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
Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a call to unleash chaos and violence in times of conflict.
In this powerful phrase, Shakespeare suggests that once war is declared, all constraints are lifted, allowing the chaos and brutality of war to take over. It reflects the inevitability and uncontrollable nature of conflict when it is provoked, invoking both the literal and metaphorical meaning of unleashing 'dogs of war' to signify the destructive forces that come with warfare.
Themes
WarChaosConflictDestructionViolence
In practice
Example use cases
During a military strategy meeting, one might reference this quote to emphasize the consequences of declaring war.
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