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
Why then, O brawling love! O loving hate! O any thing, of nothing first create! O heavy lightness, serious vanity, Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms, Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health, Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is! This love feel I, that feel no love in this.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses the paradoxes and contradictions inherent in love.
In this quote, Shakespeare highlights the complex and often contradictory nature of love through a series of paradoxes. The imagery of 'brawling love' and 'loving hate' illustrates how love can evoke intense emotions that seem at odds with each other, reflecting the turmoil one can feel when in love. The speaker confesses to experiencing these conflicting feelings, conveying a sense of confusion and dissatisfaction in their pursuit of love, which adds depth to the exploration of romantic emotions.
Themes
LoveParadoxEmotionConflictHeartache
In practice
Example use cases
In a romantic movie scene discussing the complexities of relationships.
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