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
An angel; or, if not,_x000D_ _x000D_ An earthly paragon.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that a person can either be angelic or exceptionally wonderful in a mortal sense.
In this quote, Shakespeare conveys the idea that individuals can possess either divine qualities or extraordinary human virtues. It emphasizes the notion of beauty and perfection, suggesting that someone can be viewed as angelic due to their virtues or as a paragon—a model of ideal traits—due to their remarkable human qualities.
Themes
AngelParagonBeautyVirtueLove
In practice
Example use cases
When giving a speech about the impact of love, one might quote this to illustrate the extraordinary qualities found in beloved individuals.
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My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet.
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We lie in each other's arms eyes shut and fingers open and all the colors of the world pass through our bodies like strings of fire.
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