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 dreamt my lady came and found me dead . . . . . . . . . . . . And breathed such life with kisses in my lips That I revived and was an emperor.
Interpretation
The quote expresses the transformative power of love and dreams.
In this quote, Shakespeare illustrates how the presence and affection of a beloved can rejuvenate the soul and provides a sense of empowerment. The dream metaphor represents the deep emotional impact love can have, leading to a revival of spirit and a feeling of greatness.
In practice
During a wedding toast, to illustrate the transformative power of love.
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).
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.
As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.
Love is a lot like a backache. It doesn't show up on x-rays, but you know it's there.
But if I lost you, it would devastate me as nothing else has or ever could. You have so much power over me and that’s frightening.
Love is acceptance. When you love someone . . . you take them into your heart, and that is surely why it hurts so much when we lose someone we love, because we lose a part of ourselves.
I am bewildered by the death of love. And my responsibility for it.
Your ordinary acts of love and hope point to the extraordinary promise that every human life is of inestimable value.
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