simple act of suicide?
One could simply say that shuffling off this mortal coil is leaving one’s human body, the assumption being that there is a better life in the hereafter which one can gain access to by transforming oneself by shedding one’s body.
However, the word ‘coil’ has never before Shakespeare, or since Shakespeare, been a synonym for ‘body.’ It is not a matter of Shakespeare adapting a word, using it for his own purposes and then the meaning given to it by it’s catching on and becoming part of the English language. It never has caught on, and ‘coil’ doesn’t mean body today.
To gain insight into the meaning of this phrase we have to look both at dictionary definitions of the word ‘coil’ and its context in the soliloquy.
Mordern dictionaries refer mainly to a modern idea of something metallic, like a wire, that is wound tightly around something. That isn’t exactly what Shakespeare had in mind, but hold on to that image.
We may well pass the phrase over as we watch or read the soliloquy, receiving it simply as shedding one’s body, but we should remember that this is Shakespeare, and Shakespeare never set a word down without precision, always using it to express what he intended it to express, including doing some pretty deep probes. And there are usually several meanings.
‘Coil’ is an ancient word, commonly used centuries before Shakespeare, and spelt ‘coyle.’ It was a noun and referred, for want of a better way of expressing it, to a mess – a mixture of messy things such as noise, confusion, uncertainty, bustle and so on. We don’t use it like that anymore but most of Shakespeare’s audience would have received it in that way. So what we have is Hamlet talking about is how one could relieve oneself of all the messiness of life by stabbing oneself with a bodkin (a large needle used for sewing sacks of flour). ‘Coil’ now makes sense.
But there is more, of course, as there always is with Shakespeare. He could have used a different word to mean the noise and confusion of life, so why, this word, ‘coil’?
There is the strong image of a snake. When ‘coil’ is used as a verb we have the picture of one of the characteristics of snakes. They coil themselves and, indeed, some snakes coil themselves around their prey. And snakes moult and shuffle themselves out of their old skin to emerge as something brand new, and they then go ahead with a new existence.
There is also the possible image of other moulting creatures, such as butterflies being tightly encased in cocoons and emerging as new and beautiful creatures that fly gracefully away, leaving their cocoons to decay. If you watch the process you will see the shuffling movement as a butterfly emerges.
The play is full of religious images and this is one of them, relating directly to the Christian idea of eternal life after death, and expressed, as is so often the case, in terms of the nature all around Shakespeare as he grew up in Warwickshire.
So there we have a possible explanation of ‘shuffle off this mortal coil.’
Kenneth Brannagh delivers his ‘mortal coil’ line as part of Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to be’ soliloquy
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Reviews for "The Witch's Final Apocalypse: Shuffling off this Mortal Coil"
- John - 2 stars - I really didn't enjoy "The witch has shuffled off this mortal coil". The writing was clunky and the story felt disjointed. I couldn't connect with any of the characters, and the plot seemed aimless. Overall, I found it to be a frustrating and confusing read.
- Sarah - 1 star - This book was a complete disappointment. The title intrigued me, but the story itself was a convoluted mess. The characters were flat and the dialogue felt forced. I struggled to finish it and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
- David - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "The witch has shuffled off this mortal coil", but it fell short of my expectations. The pacing was inconsistent, and the narrative lacked depth. The author seemed more interested in trying to be clever than in crafting a compelling story. It wasn't for me.