Quote by William Shakespeare
Either to die the death or to abjureFor ever the society of men.Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires;Know of your youth, examine well your blood,Whether, if you yield not to your father's choice,You can endure the livery of a nun,For aye to be in shady cloister mew'd,To live a barren sister all your life,Chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon.Thrice-blessed they that master so their blood,To undergo such maiden pilgrimage;But earthlier happy is the rose distill'd,Than that which withering on the virgin thornGrows, lives and dies in single blessedness.
Summary
The quote explores the choices and sacrifices one must make in the pursuit of love and independence. The speaker advises Hermia to question her desires and consider whether she can accept a life of isolation and denying her own desires by becoming a nun. While emphasizing the commendable resolve of those who choose celibacy, the speaker suggests that it is more fulfilling to embrace earthly happiness and the potential for love, instead of withering away in a life of chaste solitude.
Topics
Comedy
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