Summary
This quote, from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, reflects the idea that it is entertaining when someone's own plans or actions backfire on them. The phrase "hoist with his own petard" refers to experiencing the consequences of one's own traps or schemes. It implies that it is amusing to witness someone's downfall when they are caught in their own designed predicament. Shakespeare suggests that there is a certain satisfaction or enjoyment in seeing an engineer, metaphorical or literal, become a victim of their own creations.