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
Done to death by slanderous tongue
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that the false words of others can lead to someone's downfall or damage their reputation.
In this quote, William Shakespeare addresses the idea that slander and malicious gossip can have devastating effects on a person's life. The phrase 'done to death' indicates that the harm caused by such negative speech can be so severe that it can metaphorically kill a person's character or reputation. This highlights the destructive power of words and the importance of speaking kindly and truthfully about others.
Themes
SlanderReputationWordsGossipCharacter
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the impact of social media, one might say 'As Shakespeare wrote, we risk being 'done to death by slanderous tongue' due to online gossip.
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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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