A statement that seems to contradict itself or common sense, but which, once thought through, reveals a truth.
In Hamlet
The body is with the King, but the King is not with the body.
The sentence sounds contradictory, since the body would be “with the king” without the king being “with the body.” The contradiction is only undone if “king” and “body” have different meanings, and Hamlet leaves that open.
Act IV: Exile, madness, and the trap, Hamlet, to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern