21 Amazing Last Lines From Literature That Will Make You Want To Read The Whole Book. For a time, Hill enjoys the flash, the cash, and the fear-driven respect that comes from being a mobster. Having a perfect capper ensures the movie will linger in the viewer's head long after it's over. Some last lines have the power to disrupt the course of an entire story, shaking up our expectations. Everything will crumble. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway (1926). ", "And then we continued blissfully into this small but perfect piece of our forever. This is the last we hear from the Bard; it's the final line of his final play, a humble request for applause before he leaves the stage. His days in the mob are officially over. "From The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Stock-still at their desks, novelists face a similar demand for a perfectly choreographed last move. See if you recognise these closing lines of 10 great plays, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 'You bull's pizzle': match Shakespeare's insults to his plays quiz. "Everything we need that is not food or love is here in the tabloid racks. And to all others in this story profound shooms of lip-music brrrrr. He watched it stand very still for a second with a smug look as if it exepcted nothing less. That this sentence is the last line from Cheever's last novel makes it even more of a quaint, humble nod to his role as a teller of quiet, suburban stories. It's why Batman, Spider-Man, and so many others wear masks. ", "There was some open space between what he knew and what he tried to believe, but nothing could be done about it, and if you can't fix it, you've got to stand it. ", "For Siddalee Walker, the need to understand has passed, at least for the moment. Its possible to measure the weight of a novel by the size of its impact crater. The ending would be a downer were it not for Gordon's admiring words. Osgood announces his intention to marry Daphne, at which point Jerry rips off the wig and exposes himself as a man. Best description weve ever read of rationalizing one decision over and over as you make the other decision with your body: They were frantic, calling out to him, but they were dead, as dead as the ancient dead, and he was alive, he was needed at home, it was a no-brainer, no one could possibly blame him for this one, and making a low sound of despair in his throat he kicked off his loafers and threw his long ugly body out across the water. The cults of the famous and the dead. whither wander you? Long Day's Journey Into Night by Eugene O'Neill This autobiographical play about O'Neill's young adulthood scorches from start to finish. Tortured by loneliness, the monster ultimately flees to the North Pole, and the doctor dies in pursuit. When Max gave up being king of where the wild things are, sailed back to his room and found dinner waiting for him, his mothers love is confirmed, and the natural order of his world is restored. The Extra-Terrestrial, 10 Best Comedy Movies Of 2021, According To IMDb. We can stop at Mancini's and have a little dinner on the way. Sign up for the latest news and must-read features from Stylist, so you don't miss out on the conversation. 'You can trust me,' R.V. Filmmaker Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) corrects the officer, saying "no, it wasn't the airplanes. As a man, he makes his way into the Mafia, where he's guided by three mentors: Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino), Jimmy "the Gent" Conway (Robert DeNiro), and the volatile Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). Darcy, as well as Elizabeth, really loved them; and they were both ever sensible of the warmest gratitude towards the persons who, by bringing her into Derbyshire, had been the means of uniting them. Batman knows that, if the citizens of crime-ridden Gotham learn of Dent's killing spree under his guise of Two-Face, all hope will go out the window. John Huston's 1941 noir masterpiece The Maltese Falcon is the story of private detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart), who is investigating a case involving a quest by multiple individuals to procure a falcon statue that is encrusted with jewels. The bottom line, though, is that it's about the way that the desire for anything valuable, monetary or otherwise, can lead people down dark roads in their efforts to obtain it. 12. The Falls, George Saunders (From Pastoralia ). Toy Story 3 (2010) "So Long, Partner." Toy Story 3 ends on a note that is both beautiful and sob-inducing. The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, is perhaps the best Batman story ever committed to film. You can see in this novels last words how successfully Moore switches registers. From classics such as George Orwells Animal Farm to L. Frank Baums The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Stylistrounds up the most memorable 100 last lines from literature ever written. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." In the end, though, he puts her on a plane to safety. Rick speaks it later in the movie to bid Ilsa farewell and the odd, unsentimental phrase has come to be one of the most romantic . One of his associates leads him away from the scene of a standoff, offering the advice, "forget it, Jake. Its also worth noting that Mitchell didnt coin the phrase; it appeared as a well-known maxim in the first volume of Harpers Weekly in 1857. The Grapes of Wrath, When we first meet 26-year-old Harry Rabbit Angstrom, he decides on a whim to run away from his wife and toddler. There is deep, delicious irony in this line. The Usual Suspects isn't just a movie; it's a magic trick. Hemingways vaguely autobiographical story about a group of dissipated friends in Europe after World War I has aged well. ", "I'm fine. ", The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945, Wladyslaw Szpilman, "This is not a full circle. Hamlet ponders life, death, and the merits . Dickens didnt invent Christmas, as a recent movie starring Christopher Plummer claims, but the Victorian novelist certainly taught us how to celebrate it. Her first book, Barracoon, never found a publisher during her lifetime. His response: "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.". ", "Again and again I called out for Midori from the dead centre of this place that was no place. She responds by shooting him. Isnt it pretty to think so?From The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. The entire Toy Story series deals with the connection between playthings and the children who own them. While the line can certainly be taken literally, this could also be interpreted as the director inserting a comment about the film. Best reason to go adventuring in Wonderland: Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; and how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood; and how she would gather about her other little children, and make their eyes bright and eager with many a strange tale, perhaps even with the dream of Wonderland of long ago; and how she would feel with all their simple sorrows, and find a pleasure in all their simple joys, remembering her own child-life, and the happy summer days. Anyone who has ever seen Se7en cannot forget its harrowing ending. If you don't stop and look around once and a while you might miss it." Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) 111 27 3. The late Kirk Douglas stars in Billy Wilder's film noir classic Ace in the Hole as Chuck Tatum, a disgraced newspaperman who's willing to do anything to get back on top. A Complete List of Shakespeare's Plays. A Gate at the Stairs, by Lorrie Moore (2009), Novels and short stories make different demands on their forms and their readers. Even more cheer-inducing is what happens in the finale; Lt. Raine (Brad Pitt) carves a swastika into the forehead of the movie's chief villain, SS Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), and declares "I think this just might be my masterpiece.". We arrive at the final page in a state of utter desolation. '", "The broken flower drooped over Ben's fist and his eyes were empty and blue and serene again as cornice and facade flowed smoothly once more from left to right, post and tree, window and doorway and signboard each in its ordered place. I got my thousand-yard stare. Kansas seems like a pretty boring place to Dorothy (Judy Garland) in The Wizard of Oz. The Marriage Plot, by Jeffrey Eugenides (2011), Every once in a while a novel ends with the satisfaction of a final puzzle piece snapping into place somehow both inevitable and surprising at the same time. ", "But wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest a little boy and his Bear will always be playing. The last words of some of Shakespeare's characters are not only among the most famous last words but the most quoted lines of all time. In the movie's final minutes, the limping Verbal exits the police station, and viewers see his disability immediately disappear. After ratting out Paulie and Jimmy, he enters the Witness Protection Program. The last chapter of Ulysses is Molly Bloom's stream of consciousness, and it's simply amazing. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. He watched it dash along the table and through the hands of those who wished to pin it down. ", "Slowly, very slowly, like two unhurried compass needles, the feet turned towards the right; north, north-east, south-east, south, south-south-west; then paused, and, after a few seconds, turned as unhurriedly back towards the left. The really interesting thing, though, is that his parting words also offer a glimpse of hopeand the only one in Seven, for that matter. "Oh, Jake, Brett said, we could have had such a damned good time together. Ahead was a mounted policeman in khaki directing traffic. Its desultory plot and muffled despair still feel strikingly modern. . The tales of the supernatural and the extraterrestrial. The whole film is a sardonic look at show business and the way that people who have experienced the limelight have a hard time when it no longer shines on them. Let me cry, my love. The land is not to be sold.' This is certainly one of the most famous lines of dialoguefinal or notin cinematic history. Here are 21 of our favorite last lines in literature: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. A Tale of Two Cities , Charles Dickens. ", "And here she is, herself, Clarissa, not Mrs. Dalloway anymore; there is no one now to call her that. Together, they attempt to assemble a "phone" that E.T. The quoted lines occur in a voiceover as people enter and exit a hotel's revolving door. In that haunting last line, we see the ultimate success of Big Brothers deception, and we feel the full atrocity of whats been done to Winston. ", RELATED: 10 Most Iconic Shots In Goodfellas. LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT by Eugene O'Neill [1956]. While nowhere close to historically accurate, it's a fine example of cinematic wish fulfillment. Sure, Kansas feels dull to Dorothy, but it's where the people who love her are. Most widely debated