--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Shakespeare’s felicity is so often taught…" description: "\"“Shakespeare’s felicity is so often taught it is easy to overlook how taut the sinews in his neck must have been when he grasped his pen, or the musk t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b5/bj-ward-42254_american_shakespeare-s-felicity-is-so-often-taugh_1569334.jpg" --- # Shakespeare’s felicity is so often taught it is easy to… ![“Shakespeare’s felicity is so often taught it is easy to overlook how taut the sinews in his neck must have been when he grasped his pen, or the musk that exuded from the fat of his chin below a somewhat chthonic grin— life wrestled death on his desk when he composed.” quote by BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b5/bj-ward-42254_american_shakespeare-s-felicity-is-so-often-taugh_1569334.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b5/bj-ward-42254_american_shakespeare-s-felicity-is-so-often-taugh_1569334.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b5/bj-ward-42254_american_shakespeare-s-felicity-is-so-often-taugh_1569334.jpg) > ““Shakespeare’s felicity is so often taught it is easy to overlook how taut the sinews in his neck must have been when he grasped his pen, or the musk that exuded from the fat of his chin below a somewhat chthonic grin— life wrestled death on his desk when he composed.”” [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights the intense physical and emotional strain Shakespeare endured while writing, suggesting his creative process was a battle between life and death. **In simple terms:** Shakespeare worked hard, almost dying, to write. Key Takeaway Recognize the sacrifice behind great art. Themes creativity struggle artistry Mood reflective intense Type critical literary When to use this quote - writing sessions - academic analysis - creative workshops - mental health discussions Key Concepts human condition mortality artistic sacrifice Questions to Reflect On - What does this say about the cost of artistic genius? - How do we balance reverence and realistic view of creators? A Different Perspective The metaphor may exaggerate, overlooking practical aspects of his life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) ## Related quotes > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“Felicity was horrible and snide, but then Felicity had been a repulsive earwig ever since she first grew a vocabulary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/felicity-was-horrible-and-snide-but-then-felicity-had-been-a/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) > [Felicity, not fluency of language, is a merit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/felicity-not-fluency-of-language-is-a-merit/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [You wanna know who I want to get pregnant? Felicity Huffman. Ever since I saw Transamerica, I can't get her out of my head.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knocked-up-the-movie/you-wanna-know-who-i-want-to-get-pregnant-felicity-huffman-ever-since/) [Knocked Up (The Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knocked-up-the-movie/) > [Religion and virtue are the only foundations, not of republicanism and of all free government, but of social felicity under all government and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/religion-and-virtue-are-the-only-foundations-not-of-republicanism-and/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [That perfect bliss and sole felicity, the sweet fruition of an earthly crown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-marlowe/that-perfect-bliss-and-sole-felicity-the-sweet-fruition-of-an-earthly/) [Christopher Marlowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-marlowe/) > [Our envy always outlives the felicity of its object.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/our-envy-always-outlives-the-felicity-of-its-object/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [In 2005, I had the great honor of playing Shailene Woodley's mother in 'Felicity: An American Girl Adventure.' I was immediately impressed by her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/in-2005-i-had-the-great-honor-of-playing-shailene-woodley-s-mother-in/) [Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/) > [“Shh, May,' Felicity said soothingly, glancing behind her. She absolutely did not want Rafe to come out and say something stupidly noble. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-enoch/shh-may-felicity-said-soothingly-glancing-behind-her-she-absolutely/) [Suzanne Enoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-enoch/) > [“Laugh now, and laugh hard. For laughter is the bell. And when it rings, it cleanses the air.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/laugh-now-and-laugh-hard-for-laughter-is-the-bell-and-when-it-rings/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [Lady Maccon cogitated. She would like to encourage this new spirit of social-mindedness. If Felicity needed anything in her life, it was a cause.