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
Madam, you have bereft me of all words, Only my blood speaks to you in my veins.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses deep emotional anguish and a loss for words in the presence of a beloved person.
In this quote, Shakespeare conveys profound feelings of love and longing. The speaker is so overwhelmed by their emotions for the person they are addressing that they feel incapacitated, unable to articulate their thoughts. Instead, their very essence and passion are said to flow through their veins, suggesting that true feelings are often beyond verbal expression, rooted deeply within one's soul.
Themes
LoveEmotionExpressionAnguishWords
In practice
Example use cases
In a romantic speech at a wedding to illustrate the power of love.
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