--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The play is done; the curtain drops, Slow…" description: "\"The play is done; the curtain drops, Slow falling to the prompter's bell A moment yet the actor stops And looks around to say farewell.\" — William Make..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/william-makepeace-thackeray-74_actors_the-play-is-done-the-curtain-drops-slow_1920536.jpg" --- # The play is done; the curtain drops, Slow falling to the… ![“The play is done; the curtain drops, Slow falling to the prompter's bell A moment yet the actor stops And looks around to say farewell.” quote by William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/william-makepeace-thackeray-74_actors_the-play-is-done-the-curtain-drops-slow_1920536.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/william-makepeace-thackeray-74_actors_the-play-is-done-the-curtain-drops-slow_1920536.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/william-makepeace-thackeray-74_actors_the-play-is-done-the-curtain-drops-slow_1920536.jpg) > “The play is done; the curtain drops, Slow falling to the prompter's bell A moment yet the actor stops And looks around to say farewell.” [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The performance ends, the actor pauses to acknowledge the audience and the fleeting nature of art. **In simple terms:** The show ends, the actor says goodbye. Key Takeaway Appreciate each moment on stage. Themes theatre transience gratitude Mood reflective melancholy Type literary poetic When to use this quote - stage performance - finale - farewell speech Key Concepts ephemerality performance art Questions to Reflect On - How does acknowledging an audience change a performance? - What does a curtain drop symbolize? A Different Perspective The audience may not notice the actor's quiet moment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor Stops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor-stops-2946256/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Bells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bells/) [Curtain Drops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curtain-drops-2946257/) [Curtains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curtains/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Falling Prompter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-prompter-2946258/) [Farewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farewell/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Say Farewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-farewell-1273989/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [We can say farewell to 10 years of bourgeois rule... now we have the opportunity to change Denmark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helle-thorning-schmidt/we-can-say-farewell-to-10-years-of-bourgeois-rule-now-we-have-the/) [Helle Thorning-Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helle-thorning-schmidt/) > [“It's a lonesome word, but there's no other way to say it. But, this farewell doesn't mean 'never again.' I really like you a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satoru-kannagi/it-s-a-lonesome-word-but-there-s-no-other-way-to-say-it-but-this/) [Satoru Kannagi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satoru-kannagi/) > [I wish I could say farewell and retire but there is nothing for me to retire from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/i-wish-i-could-say-farewell-and-retire-but-there-is-nothing-for-me-to/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [Every day I shall put my papers in order and every day I shall say farewell. And the real farewell, when it comes, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/every-day-i-shall-put-my-papers-in-order-and-every-day-i-shall-say/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [The time was fast approaching when Earth, like all mothers, must say farewell to her children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/the-time-was-fast-approaching-when-earth-like-all-mothers-must-say/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [I'll never see them again. I know that. And they know that. And knowing this, we say farewell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-ll-never-see-them-again-i-know-that-and-they-know-that-and-knowing/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I hope that the New Year will allow you say farewell to the old and hello to the new things that are headed your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hope-that-the-new-year-will-allow-you-say-farewell-to-the-old-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Not easy to say farewell to the love!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-easy-to-say-farewell-to-the-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To all my gentle readers who have treated me with love for over 30 years, I must say farewell. It has always been my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/to-all-my-gentle-readers-who-have-treated-me-with-love-for-over-30/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [For me, the times I always regret are missed opportunities to say farewell to good people, to wish them long life and say to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/for-me-the-times-i-always-regret-are-missed-opportunities-to-say/) [Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/) > [“Then you and I should bid good-bye for a little while?" I suppose so, sir." And how do people perform that ceremony of parting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/then-you-and-i-should-bid-good-bye-for-a-little-while-i-suppose-so/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [I want to speak to the despisers of the body. I would not have them learn and teach differently, but merely say farewell to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/i-want-to-speak-to-the-despisers-of-the-body-i-would-not-have-them/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Didn't know how to say farewell so I slapped him in the face and ran away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/didn-t-know-how-to-say-farewell-so-i-slapped-him-in-the-face-and-ran/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No good actor ever stops learning. He is constantly evolving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahesh-babu/no-good-actor-ever-stops-learning-he-is-constantly-evolving/) [Mahesh Babu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahesh-babu/) > [An actor never stops growing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prachi-desai/an-actor-never-stops-growing/) [Prachi Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prachi-desai/) ## More by William Makepeace Thackeray > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/when-one-fib-becomes-due-as-it-were-you-must-forge-another-to-take-up/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Let a man who has to make his fortune in life remember this maxim: Attacking is the only secret. Dare and the world