Romeo and Juliet may not have been a love story as a whole, given how its tragic ending serves as proof that wild and reckless love can sometimes prove deadly, but that doesn’t make Shakespeare any less of a romantic. A majority of his plays and sonnets gravitated around the concept of love and the English writer had an absolutely dazzling way of transmuting the feeling into his works. Out of the many Shakespeare love quotes that can be extracted from his array of plays and sonnets, there is bound to be at least one that can draw us in and that we can relate to.
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“LOVE LOOKS NOT WITH THE EYES, BUT WITH THE MIND, AND THEREFORE IS WING’D CUPID PAINTED BLIND.” – A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream
Love is blind, right? A line spoken by protagonist Helena in reference to her beloved Demetrius, it thoroughly reflects our willingness to accept our loved ones for their flaws too. There is more to Demetrius than just his looks that she fell in love with and, although he has a multitude of flaws that she acknowledges, she chooses to see beyond them and love him for who is.
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“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”– Romeo and Juliet
The line is voiced by Juliet in Shakespeare’s most famous lyrical tale about the two tragic star-crossed lovers. Through this, she expresses the fact that family names mean nothing, as she loves the person called “Montague” and not the name itself. It’s a pivotal quote in the story, marking the essence of a play which is centered on how bearing the wrong family name ended up dooming the two lovers.
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“SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER’S DAY?
THOU ART MORE LOVELY AND MORE TEMPERATE:
…
SO LONG AS MEN CAN BREATHE OR EYES CAN SEE,
SO LONG LIVES THIS, AND THIS GIVES LIFE TO THEE.” – Sonnet 18
Shakespeare has written many sonnets, all of which are definitely worth extracting some amazing quotes from, but this one perhaps stands out the most. It’s a declaration of love filled with warmth and youthful glee, which brings in talk comparisons to nature. Hope cloaks this line, more specifically the nearly certain hope that love will last as long as “men can breathe or eyes can see,” which essentially means that love is forever.
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“NO SOONER MET BUT THEY LOOKED, NO SOONER LOOKED BUT THEY LOVED, NO SOONER LOVED, BUT THEY SIGHED, NO SOONER SIGHED BUT THEY ASKED ONE ANOTHER THE REASON.” – As You Like It
Love at first sight is a recurring theme in a multitude of plays signed William Shakespeare, as it the case of As You Like It. A play riddled with games about false identities and constant falling in and out of love, it features this line which is spoken by Rosalind, who delineates the marvels of love at first sight.
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“LOVE ALL, TRUST A FEW, DO WRONG TO NONE.” – All’s Well That Ends Well
Words of wisdom are spoken by the Countess as she bids farewell to her son, leaving on his quest to become part of the Parisian royal court. Despite being a very short line, it manages to convey the main guidelines that our lives should follow, elevating love on a pedestal as the most fulfilling feeling to share with the world.
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“SEE, HOW SHE LEANS HER CHEEK UPON HER HAND!
O, THAT I WERE A GLOVE UPON THAT HAND,
THAT I MIGHT TOUCH THAT CHEEK!” – Romeo and Juliet
Romeo’s inner thoughts convey the magnitude of the emotions he harnesses for the beautiful Juliet. Phrased in a way that faithfully represents his longing, he wishes to become part of her life and get in her proximity in any way, even going as far as wishing that he could be a glove that touches her skin.
