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I read a book titled 'An Isolated Incident' written by Susan R. Sloan. In chapter one of the book, she quotes

Murder, though it have no tongue, will speak.

How can this be interpreted in simple English?

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  • Murder will speak although it does not have a tongue. That's a literal paraphrase. What it means for "murder" to "speak" gets into literary interpretation, which is not on-topic here.
    – TimR
    Commented May 13, 2018 at 14:13

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It is a quote from Hamlet Act 2, if memory serves.

For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak.

Hamlet here is expressing his strong emotions and is determined to get to the bottom of the death of his father. He is saying murder is such a heinous act that it speaks for itself. In other words, its evilness is so self-evident.

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    Right, murder is anthropomorphized.
    – Lambie
    Commented May 13, 2018 at 14:38
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Although a murder victim is dead and cannot speak, the crime will leave clues that will "speak" metaphorically to investigators.

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