--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wherefore was I to this keen mockery…" description: "\"Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? When at your hands did I deserve this scorn? Is't not enough, is't not enough, young man, That I did never, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaa/william-shakespeare-4_born_wherefore-was-i-to-this-keen-mockery-bor_1582019.jpg" --- # Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? When at your… ![“Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? When at your hands did I deserve this scorn? Is't not enough, is't not enough, young man, That I did never, no, nor never can, Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye, But you must flout my insufficiency?” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaa/william-shakespeare-4_born_wherefore-was-i-to-this-keen-mockery-bor_1582019.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaa/william-shakespeare-4_born_wherefore-was-i-to-this-keen-mockery-bor_1582019.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaa/william-shakespeare-4_born_wherefore-was-i-to-this-keen-mockery-bor_1582019.jpg) > “Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? When at your hands did I deserve this scorn? Is't not enough, is't not enough, young man, That I did never, no, nor never can, Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye, But you must flout my insufficiency?” [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 feels unjustly mocked and believes they are undeserving of affection, questioning why they are treated harshly. **In simple terms:** Feeling unfairly mocked and undeserving of love. Key Takeaway Accept that self‑worth isn’t defined by others’ scorn. Themes self‑esteem love mockery injustice Mood sad reflective Type literary dramatic emotional When to use this quote - unrequited love - courtship - social ridicule Key Concepts Romantic longing social hierarchy self‑perception Questions to Reflect On - Do you judge your worth by others’ opinions? - How can you claim dignity amid mockery? A Different Perspective The speaker’s self‑deprecation may ignore personal agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Deserve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deserve/) [Deserve Scorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deserve-scorn-2305980/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Insufficiency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insufficiency/) [Keen Mockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keen-mockery-5977957/) [Look Demetrius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-demetrius-5977958/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mockery/) [Mockery Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mockery-born-5977956/) [Scorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scorn/) [Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sweet/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) [Young man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-man/) ## Related quotes > [It's Never Trumpers who deserve the most scorn, especially the inadequates from the Lincoln Project.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-devine/it-s-never-trumpers-who-deserve-the-most-scorn-especially-the/) [Miranda Devine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-devine/) > [“What has she done to deserve such scorn?' I said. He had the grace to look uncomfortable as he answered. 'Not her in particular,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catriona-mcpherson/what-has-she-done-to-deserve-such-scorn-i-said-he-had-the-grace-to/) [Catriona McPherson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catriona-mcpherson/) > [Bad presidents don't deserve holidays. They deserve scorn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/bad-presidents-don-t-deserve-holidays-they-deserve-scorn/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) > [“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mock The meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-beware-my-lord-of-jealousy-it-is-the-green-ey-d-monster-which-doth-2/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [what cannot be saved when fate takes, patience her injury a mockery makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/what-cannot-be-saved-when-fate-takes-patience-her-injury-a-mockery/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The seasons alter: hoary-headed frosts Fall in the fresh lap of the crimson rose, And on old Hiems' thin and icy crown An odorous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-seasons-alter-hoary-headed-frosts-fall-in-the-fresh-lap-of-the-2/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The tongues of mocking wenches are as keen As is the razor's edge invisible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-tongues-of-mocking-wenches-are-as-keen-as-is-the-razor-s-edge/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Perseverance... keeps honor bright: to have done, is to hang quite out of fashion, like a rusty nail in monumental mockery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/perseverance-keeps-honor-bright-to-have-done-is-to-hang-quite-out-of/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mock The meat it feeds on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-beware-my-lord-of-jealousy-it-is-the-green-ey-d-monster-which-doth/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“O that I were a mockery king of snow Standing before the sun of Bolingbroke To melt myself away in water drops!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-that-i-were-a-mockery-king-of-snow-standing-before-the-sun-of/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [When remedies are past, the griefs are ended By seeing the worst, which late on hopes depended. To mourn a mischief that is past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/when-remedies-are-past-the-griefs-are-ended-by-seeing-the-worst-which/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The excesses of love soon pass, but its insufficiencies torment us forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/the-excesses-of-love-soon-pass-but-its-insufficiencies-torment-us/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [A truly humble man is sensible of his natural distance from God; of his dependence on Him; of the insufficiency of his own power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-edwards/a-truly-humble-man-is-sensible-of-his-natural-distance-from-god-of/) [Jonathan Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-edwards/) > [The pragmatist turns away from abstraction and insufficiency, from verbal solutions, from bad a priori reasons, from fixed principles, closed systems, and pretended absolutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-pragmatist-turns-away-from-abstraction-and-insufficiency-from/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [There are two occasions when the sacred beauty of Creation becomes dazzlingly apparent, and they occur together. One is when we feel our mortal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/there-are-two-occasions-when-the-sacred-beauty-of-creation-becomes/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) ## 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 Born quotes > [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/) [Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [I know that in the rap game you've got a lot of people, that come from poverty, was born in poverty and if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-connor/i-know-that-in-the-rap-game-you-ve-got-a-lot-of-people-that-come-from/) [Jon Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-connor/) > [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/) [Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I'm not against gay people. I have a relative who is also gay. We can't help it if they were born that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-m-not-against-gay-people-i-have-a-relative-who-is-also-gay-we-can-t/) [Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/) [Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/) > [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/) [Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/) > [If you can believe it, Hollywood wanted to change my birthdate. I was born after Valentine's Day, so they wanted to change it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/if-you-can-believe-it-hollywood-wanted-to-change-my-birthdate-i-was/) [Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/) [Browse all 11,606 Born quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? When at your hands did I deserve this scorn? Is't not enough, is't not enough, young man, That I did never, no, nor never can, Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye, But you must flout my insufficiency?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Shakespeare" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/wherefore-was-i-to-this-keen-mockery-born-when-at-your-hands-did-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Born" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/wherefore-was-i-to-this-keen-mockery-born-when-at-your-hands-did-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaa/william-shakespeare-4_born_wherefore-was-i-to-this-keen-mockery-bor_1582019.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaa/william-shakespeare-4_born_wherefore-was-i-to-this-keen-mockery-bor_1582019.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaa/william-shakespeare-4_born_wherefore-was-i-to-this-keen-mockery-bor_1582019.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? When at your hands did I deserve this scorn? Is't not enough…” — 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": "Wherefore was I to this keen...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/wherefore-was-i-to-this-keen-mockery-born-when-at-your-hands-did-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/wherefore-was-i-to-this-keen-mockery-born-when-at-your-hands-did-i/#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 } } ] } ```