--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Shakespeare was the great one before us…" description: "\"Shakespeare was the great one before us. His place was between God and despair.\" — Eugene Ionesco" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/eug-ne-ionesco-1878_despair_shakespeare-was-the-great-one-before-us_180732.jpg" --- # Shakespeare was the great one before us. His place was… ![“Shakespeare was the great one before us. His place was between God and despair.” quote by Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/eug-ne-ionesco-1878_despair_shakespeare-was-the-great-one-before-us_180732.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/eug-ne-ionesco-1878_despair_shakespeare-was-the-great-one-before-us_180732.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/eug-ne-ionesco-1878_despair_shakespeare-was-the-great-one-before-us_180732.jpg) > “Shakespeare was the great one before us. His place was between God and despair.” [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) ## 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 suggests that Shakespeare occupied a unique, almost divine position, bridging lofty ideals and deep human sorrow. **In simple terms:** Shakespeare stood between greatness and despair. Key Takeaway Recognize the tension between high aspirations and human frailty. Themes literature existentialism artistic legacy Mood contemplative reflective Type analytical literary When to use this quote - studying classic works - creative writing - theatrical performance - philosophical reflection Key Concepts human condition divine inspiration tragic heroism Questions to Reflect On - How does greatness coexist with despair? - What can we learn from balancing lofty ideals and human frailty A Different Perspective May overemphasize Shakespeare’s role, ignoring other influences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) [Shakespeare Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare-great/) ## Related quotes > [“people can take you to a great place, but God takes you to the best place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariam/people-can-take-you-to-a-great-place-but-god-takes-you-to-the-best/) [Mariam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariam/) > [ \[Bob Dylan\] is principally a recording artist, and if he weren't, it is unthinkable he would have had such an impact. He is to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/bob-dylan-is-principally-a-recording-artist-and-if-he-weren-t-it-is/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) > [Because British actors hold Shakespeare in such great reverence, we tend to go for the word, which tends to make things very intellectual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-james/because-british-actors-hold-shakespeare-in-such-great-reverence-we/) [Geraldine James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-james/) > [I found it hard work now to pray to God, because despair was swallowing me up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/i-found-it-hard-work-now-to-pray-to-god-because-despair-was/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [When every time a test comes into my life, whenever I was struggling, when every time I was unhappy,I close my eyes and pray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innah-delos-angeles/when-every-time-a-test-comes-into-my-life-whenever-i-was-struggling/) [Innah Delos Angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/innah-delos-angeles/) > [Consider what God can do, and you will never despair of success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-f-wilson/consider-what-god-can-do-and-you-will-never-despair-of-success/) [Thomas F. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-f-wilson/) > [“When I hear a politician has died in a car accident, I think, “How tragic! Even if the car suffered only a small dent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/when-i-hear-a-politician-has-died-in-a-car-accident-i-think-how/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [One of the reasons why I love to do Shakespeare is that this great artist was able to talk to a wide variety of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-taymor/one-of-the-reasons-why-i-love-to-do-shakespeare-is-that-this-great/) [Julie Taymor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-taymor/) > [Whoever wrote Shakespeare is a working class hero be he an aristocrat or a peasant. Shakespeare is a great leveler. We're presented with kings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-ifans/whoever-wrote-shakespeare-is-a-working-class-hero-be-he-an-aristocrat/) [Rhys Ifans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-ifans/) > [The world was to Shakespeare a great stage of fools on which he was utterly bewildered. His pregnant observations of life are not coordinated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-world-was-to-shakespeare-a-great-stage-of-fools-on-which-he-was/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [I had such a broad array of classes, in improvising, in clowning, in Shakespeare. It was so great to just be inundated with all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolk/i-had-such-a-broad-array-of-classes-in-improvising-in-clowning-in/) [James Wolk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolk/) > [If Shakespeare's great plays are variants of stories, even novels, you can see how each character is telling his story from his perspective; each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/if-shakespeare-s-great-plays-are-variants-of-stories-even-novels-you/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“He turned toward my voice. "Am I well?" His mocking tone was unmistakable. "Am I well? Why can't you just talk like everyone else?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/he-turned-toward-my-voice-am-i-well-his-mocking-tone-was-unmistakable/) [Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/) > [Shakespeare is a great psychologist, and whatever can be known of the heart of man may be found in his plays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/shakespeare-is-a-great-psychologist-and-whatever-can-be-known-of-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Shakespeare has great ability to skirt around a subject and portray human nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/shakespeare-has-great-ability-to-skirt-around-a-subject-and-portray/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) ## More by Eugene Ionesco > [I am, it seems, an avant-garde dramatist. It would even seem obvious since I am present here at discussions on the avant-garde theatre. