Royal cypher Royal cypher In modern heraldry, a royal cypher is a monogram-like device of a country's reigning sovereign, typically consisting of the initials of the monarch's name and title, sometimes interwoven and often surmounted by a crown. Where such a cypher is used by an emperor or empress, it is called an "imperial cypher". In the system used by various Commonwealth realms, the title is abbreviated as "R" for "rex" or "regina" (Latin for "king" and "queen"). Previously, "I" stood for "imperator" or "imperatrix" (Latin words for "emperor" and "empress") of India. The cypher is displayed on some government buildings, impressed
What a piece of work is a man lines written by Montaigne: However, rather than being a direct influence on Shakespeare, Montaigne may have merely been reacting to the same general atmosphere of the time, making the source of these lines one of context rather than direct influence. What a piece of work is a man "What a piece of work is man!" is a phrase within a soliloquy by Prince Hamlet in William Shakespeare's play of the same name. Hamlet is reflecting, at first admiringly, and then despairingly, on the human condition. The soliloquy, spoken in the play by Prince Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Act