Emotion Quote by William Shakespeare
““Alas, that love, whose view is muffled still, Should, without eyes, see pathways to his will! Where shall we dine? O me! What fray was here? Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all. Here’s much to do with hate, but more with love. Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate! O any thing, of nothing first create! O heavy lightness! Serious vanity! Mis-shapen chaos of well-seeming forms! Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health! Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is! This love feel I, that feel no love in this. Dost thou not laugh?””
About This Quote
Source Play: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 5, Scene 1, 1595
The speaker paradoxically describes love as both chaotic and purposeful, highlighting its contradictory nature and the confusion it brings.
In simple terms: Love is confusing and contradictory.
Embrace love's paradoxes.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- romantic relationships
- artistic creation
- self‑reflection
- conflict resolution
- emotional turmoil
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you reconcile love's chaos with rational thought?
- What does "heavy lightness" suggest about love?
Love's irrationality can lead to harmful decisions if unchecked.