As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends, / I must not look to have; but, in their stead, / Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath, / Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not" (5.3.25-28).
William ShakespeareRead
An angel; or, if not,_x000D_ _x000D_ An earthly paragon.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that a person can either be angelic or exceptionally wonderful in a mortal sense.
In this quote, Shakespeare conveys the idea that individuals can possess either divine qualities or extraordinary human virtues. It emphasizes the notion of beauty and perfection, suggesting that someone can be viewed as angelic due to their virtues or as a paragon—a model of ideal traits—due to their remarkable human qualities.
Themes
AngelParagonBeautyVirtueLove
In practice
Example use cases
When giving a speech about the impact of love, one might quote this to illustrate the extraordinary qualities found in beloved individuals.
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All quotes →Love bears it out even to the edge of doom.
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Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear.
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Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
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Give it an understanding, but no tongue.
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