the lady doth protest too much

== English == === Alternative forms === the lady doth protest too much, methinks methinks the lady doth protest too much methinks thou dost protest too much === Etymology === An allusion to Shakespeare's Hamlet, where the line is spoken by Queen Gertrude, Hamlet's mother. In the play, "protest" is used to mean "insist that what one is saying is true" (in this case, the Player Queen's protestations of love), not "insist that what another is saying is false." === Phrase === the lady doth protest too much It is suspected that, because someone is insisting too much about something, the opposite of what they're saying must be true. ==== Derived terms ==== protest too much ==== Translations ==== === See also === a hit dog will holler the lady doth protest too much on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Excusatio non petita, accusatio manifesta on Wikipedia.Wikipedia === References === === Further reading === the lady doth protest too much on Wikipedia.Wikipedia