Quote by William Shakespeare

As an unperfect actor upon the stageWho with much fear is put besides his partOr some fierce thing, replete with too much rageWhose strengths abundance weakens his own heartSo I, for fear of trust, forget to sayThe perfect ceremony of love's riteAnd in mine own love's strength seem to decayO'ercharged with burthen of my own love's mighto, let my books be then the eloquenceAnd dumb presagers of my speaking breastWho plead for love, and look for recompenseMore than that tongue that more hath express'd.O, learn to read what silent love hath writTo hear with eyes belongs to love's fine wit.

As an unperfect actor upon the stageWho with much fear is pu

Summary

The speaker compares themselves to an actor who is unprepared and filled with fear, or to someone who harbors too much anger to the point of weakening their own heart. They express fear of trusting, which causes them to forget how to perform the perfect gestures of love and, in turn, diminishes their own strength. To compensate, the speaker relies on their books as their eloquent voice and silent signals of their innermost feelings. They argue that their books advocate for love more passionately and seek greater recompense than their own spoken words. The reader is encouraged to learn to decipher the words of silent and hidden love, as true understanding of love requires a perceptive eye.

Topics

Shakespeare Sonnet Unperfect Actor

By William Shakespeare

Liked the quote? Share it with your friends.

Random Quotations

Always think of what is useful and not what is beautiful. Be

Always think of what is useful and not what is beautiful. Beauty will come of its own accord.

Beauty

How do you know if your mission in life is finished? If you'

How do you know if your mission in life is finished? If you're still alive, it isn't.

Duty

People never improve unless they look to some standard or ex

People never improve unless they look to some standard or example higher or better than themselves.

Progress

No People can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisibl

No People can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the Affairs of men more than the People of the United States. Every step, by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation, seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency.

George Washington

But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your

But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door. It desires to have you, but you must master it. Genesis 4:7

Sin

I have a grandson who is 20. He's a computer guy. I'm worrie

I have a grandson who is 20. He's a computer guy. I'm worried that he can't communicate without his machine. They have no personal contact with people. That's the bad part of technology.

Technology

Originality is the fine art of remembering what you hear but

Originality is the fine art of remembering what you hear but forgetting where you heard it.

Laurence J. Peter

Innovation

I look at the car park and myself and Dave Watson come in wi

I look at the car park and myself and Dave Watson come in with our old cars, and these young lads come in with their new Porches. I think that society has changed, there seems to be a lack of respect nowadays.

Car

He who desires, but acts not, breeds pestilence.

He who desires, but acts not, breeds pestilence.

Everywhere is the tabooed, or the disregarded. The monks of

Everywhere is the tabooed, or the disregarded. The monks of science dwell in smuggeries that are walled away from event-jungles. Or some of them do. Nowadays a good many of them are going native.

Science

To string incongruities and absurdities together in a wander

To string incongruities and absurdities together in a wandering and sometimes purposeless way, and seem innocently unaware that they are absurdities, is the basis of the American art, if my position is correct.

Art

One of my grandfathers, actually, having gone out there as a

One of my grandfathers, actually, having gone out there as a minister, decided he would better serve the people as a doctor. So at a very late age - at the age of 38 in fact - he changed course and decided to become a doctor.

Age