--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We become lovers when we see Romeo and…" description: "\"We become lovers when we see Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet makes us students. The blood of Duncan is upon our hands, with Timon werage against the world..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42c/oscar-wilde-16_blood_we-become-lovers-when-we-see-romeo-and-j_2491248.jpg" --- # We become lovers when we see Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet… ![“We become lovers when we see Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet makes us students. The blood of Duncan is upon our hands, with Timon werage against the world, and when Lear wanders out upon the heath the terror of madness touches us. Ours is the white sinlessness of Desdemona, and ours, also, the sin of…” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42c/oscar-wilde-16_blood_we-become-lovers-when-we-see-romeo-and-j_2491248.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42c/oscar-wilde-16_blood_we-become-lovers-when-we-see-romeo-and-j_2491248.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42c/oscar-wilde-16_blood_we-become-lovers-when-we-see-romeo-and-j_2491248.jpg) > “We become lovers when we see Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet makes us students. The blood of Duncan is upon our hands, with Timon werage against the world, and when Lear wanders out upon the heath the terror of madness touches us. Ours is the white sinlessness of Desdemona, and ours, also, the sin of Iago.” [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wilde contrasts the emotional impact of classic tragedies on audiences, highlighting how we embody both innocence and villainy through their stories. **In simple terms:** Classic tragedies make us feel both pure and corrupt. Key Takeaway Recognize the duality of our emotional responses. Themes literature psychology duality empathy Mood reflective melancholic introspective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - theater attendance - reading classics - personal reflection - teaching literature - creative writing Key Concepts tragic archetypes mirror of self moral ambiguity Questions to Reflect On - How do you identify your own innocence and guilt when engaging with tragedy? - What lessons can modern life draw from these ancient conflicts? A Different Perspective The emotional intensity may overwhelm some viewers, limiting accessibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desdemona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desdemona/) [Hamlet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hamlet/) [Juliet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/juliet/) [Lovers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lovers/) [Madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness/) [Romeo juliet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romeo-juliet/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [What if Shakespeare had had a test audience for Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-fraser/what-if-shakespeare-had-had-a-test-audience-for-romeo-and-juliet-or/) [Brendan Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-fraser/) > [“All's well that ends well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-s-well-that-ends-well/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Adam leaned down and placed his lips next to her ear. He blew gently on it before he spoke. Mona leaned even closer into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinn-loftis/adam-leaned-down-and-placed-his-lips-next-to-her-ear-he-blew-gently/) [Quinn Loftis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinn-loftis/) > [“willow trees, willow trees they remind me of Desdemona I'm so damned literary and at the same time the waters rushing past remind me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-o-hara/willow-trees-willow-trees-they-remind-me-of-desdemona-i-m-so-damned/) [Frank O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-o-hara/) > [Poor Desdemona! I am glad thy father's dead. Thy match was mortal to him, and pure grief Shore his old thread in twain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/poor-desdemona-i-am-glad-thy-father-s-dead-thy-match-was-mortal-to/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [There are no preconditions for jealousy. You don't have to be right, you don't have to be reasonable. 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Desdemona claims Othello. They have no doubts, the young, no fear, no pride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/juliet-singles-out-romeo-desdemona-claims-othello-they-have-no-doubts/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) ## More by Oscar Wilde > [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-books-that-the-world-calls-immoral-are-the-books-that-show-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that some men should be happier than others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/bachelors-should-be-heavily-taxed-it-is-not-fair-that-some-men-should/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Who, being loved, is poor?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/who-being-loved-is-poor/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Basil my dear boy puts everything that is charming in him into his work. The consequence is that he has nothing left for life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/basil-my-dear-boy-puts-everything-that-is-charming-in-him-into-his/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Anybody can be good in the country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/anybody-can-be-good-in-the-country/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I don't at all like knowing what people say of me behind my back. It makes me far too conceited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-don-t-at-all-like-knowing-what-people-say-of-me-behind-my-back-it/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Alles Populäre ist falsch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/alles-popul-re-ist-falsch/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“If these elements of beauty are real, the whole thing simply appeals to our sense of dramatic effect. Suddenly we find that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/if-these-elements-of-beauty-are-real-the-whole-thing-simply-appeals/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [To love one's self is the beginning of a life-long romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-love-one-s-self-is-the-beginning-of-a-life-long-romance/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/those-who-find-beautiful-meanings-in-beautiful-things-are-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Men always want to be a womans first love. Women have a more subtle instinct: What they like is to be a mans last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/men-always-want-to-be-a-womans-first-love-women-have-a-more-subtle/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Why is it that at a bachelor's establishment the servants invariably drink the champagne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/why-is-it-that-at-a-bachelor-s-establishment-the-servants-invariably/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Moderation is a fatal thing. Enough is as bad as a meal. More than enough is as good as a feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/moderation-is-a-fatal-thing-enough-is-as-bad-as-a-meal-more-than/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. 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But that didn't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/what-about-you-three-where-are-you-going-even-before-halt-answered/) [John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/) > [A day without blood is like a day without sunshine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-lee-ermey/a-day-without-blood-is-like-a-day-without-sunshine/) [R. Lee Ermey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-lee-ermey/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“...I wore his blood for clothing, on my legs and thighs and hands: a dry, stiff, brown garment with no warmth in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-wore-his-blood-for-clothing-on-my-legs-and-thighs-and-hands-a-dry/) [Ursula K. 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