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
Vile worm, thou wast o'erlook'd even in thy birth.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects a disdain for someone perceived as worthless or insignificant from the outset.
In this quote, Shakespeare expresses a strong contempt for an individual, suggesting that their very existence was a mistake, as they were considered insignificant even at the moment of their birth. This evokes themes of societal hierarchies and the worth assigned to individuals based on perceptions of value and importance.
Themes
WorthlessnessContemptInsignificanceValueBirth
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about character development in literature, one might use this quote to illustrate a character's feelings of worthlessness.
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