Quote by William Shakespeare

To die, is to be banish'd from myself; And Silvia is myself: banish'd from her, Is self from self: a deadly banishment! What light is light, if Silvia be not seen? What joy is joy, if Silvia be not by? Unless it be to think that she is by, And feed upon the shadow of perfection.Except I be by Silvia in the night, There is no music in the nightingale; Unless I look on Silvia in the day, There is no day for me to look upon; She is my essence, and I leave to be, If I be not by her fair influence Foster'd, illumin'd, cherish'd, kept alive.


To die, is to be banish'd from myself; And Silvia is myself:

Summary

This quote, spoken by the lovestruck character Valentine in Shakespeare's "Two Gentlemen of Verona," conveys the intense devotion and dependency he feels towards Silvia. Valentine believes that without Silvia's presence in his life, he would essentially cease to exist, as his world would lose all meaning and beauty. He equates her absence with exile and describes it as a lethal and profound separation from his true self. To him, Silvia is the very source of his happiness, inspiration, and purpose, and without her, everything else loses its allure and significance.

By William Shakespeare
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