This mortal coil 💀🕸️

Meaning

The complexities and troubles of life that one must endure before death.

Origin

Shakespeare immortalized this phrase in his Hamlet. Hamlet, contemplating suicide, wishes he could shed the burdens of his earthly existence. He describes life as 'this mortal coil,' where mortals are bound by 'this mortal coil'—meaning the tangled, messy, and often troublesome threads of life that ensnare us. It's a vivid metaphor for the chaotic and often painful experience of being alive, a struggle we all must face until our final breath.

💀🥀 death 💪🙏 pride 🎭✍️ shakespeare 🕰️🎩 19th century 😥😔 sadness

This mortal coil represented with emoji💀🕸️

This playful work functions as a stark reminder of our fleeting existence, juxtaposing the inevitable end with the intricate web of life that ensnares us. It teaches the viewer to consider the cyclical nature of being, where the delicate threads of our experiences ultimately lead back to the primal dust from which we came, echoing the profound yet simple truth of mortality.

Examples

  • She often longed for a simpler existence, free from the burdens of this mortal coil.
  • After decades of work and worry, he was ready to shed this mortal coil and find some peace.
  • The weary traveler, after a long journey across many lands, finally felt ready to depart this mortal coil and rest his feet.
  • The elderly knight, having faced dragons and defeated villains, was quite ready to trade his armor for a comfy cloud and finally leave this mortal coil.

Frequently asked questions

What is the opposite of 'this mortal coil'?

The opposite of 'this mortal coil', representing life's struggles and complexities, would be eternal peace or an afterlife free from worldly burdens. This concept is often linked to religious or philosophical ideas of achieving liberation from earthly attachments.

Is 'this mortal coil' a religious concept?

While not exclusively religious, 'this mortal coil' often carries spiritual undertones, reflecting a weariness with earthly life and a longing for something beyond it. Its use in Hamlet, a play deeply concerned with themes of life, death, and the afterlife, further imbues it with such connotations.

What common modern phrase is similar in meaning to 'this mortal coil'?

A modern equivalent to 'this mortal coil' could be 'the rat race,' describing the stressful, competitive, and often futile struggle for success and survival in contemporary life. Both phrases capture a sense of being trapped in a challenging and demanding existence.

Does 'this mortal coil' imply a person is bad?

No, 'this mortal coil' does not imply a person is bad; rather, it refers to the inherent difficulties and imperfections of human existence itself. It's an expression of the universal challenges and sufferings that accompany being alive.

Similar to "this mortal coil"

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Both capture the relentless onslaught of life's difficulties, but 'this mortal coil' feels more like a weary, existential entanglement, while 'slings and arrows' is a more active, almost battlefield-like experience of suffering
The daily grind
Both speak to the burdensome nature of existence, but 'this mortal coil' carries a profound, Shakespearean gravity about the human condition itself, whereas 'the daily grind' is a modern, more workaday complaint about routine drudgery
The vale of tears
Both lament the sorrow inherent in life, but 'this mortal coil' suggests a complex, interwoven struggle, while 'the vale of tears' posits a landscape specifically designed for weeping, a more overtly melancholic and religious perspective

Opposite of "this mortal coil"

The eternal reward
This argues for a life that transcends earthly struggles, suggesting that the point of existence is not to endure the coil, but to strive for a perfect, peaceful afterlife where such troubles have no dominion
The sweet by and by
This offers a hopeful vision of future bliss that makes present suffering seem fleeting and inconsequential, directly challenging the inescapable weight implied by 'this mortal coil' with the promise of eventual ease

Related to "this mortal coil"

To be or not to be
This iconic phrase directly ponders whether to endure 'this mortal coil' or to escape it through death, forming the dramatic question that 'this mortal coil' is the very fabric of
The undiscovered country
This refers, of course, to death, the final escape from 'this mortal coil', and the ultimate unknown that makes the decision Hamlet ponders so fraught with dread
The shadow of death
This phrase looms over thoughts of 'this mortal coil', reminding us that every moment within life's struggles is lived under the ever-present awareness of its eventual, inevitable end