---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How low am I, thou painted maypole?"
description: "\"How low am I, thou painted maypole?\" — William Shakespeare"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/william-shakespeare-4_lows_how-low-am-i-thou-painted-maypole-772468_772468.jpg"
---

#  How low am I, thou painted maypole?

![“How low am I, thou painted maypole?” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/william-shakespeare-4_lows_how-low-am-i-thou-painted-maypole-772468_772468.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/william-shakespeare-4_lows_how-low-am-i-thou-painted-maypole-772468_772468.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/william-shakespeare-4_lows_how-low-am-i-thou-painted-maypole-772468_772468.jpg)

> “How low am I, thou painted maypole?”

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

## 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 questions his own humility or status, suggesting self-deprecation.

**In simple terms:** Self‑deprecation; humility.

Key Takeaway

Recognize your worth despite jokes.

Themes

humility self‑esteem humor

Mood

wry reflective

Type

dramatic conversational

When to use this quote

- stage performance
- personal doubt
- social interaction

Key Concepts

Elizabethan drama self‑reflection

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you use humor to hide insecurity?
- How does self‑deprecation affect perception?

A Different Perspective

Humor can mask deeper insecurity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Low Thou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/low-thou-2246520/) [Lows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lows/) [Maypole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maypole-2126035/) [Painted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painted/) [Painted Maypole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painted-maypole-4368793/) [Thou Painted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thou-painted-4368796/)

## Related quotes

> [How low am I, thou painted maypole? (Hermia to Helena)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/how-low-am-i-thou-painted-maypole-hermia-to-helena/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“How Low am I, thou painted Maypole? Speak: How Low am I? I am not yet so Low But that my Nails can reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/how-low-am-i-thou-painted-maypole-speak-how-low-am-i-i-am-not-yet-so/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“First, the explosion of life. Then came the celebration. Such as it had been for generations and generations, as long as the eldest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-meloy/first-the-explosion-of-life-then-came-the-celebration-such-as-it-had/)

[Colin Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-meloy/)

> [Also known as May Eve, May Day, and Walpurgis Night, happens at the beginning of May. It celebrates the height of Spring and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selena-fox/also-known-as-may-eve-may-day-and-walpurgis-night-happens-at-the/)

[Selena Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selena-fox/)

> [Now, my co-mates and brothers in exile, Hath not old custom made this life more sweet Than that of painted pomp?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/now-my-co-mates-and-brothers-in-exile-hath-not-old-custom-made-this/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Love's heralds should be thoughts, Which ten times faster glide than the sun's beams Driving back shadows over low'ring hills. Therefore do nimble-pinioned doves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-s-heralds-should-be-thoughts-which-ten-times-faster-glide-than/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Monet was like a conductor. He painted with quite a straight arm and used bold strokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-armitage/monet-was-like-a-conductor-he-painted-with-quite-a-straight-arm-and/)

[Richard Armitage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-armitage/)

> [I've had a lifelong love affair with makeup. When I was a little girl, I used to take my mother's makeup and paint all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobbi-brown/i-ve-had-a-lifelong-love-affair-with-makeup-when-i-was-a-little-girl/)

[Bobbi Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobbi-brown/)

> [It seems like if you are not painted up special way or have some tailor made outfit to put on to go out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-anselmo/it-seems-like-if-you-are-not-painted-up-special-way-or-have-some/)

[Phil Anselmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-anselmo/)

> [“White-walled once. Red-roofed. But painted in weather-colors now. With brushes dipped in nature’s palette. Mossgreen. Earth-brown. Crumbleblack”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/white-walled-once-red-roofed-but-painted-in-weather-colors-now-with/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [I have driven school buses, sold egg rolls and painted houses, and I have often wondered what my life would have been like if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-have-driven-school-buses-sold-egg-rolls-and-painted-houses-and-i/)

[John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/)

> [“painted in weather-colors now. With brushes dipped in nature’s palette. Mossgreen. Earth-brown. Crumbleblack”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/painted-in-weather-colors-now-with-brushes-dipped-in-nature-s-palette/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [A painted landscape is always more beautiful than a real one, because there's more there. Everything is more sensual, and one takes refuge in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-botero/a-painted-landscape-is-always-more-beautiful-than-a-real-one-because/)

[Fernando Botero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-botero/)

> [I wanted to wear the mantle and the pearls. I wanted to know the man who painted her like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/i-wanted-to-wear-the-mantle-and-the-pearls-i-wanted-to-know-the-man/)

[Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/)

> [Melbourne, where I grew up, is one of the street art capitals of the world. Something about discovering freshly painted walls always fills me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-mitchell/melbourne-where-i-grew-up-is-one-of-the-street-art-capitals-of-the/)

[Penelope Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-mitchell/)

## More by William Shakespeare

> [Let us kill all lawyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/let-us-kill-all-lawyers/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-tiger-s-heart-wrapped-in-a-woman-s-hide/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [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/)

