Explain SMBC — the wiki for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

The Joke

A character dressed as Hamlet quotes the famous line from Shakespeare's Hamlet: "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." Horatio responds by asking what Hamlet wants him to do -- reject reductionism and leave room for wonder and magic in his description of the universe? Hamlet clarifies: "I'm fairly sure a ghost is telling you to murder people, man." Horatio remains skeptical, and Hamlet shouts "Embrace murder, Horatio!"

The comic takes the famous Shakespeare quote, which is often used in popular culture to argue against scientific reductionism and in favor of mystery, open-mindedness, or even the supernatural, and puts it back in its original context. In the actual play, Hamlet says this line because he has just seen his father's ghost, who is commanding him to commit murder. The quote is not a gentle invitation to philosophical open-mindedness -- it is connected to a ghost demanding violent revenge.

The Humor

The humor comes from the collision between how the quote is commonly used and what it actually means in context. People love to cite "there are more things in heaven and earth" as a poetic defense of wonder, spirituality, or keeping an open mind. But Hamlet's actual point in the play is: "a ghost just told me to kill my uncle, so maybe your skepticism needs work." Horatio's modern, reasonable interpretation -- that Hamlet wants him to embrace wonder -- is hilariously undercut by Hamlet's blunt reminder that a ghost is literally telling them to commit murder. The final panel, "Embrace murder, Horatio!" is the funniest distillation of the actual plot of Hamlet possible.

References

The quote "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy" comes from Act 1, Scene 5 of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. In context, Hamlet has just encountered the ghost of his murdered father, who has commanded him to avenge his death by killing King Claudius. Horatio, the rationalist scholar, is skeptical of the supernatural encounter.