Phrase Finder

Meaning

Though this be madness, yet there is method in it

Categorised in: 135 Phrases coined by William Shakespeare

What's the meaning of the phrase 'Though this be madness, yet there is method in it'?

Methos in one's madness suggests reason behind apparent folly or disorder.

To sleep: perchance to dream: ay
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay - caption

What’s the origin of the phrase ‘Though this be madness, yet there is method in it’?

This line derives from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, 1602:

LORD POLONIUS [Aside]:
Though this be madness, yet there is method in ‘t. Will you walk out of the air, my lord?

The colloquial version is ‘there’s method in his madness’.