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/lady-maccon-cogitated-she-would-like-to-encourage-this-new-spirit-of/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) > [Possession without obligation to the object possessed approaches felicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/possession-without-obligation-to-the-object-possessed-approaches/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [... professing myself moreover convinced that the general's unjust interference, so far from being really injurious to their felicity, was perhaps rather conducive to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/professing-myself-moreover-convinced-that-the-general-s-unjust/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [I never root for a failure. I learned that when we were on 'Felicity.' There was a show that failed on the lot, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-grunberg/i-never-root-for-a-failure-i-learned-that-when-we-were-on-felicity/) [Greg Grunberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-grunberg/) > [I love working in television, and I've been thrilled to be a part of so many wonderful shows. I worked with Lady Gaga on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-bergen/i-love-working-in-television-and-i-ve-been-thrilled-to-be-a-part-of/) [Erich Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-bergen/) ## More by BJ Ward > [“The judge sentenced us to life— real, awake life out of the jails we had been roaming in— life in prism— then started handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/the-judge-sentenced-us-to-life-real-awake-life-out-of-the-jails-we/) [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) > [“I’d reconstruct Heaven, or usurp Hell— write till I swing open like a door hinge. I arrive—a rogue who’d refurbish town. I take my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/i-d-reconstruct-heaven-or-usurp-hell-write-till-i-swing-open-like-a/) [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) > [“As children we learned our shadow is a darkness we never totally shake until we lie down, pull the shades, draw the curtains, shut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/as-children-we-learned-our-shadow-is-a-darkness-we-never-totally/) [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) > [“I wanted to shove her away, thinking of my job, of headlines, of how this kind of comfort was outside the behavioral guidelines of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/i-wanted-to-shove-her-away-thinking-of-my-job-of-headlines-of-how/) [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) > [“Above us all rose my mother’s hand, dangling from the column shifter like some battle-tattered flag for independence, surrounded by the glass shards and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/above-us-all-rose-my-mother-s-hand-dangling-from-the-column-shifter/) [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) > [“Will there be no more irises in your garden tomorrow morning, or perhaps any rainbows that covet your roof will melt into Rorschach pastels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/will-there-be-no-more-irises-in-your-garden-tomorrow-morning-or/) [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) > [“As hard as the diamonds in your smile, the wind carries its hammers with no hands and sustains a moan with no mouth, seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/as-hard-as-the-diamonds-in-your-smile-the-wind-carries-its-hammers/) [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) > [“These words are my mother’s, my father’s, my brother’s, my lender’s, my garbage man’s—the poem runs like oil on fire beneath this earth where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/these-words-are-my-mother-s-my-father-s-my-brother-s-my-lender-s-my/) [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) > [“My fist is her flag still furled. Take the cannoli and leave the tuxedo - This is my jackleg opera to the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/my-fist-is-her-flag-still-furled-take-the-cannoli-and-leave-the/) [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) [Explore all 10 BJ Ward quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) Browse all 7,717 American quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Shakespeare’s felicity is so often taught it is easy to overlook how taut the sinews in his neck must have been when he grasped his pen, or the musk that exuded from the fat of his chin below a somewhat chthonic grin— life wrestled death on his desk when he composed.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "BJ Ward" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/shakespeare-s-felicity-is-so-often-taught-it-is-easy-to-overlook-how/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/shakespeare-s-felicity-is-so-often-taught-it-is-easy-to-overlook-how/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b5/bj-ward-42254_american_shakespeare-s-felicity-is-so-often-taugh_1569334.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b5/bj-ward-42254_american_shakespeare-s-felicity-is-so-often-taugh_1569334.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b5/bj-ward-42254_american_shakespeare-s-felicity-is-so-often-taugh_1569334.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Shakespeare’s felicity is so often taught it is easy to overlook how taut the sinews in his neck must have…” — BJ Ward", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "BJ Ward", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Shakespeare’s felicity is so often taught...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/shakespeare-s-felicity-is-so-often-taught-it-is-easy-to-overlook-how/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/shakespeare-s-felicity-is-so-often-taught-it-is-easy-to-overlook-how/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```