--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fantastic tyrant of the amorous heart…" description: "\"Fantastic tyrant of the amorous heart. How hard thy yoke, how cruel thy dart. Those escape your anger who refuse your sway, and those are punished most..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f95/matthew-prior-32916_anger_fantastic-tyrant-of-the-amorous-heart-ho_3234433.png" --- # Fantastic tyrant of the amorous heart. How hard thy yoke… ![“Fantastic tyrant of the amorous heart. How hard thy yoke, how cruel thy dart. Those escape your anger who refuse your sway, and those are punished most, who most obey.” quote by Matthew Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f95/matthew-prior-32916_anger_fantastic-tyrant-of-the-amorous-heart-ho_3234433.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f95/matthew-prior-32916_anger_fantastic-tyrant-of-the-amorous-heart-ho_3234433.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f95/matthew-prior-32916_anger_fantastic-tyrant-of-the-amorous-heart-ho_3234433.png) > “Fantastic tyrant of the amorous heart. How hard thy yoke, how cruel thy dart. Those escape your anger who refuse your sway, and those are punished most, who most obey.” [Matthew Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-prior/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker likens love to a tyrant, rewarding obedience while punishing those who resist, highlighting love’s paradoxical power. **In simple terms:** Love is portrayed as a cruel ruler rewarding obedience. Key Takeaway Beware of love’s controlling tendencies. Themes love power obedience paradox emotional conflict Mood melancholic thoughtful Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - self‑reflection - emotional health Key Concepts tyranny affection psychology control Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance love and autonomy? - When does affection become domination? A Different Perspective Love can be both nurturing and oppressive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Cruel Thy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruel-thy-5864064/) [Fantastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantastic/) [Fantastic Tyrant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantastic-tyrant-6131176/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Punished Obey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punished-obey-6131177/) [Refuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuse/) [Tyrant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyrant/) [Tyrant Amorous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyrant-amorous-6131175/) ## Related quotes > [“The world is cruel, give me thy heart to take with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-world-is-cruel-give-me-thy-heart-to-take-with-me/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“You don’t get to be a favorite at a tyrant’s court without beheading your principles every day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/you-don-t-get-to-be-a-favorite-at-a-tyrant-s-court-without-beheading/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“The tyrant is asleep to beauty and awake to ugliness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-emmet/the-tyrant-is-asleep-to-beauty-and-awake-to-ugliness/) [Joshua Emmet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-emmet/) > [If you're not perfectly conscious of yourself, that self can be tyrannical; in relationship to others, anyone can become a tyrant. That's why no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/if-you-re-not-perfectly-conscious-of-yourself-that-self-can-be/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) > [A tyrant does not remain in the world; But the curse on him abides forever!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/a-tyrant-does-not-remain-in-the-world-but-the-curse-on-him-abides/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [“Death is a great tyrant; none can overthrow him. Life is a priceless ruby; none can afford it. Eternity is a noble mistress; none…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/death-is-a-great-tyrant-none-can-overthrow-him-life-is-a-priceless/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“Because if you don't know how to manage time, time can rule you like a tyrant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-partnoy/because-if-you-don-t-know-how-to-manage-time-time-can-rule-you-like-a/) [Frank Partnoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-partnoy/) > [ \[It is a basic principle of a tyrant\] to unarm his people of weapons, money and all means whereby they resist his power. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-raleigh/it-is-a-basic-principle-of-a-tyrant-to-unarm-his-people-of-weapons/) [Walter Raleigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-raleigh/) > [Every apathetic individual is a brick in a tyrant's throne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-slater/every-apathetic-individual-is-a-brick-in-a-tyrant-s-throne/) [Philip Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-slater/) > [Love reigns a very tyrant in my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-otway/love-reigns-a-very-tyrant-in-my-heart/) [Thomas Otway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-otway/) > [I will never, for the future, paint the portrait of a tyrant until his head lies before me on the scaffold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-louis-david/i-will-never-for-the-future-paint-the-portrait-of-a-tyrant-until-his/) [Jacques-Louis David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-louis-david/) > [The only tyrant I accept in this world is the 'still small voice' within](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-only-tyrant-i-accept-in-this-world-is-the-still-small-voice-within/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“The smart tyrant flatters the people with words,while with deeds he destroys them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoli-rybakov/the-smart-tyrant-flatters-the-people-with-words-while-with-deeds-he/) [Anatoli Rybakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoli-rybakov/) > [Faith is not about serving some tyrant in the sky that says, 'You need to get your act together.' Faith is about having a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/faith-is-not-about-serving-some-tyrant-in-the-sky-that-says-you-need/) [Lecrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [The tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-tyrant-has-fallen-and-iraq-is-free/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) ## More by Matthew Prior > [And 'tis remarkable that they talk most who have the least to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-prior/and-tis-remarkable-that-they-talk-most-who-have-the-least-to-say/) [Matthew Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-prior/) > [“The end must justify the means.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-prior/the-end-must-justify-the-means/) [Matthew Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-prior/) > [They talk most who have the least to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-prior/they-talk-most-who-have-the-least-to-say/) [Matthew Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-prior/) > [Who walks the fastest, but walks astray, is only furthest from his way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-prior/who-walks-the-fastest-but-walks-astray-is-only-furthest-from-his-way/) [Matthew Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-prior/) > [“They talk most who have least to say.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-prior/they-talk-most-who-have-least-to-say/) [Matthew Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-prior/) > [For hope is but a dream for those that wake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-prior/for-hope-is-but-a-dream-for-those-that-wake/) [Matthew Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-prior/) > [For, when with beauty we can virtue join, We paint the semblance of a form divine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-prior/for-when-with-beauty-we-can-virtue-join-we-paint-the-semblance-of-a/) [Matthew Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-prior/) > [Who fastest walks, but walks astray, Is only furthest from his way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-prior/who-fastest-walks-but-walks-astray-is-only-furthest-from-his-way/) [Matthew Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-prior/) > [Hope is but the dream of those who wake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-prior/hope-is-but-the-dream-of-those-who-wake/) [Matthew Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-prior/) > [Be to their virtue very kind; be to their faults a little blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-prior/be-to-their-virtue-very-kind-be-to-their-faults-a-little-blind/) [Matthew Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-prior/) > [The ends must justify the means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-prior/the-ends-must-justify-the-means/) [Matthew Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-prior/) > [“And hope is but a dream of those that wake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-prior/and-hope-is-but-a-dream-of-those-that-wake/) [Matthew Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-prior/) > [Cured yesterday of my disease, I died last night of my physician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-prior/cured-yesterday-of-my-disease-i-died-last-night-of-my-physician/) [Matthew Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-prior/) > [It takes two to quarrel, but only one to end it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-prior/it-takes-two-to-quarrel-but-only-one-to-end-it/) [Matthew Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-prior/) [Explore all 15 Matthew Prior quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-prior/) ## More Anger quotes > [“If I let myself think of it the pain and anger were still fresh, adrenalin racing down my limbs to pool, hot and itchy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-ladd/if-i-let-myself-think-of-it-the-pain-and-anger-were-still-fresh/) [Kylie Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-ladd/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [My care will be in the heart n not in words My anger will be in Words n not in the Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/my-care-will-be-in-the-heart-n-not-in-words-my-anger-will-be-in-words/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect was already in the cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/the-present-contains-nothing-more-than-the-past-and-what-is-found-in/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [ “Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari \[living a worldly life\] regardless of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-deceit-greed-there-is-worldly/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) [Browse all 7,469 Anger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Fantastic tyrant of the amorous heart. How hard thy yoke, how cruel thy dart. 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