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
I'll break my staff, bury it certain fathoms in the earth, and deeper than did ever plummet sound, I'll drown my book!
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects a deep struggle with the power of knowledge and the decision to abandon it.
In this quote, Shakespeare conveys the profound conflict between the weight of knowledge and the desire to escape from it. The breaking of the staff symbolizes the relinquishment of power, while burying the book indicates a rejection of the wisdom or knowledge it holds, suggesting a sense of despair or a transformational moment where one feels overwhelmed by the weight of their own understanding and chooses to escape from it altogether.
Themes
KnowledgeAbandonmentPowerDespairWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the burden of knowledge, this quote could serve as a poignant reminder of the challenges that come with understanding.
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