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).
It provokes the desire but it takes away the performance. Therefore much drink may be said to be an equivocator with lechery: it makes him and it mars him; it sets him on and it takes him off.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the paradox of indulgence, where excessive drinking can stimulate desire yet hinder one's ability to act on it.
In this quote from Shakespeare, the author reflects on the contradictory nature of alcohol and its effects on human behavior. While drinking may incite passion or desire, it simultaneously diminishes one's capacity to effectively pursue those desires. This duality emphasizes the struggle between temptation and the ability to act upon one's wishes, suggesting that self-indulgence is often a double-edged sword that enhances certain experiences while undermining others.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during discussions about the effects of alcohol on relationships.
More from William Shakespeare
All quotes →Love bears it out even to the edge of doom.
Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people.
Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear.
Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
Give it an understanding, but no tongue.
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