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
Oh, thou did'st then ne'er love so heartily. If thou rememb'rest not the slightest folly That ever love did make thee run inot, Thou has not loved. Of if thou has't not sat as I do now, Wearying they hearer in thy mistress's praise, Thou has not loved. Of if thou hast not broke from company Abruptly, as my passion now makes me, Thou has not loved. (Silvius)
Interpretation
Love is characterized by deep feelings, often leading to various emotional and irrational behaviors.
In this quote, Silvius expresses that true love encompasses a spectrum of passionate behaviors and experiences, suggesting that if one has not experienced folly, obsessive praise, and emotional turmoil for their beloved, they have not truly loved. Shakespeare highlights the irrational yet powerful nature of love, implying that these intense feelings are essential markers of genuine affection.
In practice
This quote could be shared during a wedding ceremony to illustrate the depth of true love.
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.
Love is a religion, and its rituals cost more than those of other religions. It goes by quickly and, like a street urchin, it likes to mark its passage by a trail of devastation.
To love is human. To feel pain is human. Yet to still love despite the pain is pure angel.
Dull sublunary lovers' love (Whose soul is sense) cannot admit Absence, because it doth remove Those things which elemented it.
When we come to the last moment of this lifetime and we look back across it, the only thing that's going to matter is 'What is the quality of our love?'
Love is taking a few steps backward, maybe even more ... to give way to the happiness of the person you love.
Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses.
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