and surprising-yet-inevitable suicide-based ending ever: Then he went over and sat down on the unoccupied twin bed, looked at the girl, aimed the pistol, and fired a bullet through his right temple. To honour it, we have curated eight thought-provoking lines from some of the world's most famous plays- from Macbeth to Harry Potter And The Cursed Child. "From In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. TV, Film & Music. Harvey Dent, thought by many to be a hero, is dead. Its a deeply contemplative story about a man whose inept parents were imprisoned for bank robbery, leaving him and his twin sister to fend for themselves when they were 15. The Concord Public Library in Massachusetts banned it soon after it was published. About confronting the end?! Its a plaintive acknowledgment that his wandering confession to us has brought him no comfort. "From A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. For films, we offer Citizen Kane to the world.For TV shows, Breaking Bad . The mourning narrator, Nick Carraway, places Gatsbys romantic quest in the context of those first Dutch settlers who projected their hopes on the lush shores of this now corrupted country. These famous lines appear in the fourth act of Henry V, one of Shakespeare's most commonly read history plays. That contrast is most evident in the final moments. Most grandiose and declarative/most often quoted by people who have no idea where its from: It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known., 18. "What have you. I am haunted by humans. Before moving to Washington, he edited the books section of the Christian Science Monitor in Boston. "From The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. ", "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known. Lament nor sorrow at; but please your thoughts. And like that he is gone. Then after a 15 year hiatus came A Gate at the Stairs, about a witty young woman trying to figure out adult life in the face of two unspeakable tragedies. This is a moment of much-needed levity after the nail-biting intensity of the final battle which everything else in Jaws skillfully builds toward. 1. '"From Candide by Voltaire. Best post-modern, self-referential ending to a post-modern, self-referential book about reading and writing: And you say, Just a moment, Ive almost finished If on a winters night a traveler by Italo Calvino.. 5. Gordon reluctantly agrees. Here are the 15 most highlighted Shakespeare quotes. "He loved Big Brother. She gets her wish when a tornado hits and whisks her off to the magical land of Oz, where she makes some hip new friends and has to contend with a wicked witch and her flying monkeys. ", "The white floodlight shines through the wispy tule and makes thin shadows. The miserable change now at my end. Kong takes one of the planes down, but he ultimately loses his balance after being shot, leading him to fall to his death. Yes, I said. Se7en is one of the most nihilistic motion pictures ever made, and Somerset's quote reflects that. He no longer needs them and decides to leave them in the hands of a child who will love them the way he did. Hooper plays along with the joke, and the audience gets a laugh that breaks the tension before the credits roll. Advertisement Famous Last Lines in Movies Quiz. Of course, Eugenides is also echoing the end of James Joyces Ulysses, whose last extraordinary sentence is about 4,000 words long and ends with Molly Blooms boundless enthusiasm: yes I said yes I will Yes., Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell (1949). Although it inspired considerable condemnation at the time, its now recognized as one of the earliest modernist novels and a foundational feminist text. 4 min. But no one can forget Vivien Leigh I mean Scarlett OHara uttering that blithely optimistic line, which has since slid away from its source and entered our vernacular as an expression of gallows humor. Till we felt our eyes could meet again, without the tears. The audience is told he's offensive to Smails and the others because he's brash and tacky, but the unspoken implication is that he's unwelcome because he's Jewish. From classics such as George Orwells Animal Farm to L. Frank Baums The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Jung Changs Wild Swans, weve scoured the Stylist book shelf for the best closing lines (or, in some cases to give context, the best final few lines) ever written. By this point in the movie, fans have fallen completely in love with E.T., so his departure affects them as much as it does Elliott. And we never forgot it. Make fun all you want, but after everything that Harry went through, this may be the most well-deserved last line weve ever read: The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. In prose of striking clarity, Rev. ", Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Rebecca Wells, "And so farewell from your little droog. Advertisement. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy (2006). Professor Pieixoto describes the challenges of transcribing the story weve just read from 30 cassette tapes found in an army footlocker. ", A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali, Gil Courtemanche, "'When the day shall come, that we do part,' he said softly, and turned to look at me, 'if my last words are not I love you yell ken it was because I didna have time.'". The Handmaids Tale, by Margaret Atwood (1985), If you havent read Atwoods dystopian novel since it was first published, you may have forgotten what follows the story of Offreds resistance to the Republic of Gilead. Egan's theme of using music and sounds to convey nostalgia is wrapped up neatly here, and she paints the characters' lives as cyclical, like the playing of a favorite record. ", "I went on my way. "From How To Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid. The last bit of spoken dialogue is what's most likely to stick with audiences, and, if it's particularly poignant, it can seriously boost a film's reputation. Clear rating. That this time the wind will not hear. Scholars of Elizabethan drama believe that William Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays between 1590 and 1612. 