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A Brief Analysis of the “Alas! Poor Papyrus!” Line and Why It Hurts Me

We’ve all got a favorite quote from Undertale. It’s hard not to, with how good the writing and story telling is. I can still quote many lines from memory.

However, one line in particular often goes over looked. It’s not all that surprising, as it really doesn’t seem like to much on the surface. Just three lines of amusing filler before the real shit hits the fans. I think it’s more than that.

In a Neutral route, Papyrus will say two things upon his death. Firstly, when in the initial decapitation he will say “Alas! Poor Papyrus!” while still holding his head. Next, he will declare “Well, at least I still have my head!” before finally dying.

The last quotation is going to need an analysis of its own, so we’re just gonna focus on the first one for right now.

(Screenshot credit to Fallen Rub from SomethingAwful forums)

So! First off, that’s a pretty weird thing to say. Imagine your head just for socked off my a homicidal seven year old with a god complex. Would your reaction be to smile- because he is smiling- and say something odd like that? What does that even mean?

It’s Shakespeare.

He’s reciting a line from Hamlet. To be specific, line from Act 5, Scene 1 of the play. The title character is given the skull of the old Court Jester, Yorik. Hamlet proceeds to lament to the skull, discussing the fond memories he has with it, as if it were still alive. He contemplates the nature of death and memory, declaring “Alas! Poor Yorik! I knew him, Horatio. A fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy....” (Hamlet, Act-V, Scene-I, Lines 160-162).

(Hamlet Pictured here is David Tennant)

Interestingly, Papyrus is not putting himself in the place of Hamlet. He isn’t just declaring his mortality, he’s also calling himself a fool. Yorik as a character is characterized as a comic relief. He is a fool, a clown. Someone to be jeered and laughed at. Even in his death, he is called nothing more.

This may allude to Papyrus’s view on himself. Under all of his confidence and flamboyant personality, the guy clearly has some insecurities. He’s well aware that not a ton of people like him, or even notice he’s there. That’s got to wear away at someone after a while.

It’s a bit of a stretch, but I think it’s interesting none the less.