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/i-am-it-seems-an-avant-garde-dramatist-it-would-even-seem-obvious/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [ “My boy! It's really true, you really love hashed brown potatoes? You make me so happy. JACK \[without conviction\]: Yes, I like them, I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/my-boy-it-s-really-true-you-really-love-hashed-brown-potatoes-you/) [Eugène Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [Everything that has been will be, everything that will be is, everything that will be has been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/everything-that-has-been-will-be-everything-that-will-be-is/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [“Rhinoceros The Leader The Future is in Eggs or It Takes all Sorts to Make a World”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/rhinoceros-the-leader-the-future-is-in-eggs-or-it-takes-all-sorts-to/) [Eugène Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [Every message of despair is the statement of a situation from which everybody must freely try to find a way out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/every-message-of-despair-is-the-statement-of-a-situation-from-which/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [I've always been suspicious of collective truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/i-ve-always-been-suspicious-of-collective-truths/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [I'll never waste my dreams by falling asleep. Never again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/i-ll-never-waste-my-dreams-by-falling-asleep-never-again/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [“All doctors are quacks. And all patients too. Only the Royal Navy is honest in England.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/all-doctors-are-quacks-and-all-patients-too-only-the-royal-navy-is/) [Eugène Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [That's how we stay young these days: murder and suicide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/that-s-how-we-stay-young-these-days-murder-and-suicide/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [“I read a page of Plato's great work. I can no longer understand anything, because behind the words on the page, which have their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/i-read-a-page-of-plato-s-great-work-i-can-no-longer-understand/) [Eugène Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [“MRS. SMITH: Well, this is how it was. It is difficult for me to speak openly to you, but a fireman is also a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/mrs-smith-well-this-is-how-it-was-it-is-difficult-for-me-to-speak/) [Eugène Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [Childhood is over the moment things are no longer astonishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/childhood-is-over-the-moment-things-are-no-longer-astonishing/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [Realism falls short of reality. It shrinks it, attenuates it, falsifies it; it does not take into account our basic truths and our fundamental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/realism-falls-short-of-reality-it-shrinks-it-attenuates-it-falsifies/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [A nose that can see is worth two that sniff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/a-nose-that-can-see-is-worth-two-that-sniff/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [Mediocrity is more dangerous in a critic than in a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/mediocrity-is-more-dangerous-in-a-critic-than-in-a-writer/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) [Explore all 169 Eugene Ionesco quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) ## More Despair quotes > [“As ofttimes as it rains on my little spot of earth, you'd think I'd grow accustomed to the gloom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/as-ofttimes-as-it-rains-on-my-little-spot-of-earth-you-d-think-i-d/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“She searched her mind for a single day when it had felt good to be alive. There must have been one, surely?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-abbott/she-searched-her-mind-for-a-single-day-when-it-had-felt-good-to-be/) [Rachel Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-abbott/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [Your spirit is the part of you that seeks meaning and purpose. It's the part drawn to hope, that will not give in to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/your-spirit-is-the-part-of-you-that-seeks-meaning-and-purpose-it-s/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [My God, whose son, as on this night, took on Him the form of man, and for man vouchsafed to suffer and bleed, controls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/my-god-whose-son-as-on-this-night-took-on-him-the-form-of-man-and-for/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [The modernist writers found despair inspirational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-modernist-writers-found-despair-inspirational/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The skin and shell of things Though fair are not Thy wish nor prayer but got My meer despair of wings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-vaughan/the-skin-and-shell-of-things-though-fair-are-not-thy-wish-nor-prayer/) [Henry Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-vaughan/) > [“A fine setting for a fit of despair,” it occurred to him, “if I were only standing here by accident instead of design.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/a-fine-setting-for-a-fit-of-despair-it-occurred-to-him-if-i-were-only/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Enough for this bow & arrow. It caused me nothing but sorrow. No need for another tomorrow. In your heart, I will never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louaiq8/enough-for-this-bow-arrow-it-caused-me-nothing-but-sorrow-no-need-for/) Louaiq8 > [True repentance never leads to despair. Its leads home. It leads to grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/true-repentance-never-leads-to-despair-its-leads-home-it-leads-to/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [Do not consider despair as a thick and high wall standing on your way; it is just a darkness and you can still walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/do-not-consider-despair-as-a-thick-and-high-wall-standing-on-your-way/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Despair is the price one pays for setting oneself an impossible aim. It is, one is told, the unforgivable sin, but it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-setting-oneself-an-impossible-aim/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [A speculative despair is unpardonable where it our duty to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/a-speculative-despair-is-unpardonable-where-it-our-duty-to-act/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [I have noticed that there is no dissatisfaction like that of the rich. Feed a man, clothe him, put him in a good house,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-have-noticed-that-there-is-no-dissatisfaction-like-that-of-the-rich/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) [Browse all 3,181 Despair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Shakespeare was the great one before us. 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