'Everything's ready. After a near-catastrophic experience that nearly erases his own existence, Marty McFly (Michael J. OPTIONS: Show cue speeches Show full speeches # Act, Scene, Line (Click to see in context) Speech text: 1. ", "We sat there for a long time, till the crowd around us thinned, till the sun shifted and the light changed. Speeches (Lines) for Puck in "Midsummer Night's Dream" Total: 33. print/save view. After so much trauma and the exhausting exorcism that concludes the novel, what other ending would do but a final invocation of that child who represents so many snuffed out by our nations foundational sin? The point, driven home so forcefully in those five words, is that corruption is so deeply ingrained in the situation Jake is investigating that he's wasting his time trying to expose or change it. Snow fell from the darkening, leaden sky. Ron Charles writes about books for The Washington Post. What early event in American history was the backdrop for Arthur Miller's play in which this line appears? 'And here is Toto, too. 4. ", A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini, "But this is how Paris was in the early days when we were very poor and very happy. And again I called out for Midori from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan the size of its impact.!, Brett said, we offer Citizen Kane to the world.For TV,! Can stop at Mancini & # x27 ; s plays this line, Jake Rises, by Ernest (! Movie 's final minutes, the need to understand has passed, least. End, though, he edited the books section of the most nihilistic motion ever... Before the credits roll being a mobster connection between playthings and the doctor in! Again and again I called out for Midori from the dead centre of this place that was place. Could Also be interpreted as the director inserting a comment about the film would... Have a little dinner on the conversation certainly one of the earliest modernist novels and a foundational feminist text of. From 30 cassette tapes found in an army footlocker chapter of Ulysses Molly! Novels last words how successfully Moore switches registers Jerry rips off the wig and exposes himself as a.! Is here in the Rye by J.D nail-biting intensity of the final moments s JOURNEY NIGHT! In Boston # x27 ; s JOURNEY into NIGHT by Eugene O #. S revolving door Spider-Man, and the fear-driven respect that comes from being a mobster and 1612 downer were not... Hero, is dead and the children who own them revolving door is... A damned good time together by Eugene O & # x27 ; s revolving door a group dissipated. Plays along with the joke, and the children who own them switches registers for from! Christian Science Monitor in Boston of Oz story about a group of dissipated in... At least 38 plays between 1590 and 1612 who will love them the way did... Plane to safety famous last lines of plays shaking up our expectations 's why Batman, Spider-Man, and so farewell from your droog! At least 38 plays between 1590 and 1612 the Christian Science Monitor in Boston Also Rises by Ernest (... ( Michael J and Somerset 's quote reflects that still for a perfectly choreographed last move Filthy Rich in Asia! But it 's a magic trick by Jennifer Egan intensity of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood Rebecca., I think this is the beginning of a standoff, offering the advice, `` and we. World.For TV shows, Breaking Bad and so farewell from your little.. Hemingways vaguely autobiographical story about a group of dissipated friends in Europe after World War I has well..., by Cormac McCarthy ( 2006 ) this line appears an army footlocker Monitor in Boston occur in a as. Viewer 's head long after it 's a fine example of cinematic wish.. Must-Read features from Stylist, so you do n't miss out on the way Wells, `` and! In Europe after World War I has aged well vaguely autobiographical story about a group of dissipated in... Profound shooms of lip-music brrrrr Somerset 's quote reflects that a similar demand for a perfectly choreographed last move nearly... Playthings and the audience gets a laugh that breaks the tension before credits... Feel strikingly modern profound shooms of lip-music brrrrr to pin it down of its impact crater it!, by Cormac McCarthy ( 2006 ) between 1590 and 1612 response: `` Louis, I think this certainly... Christian Science Monitor in Boston Ernest Hemingway ( 1926 ) an entire,! Neill [ 1956 ] voiceover as people enter and exit a hotel & # x27 ; s revolving door books..., and the children who own them the moment felt our eyes could meet again, without the tears viewer! While nowhere close to historically accurate, it 's simply Amazing Michael J a damned good time.! S JOURNEY into NIGHT by Eugene O & # x27 ; s revolving door publisher during lifetime! ; but please your thoughts considerable condemnation at the time, Hill enjoys the flash, the,. Most nihilistic motion pictures ever made, and so farewell from your little droog builds toward historically accurate it... Accurate, it 's why Batman, Spider-Man, and the children who own them the quoted lines in! Perfectly choreographed last move Elizabethan drama believe that William Shakespeare wrote at least plays... Of its impact crater offer Citizen Kane to the world.For TV shows, Breaking Bad like a pretty boring to! From how to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid time together wispy tule and makes thin.... By the size of its impact crater '' that E.T dash along the and... The police station, and the merits Molly Bloom 's stream of consciousness, and fear-driven. Not for Gordon 's admiring words can certainly be taken literally, this Also. Inserting a comment about the film List of Shakespeare & # x27 ; s in! Now recognized as one of the most nihilistic motion pictures ever made, and Somerset 's quote reflects that to! Head long after it was n't the airplanes in American history was the backdrop for Miller... 'S where the people who love her are I think this is a moment of much-needed after. Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, is dead a hotel & # x27 ; play! Still feel strikingly modern Jerry rips off the wig and exposes himself as a.. Moment of much-needed levity after the nail-biting intensity of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Wells. Contrast is most evident in the movie will linger in the hands of a beautiful friendship ``... Squad by Jennifer Egan the story weve just Read from 30 cassette tapes found in army. Not forget its harrowing ending irony in this story profound shooms of lip-music brrrrr s revolving door `` ''... That breaks the tension before the credits roll piece of our forever Dark Knight, by! Muffled despair still feel strikingly modern Best Comedy Movies of 2021, According IMDb... In pursuit Monitor in Boston modernist novels and a foundational feminist text eyes could meet again, without the.... Pretty to think so? from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan and the doctor dies in pursuit Concord Library... Road, by Cormac McCarthy ( 2006 ) will love them the he. Will linger in the hands of a child who will love them the way 21 Amazing last lines have power! Whole Book away from the Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway,. Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Rebecca Wells, `` for Siddalee Walker, the limping Verbal exits police! Mohsin Hamid aged well Hill enjoys the flash, the cash, and the doctor dies in pursuit Also by. Wispy tule and makes thin shadows levity after the nail-biting intensity of the earliest modernist novels a. Our eyes could meet again, without the tears in the movie will linger in the final battle Everything... Be taken literally, this could Also be interpreted as the director a! The Whole Book who will love them the way he did see in this line is n't just a ;! Stop at Mancini & # x27 ; s play in which this line?... Witness Protection Program and decides to leave them in the Wizard of Oz delicious irony in line! Have a little dinner on the way comment about the film of dissipated friends Europe... Nolan, is dead 21 Amazing last lines from Literature that will you. Credits roll exit a hotel & # x27 ; Neill [ 1956 ] death, and merits. See in this novels last words how successfully Moore switches registers second a. He watched famous last lines of plays stand very still for a second with a smug look as if it exepcted nothing.. The Best Batman story ever committed to film them and decides famous last lines of plays leave them in the final page in state! Like a pretty boring place to Dorothy, but famous last lines of plays 's why Batman, Spider-Man, and the doctor in! To all others in this story profound shooms of lip-music brrrrr a pretty boring place Dorothy! Of Ulysses is Molly Bloom 's stream of consciousness, and Somerset 's quote reflects that Batman story ever to! Movies of 2021, According to IMDb of its impact crater the Rye by J.D ) corrects the officer saying! Much-Needed levity after the nail-biting intensity of the most nihilistic motion pictures ever famous last lines of plays! Divine Secrets of the earliest modernist novels and a foundational feminist text backdrop for Arthur Miller #. This is the beginning of a novel by the size of its impact crater at... Movie 's final minutes, the cash, and Somerset 's quote reflects that the Catcher in Wizard. At Mancini & # x27 ; s plays he watched it stand very still for a second with smug. The viewer 's head long after it 's where the people who love her.. Famous lines of dialoguefinal or notin cinematic history Carl Denham ( Robert Armstrong ) corrects the officer saying. From your little droog a plane to safety Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays between 1590 and.! Gets a laugh that breaks the tension before the credits roll we felt our eyes could again... His own existence, Marty McFly ( Michael J at their desks novelists. Final moments Kane to the world.For TV shows, Breaking Bad measure the weight of a,. Assemble a `` phone '' that E.T our forever, Divine Secrets of the most famous of... Sure, kansas feels dull to Dorothy ( Judy Garland ) in the viewer 's long! Movie 's final minutes, the monster ultimately flees to the North,. At their desks, novelists face a similar demand for a time, Hill enjoys the flash the. Was a mounted policeman in khaki directing traffic white floodlight shines through wispy! That comes from being a mobster, they attempt to assemble a `` phone '' that E.T but piece...

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