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
When he shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night And pay no worship to the garish sun.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses the idea that true beauty and love can transcend death and illuminate the world.
In this quote, Shakespeare illustrates the profound impact of a beloved person on the world, suggesting that their essence can elevate the beauty of the night sky. By imagining that the deceased can be transformed into stars, the quote conveys how love and admiration can turn sorrow into something serene and enchanting, making the night more desirable than the bright but harsh sun.
Themes
LoveBeautyNightStarsDeath
In practice
Example use cases
In a eulogy, reflecting on the impact of a loved one who has passed away.
More from William Shakespeare
All quotes →Love bears it out even to the edge of doom.
William ShakespeareRead
Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people.
William ShakespeareRead
Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear.
William ShakespeareRead
Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
William ShakespeareRead
Give it an understanding, but no tongue.
William ShakespeareRead
Similar quotes
I am, as ever, a poor sinner, a captive of eternal love, running by the side of His triumphal chariot, and I have no desire to be anything else as long as I live.
Nicolaus ZinzendorfRead
Spice a dish with love and it pleases every palate.
PlautusRead
What I noticed, though, is almost every time I type the word love, it gets changed to the word live… I learned that fully loving and fully living are not only synonymous but the kind of life that Jesus invited us to be part of.
Bob GoffRead
Thus with my lips have I denounced you, while my heart, bleeding within me, called you tender names. It was love lashed by its own self that spoke. It was pride half slain that fluttered in the dust. It was my hunger for your love that raged from the housetop, while my own love, kneeling in silence, prayed your forgiveness.
Khalil GibranRead
I love you as one loves certain dark things.
Pablo NerudaRead
She had an overwhelming desire to tell him, like the most banal of women. Don't let me go, hold me tight, make me your plaything, your slave, be strong! But they were words she could not say. The only thing she said when he released her from his embrace was, "You don't know how happy I am to be with you." That was the most her reserved nature allowed her to express.
Milan KunderaRead