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He that hangs himself is a virgin: virginity murders…

“He that hangs himself is a virgin: virginity murders itself, and should be buried in highways, out of all sanctified limit, as a desperate offendress against nature. Virginity breeds mites, much like a cheese, consumes itself to the very paring, and so dies with feeding his own stomach. Besides…” quote by William Shakespeare
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““He that hangs himself is a virgin: virginity murders itself, and should be buried in highways, out of all sanctified limit, as a desperate offendress against nature. Virginity breeds mites, much like a cheese, consumes itself to the very paring, and so dies with feeding his own stomach. Besides, virginity is peevish, proud, idle, made of self-love, which is the most inhibited sin in the canon. Keep it not; you cannot choose but lose by’t! Out with’t! within the year it will make itself two, which is a goodly increase, and the principal itself not much the worse. Away with ’t!””

William Shakespeare

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The passage satirically condemns virginity as a self‑destructive, prideful state that ultimately leads to decay and loss.

In simple terms: Virginity is portrayed as a harmful pride.

Key Takeaway

Question societal norms about purity.

Themes

sexuality pride self‑destruction

Mood

critical provocative

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • relationship counseling
  • sexual education
  • personal empowerment
  • cultural analysis

Key Concepts

feminist critique moral philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does this critique reveal about historical attitudes toward sexuality?
  • How can modern perspectives reinterpret these ideas?
A Different Perspective

The extreme language may alienate readers and oversimplify complex identities.

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