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 am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.(IAGO,ActI,SceneI)
Interpretation
The quote refers to a sexual relationship between two characters, highlighting passion and intimacy.
This quote from Iago in Shakespeare's 'Othello' uses an evocative metaphor to describe the sexual union between Othello and Desdemona. The phrase 'the beast with two backs' suggests a primal, animalistic nature of their relationship, emphasizing both the intimacy and the raw passion involved. Iago's statement serves to manipulate and provoke in the context of the play, showing how relationships can be perceived through various lenses, including jealousy and betrayal.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about the complexities of romantic relationships.
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.
I cannot love thee; thou 'rt worse than thy brother. Go, say thy prayers, child, and ask God's pardon. I doubt thy mother and I must rue that we ever reared thee!
In the end, like so many beautiful promises in our lives, that dinner date never came to be.
Sometimes I say to people, 'Do you think you're easy to live with?' People who are single. And the ones who say, 'Yeah, yeah, I'm pretty easy to live with; it's just a question of finding the right person,' massive alarm bell rings in my mind.
Relationships, not achievements or the acquisition of things, are what matters most in life.
Marriage equality does not diminish the worth of your relationships; it simply recognises the worth of ours.
When I wrote 'Lean In,' some people argue that I did not spend enough time writing about the difficulties women face when they don't have a partner. They were right.
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