--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now old desire doth in his deathbed lie…" description: "\"Now old desire doth in his deathbed lie, And young affection gapes to be his heir; That fair for which love groan'd for and would die, With tender Juli..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e3/william-shakespeare-4_affection_now-old-desire-doth-in-his-deathbed-lie_1660449.jpg" --- # Now old desire doth in his deathbed lie, And young… ![“Now old desire doth in his deathbed lie, And young affection gapes to be his heir; That fair for which love groan'd for and would die, With tender Juliet match'd, is now not fair.” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e3/william-shakespeare-4_affection_now-old-desire-doth-in-his-deathbed-lie_1660449.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e3/william-shakespeare-4_affection_now-old-desire-doth-in-his-deathbed-lie_1660449.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e3/william-shakespeare-4_affection_now-old-desire-doth-in-his-deathbed-lie_1660449.jpg) > “Now old desire doth in his deathbed lie, And young affection gapes to be his heir; That fair for which love groan'd for and would die, With tender Juliet match'd, is now not fair.” [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. Old love fades with death, while youthful affection seeks to inherit its place, yet the idealized love may not be as beautiful as imagined. **In simple terms:** Old love dies, new love seeks its place. Key Takeaway Value love’s evolving nature. Themes love death inheritance Mood tragic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - grief - new romance Key Concepts transience idealization Questions to Reflect On - What expectations do we project onto new love? - How do we reconcile ideal and reality? A Different Perspective New love may idealize and overlook flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) [Deathbed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deathbed/) [Deathbed Lie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deathbed-lie-752407/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Fair Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fair-love-311231/) [Fairness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairness/) [Fairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairs/) [Gapes Heir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gapes-heir-752409/) [Heirs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heirs/) [Juliet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/juliet/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Groan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-groan-752408/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Not fair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-fair/) [Old Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-desire-752410/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [“Slow and unarguable, the old desire for love, for a close-shared life, struck at him, not with Kathy, not with Anne, not with any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-z-hobson/slow-and-unarguable-the-old-desire-for-love-for-a-close-shared-life/) [Laura Z. 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In love as one they say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-belsante/all-is-fair-in-love-love-s-a-crazy-game-two-people-vow-to-stay-in/) [Matt Belsante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-belsante/) > [Eight full lives,” I whispered against his jaw, my voice breaking. “Eight full lives and I never found anyone I would stay on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/eight-full-lives-i-whispered-against-his-jaw-my-voice-breaking-eight/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [“All fair in love and bonus round”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-charters/all-fair-in-love-and-bonus-round/) [David Charters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-charters/) ## 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. 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Deny it who will, ridicule it, treat it as mere imagination and sentiment, the thing is and will be; and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/a-lost-love-deny-it-who-will-ridicule-it-treat-it-as-mere-imagination/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [Affection! Affection is false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/affection-affection-is-false/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [We are a spectacular, splendid manifestation of life. We have language. . . . We have affection. We have genes for usefulness, and usefulness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-a-spectacular-splendid-manifestation-of-life-we-have-language/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. 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