> [Divers philosophers hold that the lips is parcel of the mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/divers-philosophers-hold-that-the-lips-is-parcel-of-the-mouth/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Short time seems long in sorrow's sharp sustaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/short-time-seems-long-in-sorrow-s-sharp-sustaining/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs; Being purg'd, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; Being vex'd, a sea nourish'd with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-is-a-smoke-made-with-the-fume-of-sighs-being-purg-d-a-fire/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I, measuring his affections by my own, Which then most sought where most might not be found, Being one too many by my weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-measuring-his-affections-by-my-own-which-then-most-sought-where/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“Thou hast no figures nor no fantasies Which busy care draws in the brains of men; Therefore thou sleep’st so sound. Julius Caesar (2.1.248-251)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/thou-hast-no-figures-nor-no-fantasies-which-busy-care-draws-in-the/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Truth needs no color; beauty, no pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/truth-needs-no-color-beauty-no-pencil/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Have you not heard it said full oft, A woman's nay doth stand for naught?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/have-you-not-heard-it-said-full-oft-a-woman-s-nay-doth-stand-for/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Omittance is no quittance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/omittance-is-no-quittance/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“Yes, madam: yet I cannot choose but laugh, To think it should leave crying and say 'Ay.' And yet, I warrant, it had upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/yes-madam-yet-i-cannot-choose-but-laugh-to-think-it-should-leave/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I take thee at thy word: Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized; Henceforth I never will be Romeo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-take-thee-at-thy-word-call-me-but-love-and-i-ll-be-new-baptized/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

[Explore all 5,604 William Shakespeare quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

## More Lows quotes

> [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/)

[Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/)

> [A low-minded person should not be given good advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanakya/a-low-minded-person-should-not-be-given-good-advice/)

[Chanakya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanakya/)

> [This is true; virtually all edible substances, and many automotive products, are now marketed as being low-fat or fat-free. Americans are obsessed with fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-is-true-virtually-all-edible-substances-and-many-automotive/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [Fate with impartial hand turns out the doom of high and low; her capacious urn is constantly shaking the names of all mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/fate-with-impartial-hand-turns-out-the-doom-of-high-and-low-her/)

[Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/)

> [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/)

[Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/)

> [If you go to any nunnery and ask them what the main obstacle is, they'll always say low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-go-to-any-nunnery-and-ask-them-what-the-main-obstacle-is-they/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [The power of one fair face makes my love sublime, for it has weaned my heart from low desires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelangelo/the-power-of-one-fair-face-makes-my-love-sublime-for-it-has-weaned-my/)

[Michelangelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelangelo/)

> [Keep the corners of your mouth turned up. Speak in a low, persuasive tone. Listen; be teachable. Laugh at good stories and learn to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/keep-the-corners-of-your-mouth-turned-up-speak-in-a-low-persuasive/)

[Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/)

> [In our own time the whole of Greece has been subject to a low birth rate and a general decrease of the population, owing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polybius/in-our-own-time-the-whole-of-greece-has-been-subject-to-a-low-birth/)

[Polybius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polybius/)

> [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/)

[Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/)

> [In low theologies, hell is invariably the deepest truth, and the love of God is not so deep as hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/in-low-theologies-hell-is-invariably-the-deepest-truth-and-the-love/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [My phone rings, they call me up and say, 'Chael, your testosterone level is too high.' I say, 'Well, how high was it?' They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/my-phone-rings-they-call-me-up-and-say-chael-your-testosterone-level/)

[Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/)

> [While all men are born as equals, to say that Brahmins alone are the highest and all others are low as Pariah (the Untouchables)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/periyar-e-v-ramasamy/while-all-men-are-born-as-equals-to-say-that-brahmins-alone-are-the/)

[Periyar E. V. Ramasamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/periyar-e-v-ramasamy/)

> [I see a lot of true artists... then you see them on the cover of Maxim. That's the lowest of low to me. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheyenne-kimball/i-see-a-lot-of-true-artists-then-you-see-them-on-the-cover-of-maxim/)

[Cheyenne Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheyenne-kimball/)

> [Low levels of vitamin D in the population as a whole suggest that most people need to take a vitamin D supplement. This may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/low-levels-of-vitamin-d-in-the-population-as-a-whole-suggest-that/)

[Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/)

[Browse all 3,233 Lows quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lows/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "How low am I, thou painted maypole?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Shakespeare"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/how-low-am-i-thou-painted-maypole/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Lows"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/how-low-am-i-thou-painted-maypole/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/william-shakespeare-4_lows_how-low-am-i-thou-painted-maypole-772468_772468.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/william-shakespeare-4_lows_how-low-am-i-thou-painted-maypole-772468_772468.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/william-shakespeare-4_lows_how-low-am-i-thou-painted-maypole-772468_772468.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“How low am I, thou painted maypole?” — William Shakespeare",
                "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 Shakespeare",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "How low am I, thou painted...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/how-low-am-i-thou-painted-maypole/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/how-low-am-i-thou-painted-maypole/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