yields,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/let-a-man-who-has-to-make-his-fortune-in-life-remember-this-maxim/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [As nature made every man with a nose and eyes of his own, she gave him a character of his own, too; and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/as-nature-made-every-man-with-a-nose-and-eyes-of-his-own-she-gave-him/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [It is best to love wisely, no doubt; but to love foolishly is better than not to be able to love at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/it-is-best-to-love-wisely-no-doubt-but-to-love-foolishly-is-better/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Diffidence is a sort of false modesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/diffidence-is-a-sort-of-false-modesty/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Our great thoughts, our great affections, the truths of our life, never leave us. Surely they can not separate from our consciousness, shall follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/our-great-thoughts-our-great-affections-the-truths-of-our-life-never/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Charming Alnaschar visions! it is the happy privilege of youth to construct you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/charming-alnaschar-visions-it-is-the-happy-privilege-of-youth-to/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [To see a young couple loving each other is no wonder; but to see an old couple loving each other is the best sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-see-a-young-couple-loving-each-other-is-no-wonder-but-to-see-an/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [An immense percentage of snobs, I believe, is to be found in every rank of this mortal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/an-immense-percentage-of-snobs-i-believe-is-to-be-found-in-every-rank/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Vanity is often the unseen spur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/vanity-is-often-the-unseen-spur/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [A good laugh is sunshine in the house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/a-good-laugh-is-sunshine-in-the-house/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Novelty has charms that our minds can hardly withstand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/novelty-has-charms-that-our-minds-can-hardly-withstand/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [“Picture to yourself, O fair young reader, a worldly, selfish, graceless, thankless, religionless old woman, writhing in pain and fear, and without her wig.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/picture-to-yourself-o-fair-young-reader-a-worldly-selfish-graceless/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Certain opuscules, denominated 'Christmas Books,' with the ostensible intention of swelling the tide of exhilaration, or other expansive emotions, incident upon the exodus of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/certain-opuscules-denominated-christmas-books-with-the-ostensible/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Explore all 384 William Makepeace Thackeray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) ## More Actors quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Forget the credit, they (male actors) take all the money as well. We don't get paid even one-third of what male actors get. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kangana-ranaut/forget-the-credit-they-male-actors-take-all-the-money-as-well-we-don/) [Kangana Ranaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kangana-ranaut/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [When we watch a film as actors, you have to understand that we always see much more than what's on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-khemu/when-we-watch-a-film-as-actors-you-have-to-understand-that-we-always/) [Kunal Khemu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-khemu/) > [As actors, you become an expert at starting over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/as-actors-you-become-an-expert-at-starting-over/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/the-whole-concept-of-stage-fright-is-fascinating-actors-get-stage/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [No actor wants to choose - they just want all of the options available to them all the time; we tend to be pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/no-actor-wants-to-choose-they-just-want-all-of-the-options-available/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [A rapper is about being completely true to yourself. Being an actor is about changing who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/a-rapper-is-about-being-completely-true-to-yourself-being-an-actor-is/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [I've been a professional actor for almost 40 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-perlman/i-ve-been-a-professional-actor-for-almost-40-years/) [Ron Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-perlman/) > [American actors are coy. We all have pricks and cunts, or are you different from the rest of us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/american-actors-are-coy-we-all-have-pricks-and-cunts-or-are-you/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) [Browse all 11,394 Actors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The play is done; the curtain drops, Slow falling to the prompter's bell A moment yet the actor stops And looks around to say farewell.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Makepeace Thackeray" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/the-play-is-done-the-curtain-drops-slow-falling-to-the-prompter-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actors" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/the-play-is-done-the-curtain-drops-slow-falling-to-the-prompter-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/william-makepeace-thackeray-74_actors_the-play-is-done-the-curtain-drops-slow_1920536.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/william-makepeace-thackeray-74_actors_the-play-is-done-the-curtain-drops-slow_1920536.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/william-makepeace-thackeray-74_actors_the-play-is-done-the-curtain-drops-slow_1920536.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The play is done; the curtain drops, Slow falling to the prompter's bell A moment yet the actor stops And…” — William Makepeace Thackeray", "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": "William Makepeace Thackeray", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The play is done; the curtain...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/the-play-is-done-the-curtain-drops-slow-falling-to-the-prompter-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/the-play-is-done-the-curtain-drops-slow-falling-to-the-prompter-s/#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 } } ] } ```