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
LEONATO Well, niece, I hope to see you one day fitted with a husband. BEATRICE Not till God make men of some other metal than earth. Would it not grieve a woman to be overmastered with a pierce of valiant dust? to make an account of her life to a clod of wayward marl? No, uncle, I'll none: Adam's sons are my brethren; and, truly, I hold it a sin to match in my kindred.
Interpretation
Beatrice expresses her disdain for marrying men who are flawed and earthly, suggesting that true compatibility is rare.
In this quote from Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing', Beatrice articulates her reluctance to marry, criticizing the nature of men as being made from 'earth' and not worthy of her affection. She implies that to submit to a man is to be 'overmastered' by something inferior, as she values individuality and strength over societal expectations of marriage, viewing her male counterparts as flawed and unworthy of a union with her.
In practice
This quote can be shared during a discussion on modern relationships and the importance of mutual respect.
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.
If you are open with someone, he will be open with you. If you want love from someone, give your love to him. If you want kind and sympathetic behavior from someone, be kind and sympathetic to him.
If you're a Muslim and you love America and freedom and you hate terror, stay here and help us win and make a future together. We want you.
Invest in great relationships, they will pay a lifetime of dividends.
There's already a marriage clock, a career clock, a biological clock. Sometimes being a woman feels like standing in the lobby of a hotel, looking at the dials depicting every time zone in the world behind the front desk - except they all apply to you, and all at once.
She did not suddenly start being disagreeable this afternoon, she was so good at it, she had evidently practised whatever are the scales and arpeggios of rudeness every day of her life.
In general she had found that the main drawback in being a man was that conversations were less interesting.
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