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
Benvolio: What sadness lengthens Romeo's hours? Romeo: Not having that, which, having, makes them short.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Romeo laments that the absence of his love makes time feel longer.
In this exchange from Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', Romeo expresses his profound sorrow over the absence of his beloved, Juliet. He suggests that love has the power to make time fly, and thus, the lack of love turns moments into an agonizingly extended experience filled with longing.
Themes
LoveTimeLongingSadnessAbsence
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the effects of unrequited love.
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