In the play "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare, Hamlet tells Horatio "There's a divinity that shapes our ends/ Rough hew them how we will" in Act V Scene two. ... Hamlet then tells his close friend that there was a conflict in his mind. It was so intense that he couldn't sleep; it made him feel as if he was a prisoner.

This direct quote is where Hamlet is acknowledging that there are many things out of his control, and that in the end it is God that will determine our destinies. In other words, it is Hamlet's belief that no matter how badly we mess up in life, God is there to place us back on the right path.

This quote in "Hamlet" has since come to serve many purposes to many different people after Shakespeare first wrote it sometime between 1599 and 1602, according to historians during and after the 17th century.

More Info: litofwar.wordpress.com