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
The crown o' the earth doth melt. My lord! O, wither'd is the garland of the war, The soldier's pole is fall'n: young boys and girls Are level now with men; the odds is gone, And there is nothing left remarkable Beneath the visiting moon.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the transient nature of glory and the equality of humanity in the face of overwhelming loss.
In this quote, Shakespeare poignantly describes the devastating effects of war, suggesting that it diminishes all distinctions among people, reducing the once glorious crowns of victory to mere melting wax. The imagery conveys a deep sense of loss and the futility of conflict, as even the valor of soldiers and the innocence of youth are rendered irrelevant in the aftermath of destruction, revealing a profound truth about human existence and the cycle of life under the moon's indifferent gaze.
Themes
WarLossHumanityEqualityTransience
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the consequences of war during a community event.
More from William Shakespeare
All quotes βLove 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
Sitting here with one's knitting, one just sees the facts. -"The Blood-Stained Pavement
Agatha ChristieRead
Love animals: God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled. Do not trouble their joy, don't harrass them, don't deprive them of their happiness, don't work against God's intent. Man, do not pride yourself on superiority to animals; they are without sin, and you, with your greatness, defile the earth by your appearance on it, and leave the traces of your foulness after you - alas, it is true of almost every one of us!
Fyodor DostoevskyRead
Pakistan is not going to be a theocratic State - to be ruled by priests with a divine mission. We have many non-Muslims - Hindus, Christians, and Parsis - but they are all Pakistanis. They will enjoy the same rights and privileges as any other citizens and will play their rightful part in the affairs of Pakistan.
Muhammad Ali JinnahRead
It is labor that has made the world a fit habitation for the human race.
Robert Green IngersollRead
There is superficial conflict but deep concord between science and theistic religion, but superficial concord and deep conflict between science and naturalism
Alvin PlantingaRead
There is a kind of elevation which does not depend on fortune; it is a certain air which distinguishes us, and seems to destine us for great things; it is a price which we imperceptibly set upon ourselves.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead