The absolute majority of aphorisms, winged expressions and quotes by William Shakespeare are extracts from his literary works, poetic or prose. Given that the playwright did not leave behind extensive memoirs, an autobiography and letters - this is the only source of his thoughts.
For his time, Mr. Shakespeare was a true revolutionary of literature. In his plays reflected the ideas of the Renaissance and romanticism, ancient traditions, a detailed description of the mores of society and the motives of actions.
Sayings about love
The tragedy of “Romeo and Juliet” is one of the most famous works in the world, part of the school curriculum of many countries, a popular film adaptation. Almost all the plays of the playwright are permeated with the theme of love passions. Among the most famous quotes by William Shakespeare are the following:
- "Love is weaker than the fear of death."
- "Love and reason rarely live in harmony."
- "Love is blind" (a popular variation - "Love is blind and demented").
- "The stronger the passion, the sadder the end."
- "Love runs from those who chase after it. And to those who run away, it rushes to the neck."
- "Love words go numb upon separation."
- "Love cannot stop the stone walls."
Sayings about love (much less miserable or unrequited) were at the peak of popularity in the 19th century, when strict moral decencies forced people to use allegories, and love correspondence sometimes resembled a cipher.
Aphorisms about life, feelings and death
The playwright is a master at “twisting” human nature, showing the innermost, exaggerating emotions, showing ugly manifestations of feelings. Many of William Shakespeare's quotes about life have become a kind of motto or motivation. The saying is especially widely known: "Do what you must, and let it be that will be."
- "Follow the voice of reason, not anger."
- "Pleasant work cures grief."
- "Fear is the lowest of feelings."
- "Youth often sins in haste."
- "People are masters of their destiny."
- "To catch happiness, you need to learn how to run fast."
Shakespeare, being the creator of cult plays and the ruler of doom, was able to talk about death with beautiful words. His dramas told about the end of life, without causing spectators and readers a sense of overwhelming hopelessness. The most famous aphorism on this subject is: "If the sickle is inexorable, death, leave to posterity - let them argue with him!"
William Shakespeare's reasoning and quotation about human nature cannot be ignored:
- "Power is dangerous when conscience is at odds with it."
- "Tears are the weapons of women."
- "Arrogance is a fragile material."
- "Virtue does not shun scratches of slander."
Quotes about God and religion
The well-known quotes of William Shakespeare almost do not contain any mention of God, faith and religion. However, the playwright was distinguished by decent religiosity for the sixteenth century. In his works, characters appeal to God, their actions are permeated with spirituality. Shakespeare also devoted part of his sonnets to religion. And not only Christian, but also antique (sonnet No. 153 "God Cupid"). Among the most famous sayings:
- "Ignorance is the curse of God. Knowledge is the wings that carry us to heaven."
- "The devil is able to quote Scripture for his own purposes."
- 2Before God did not create ten women, the heels of the heels had already been seduced. "
Shespira's idioms and translation features
In his works, the playwright often uses idioms - phrases whose meaning is understood only by native speakers. So when translating some works, you have to use similar expressions in meaning or even remove idioms from the text.
It was Greek to me (tragedy "Julius Caesar", 1599) - can be translated as "you can not understand something, because it sounds like a foreign language." The closest in meaning is "Chinese letter".
In a pickle (the play "The Tempest") - it is completely impossible to translate into Russian, because its meaning is to describe the state: "To be in a situation where you feel like a vegetable placed in a marinade, wrinkled and salted."
Compared to Russian, the playwright’s native language is too static, and therefore the aphorisms, quotes by William Shakespeare in English with translation sound different. It all depends on the translator and the context. But regardless of the place of words in the utterance, their meaning remains the same.