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Famous William Shakespeare quotes...there are thousands. But the most highly regarded English writer of all time also had a romantic side, resulting in an incredible selection of one-of-a-kind, heart pumping, butterflies in the stomach William Shakespeare love quotes.
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While his heyday was in the 16th century, Shakespeare’s classic plays and poems have traveled throughout the centuries, remaining widely studied and appreciated, and surprisingly relatable today. We have narrowed down some of the most famous William Shakespeare quotes that focus that awe inspiring emotion of love. So without further adieu, please enjoy this selection of 9 William Shakespeare love quotes that are sure to bring out the lover in you.
1.
"LOVE LOOKS NOT WITH THE EYES, BUT WITH THE MIND, AND THEREFORE IS WING’D CUPID PAINTED BLIND."
- Protagonist Helena’s unrelenting love for Demetrius in A Midsummer’s Nights Dream goes beyond the physical, as she is hooked on Demetrius despite his faults and foibles.
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2.
"SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER'S DAY?
THOU ART MORE LOVELY AND MORE TEMPERATE:
...
SO LONG AS MEN CAN BREATHE OR EYES CAN SEE,
SO LONG LIVES THIS, AND THIS GIVES LIFE TO THEE."
- Shakespeare’s Sonnets are some of his best known works with the above quote from Sonnet 18 which is one of the most widely read poems.
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3.
"NO SOONER MET BUT THEY LOOKED, NO SOONER LOOKED BUT THEY LOVED, NO SOONER LOVED, BUT THEY SIGHED, NO SOONER SIGHED BUT THEY ASKED ONE ANOTHER THE REASON."
- In a case of hidden identities, disguises and characters falling in and out of love, protagonist Rosalind expounds on the magic of love at first sight in the play As You Like It.
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4.
"WHAT'S IN A NAME? THAT WHICH WE CALL A ROSE,
BY ANY OTHER NAME WOULD SMELL AS SWEET."
- The most famous star crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet are kept apart due to family rivalries. In her soliloquy, Juliet questions the importance of a title or name, knowing that it is superficial, especially when it comes to her own true love Romeo.
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5.
"LOVE ALL, TRUST A FEW, DO WRONG TO NONE."
- The Countess bids her son farewell in the play All’s Well That Ends Well, providing him with sound advice as he sets out on his journey to join the royal court of Paris.
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6.
"LOVE COMFORTETH LIKE SUNSHINE AFTER RAIN."
The Greek goddess Venus falls in love with the earthly human Adonis in Shakespeare’s first published work, the poem Venus and Adonis.
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7.
"SEE, HOW SHE LEANS HER CHEEK UPON HER HAND!
O, THAT I WERE A GLOVE UPON THAT HAND,
THAT I MIGHT TOUCH THAT CHEEK!"
Forbidden love is at its height in Romeo and Juliet in which Romeo longs to be part of Juliet’s life in any which way.
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8.
"AND WHEN LOVE SPEAKS, THE VOICE OF ALL THE GODS MAKES HEAVEN DROWSY WITH THE HARMONY."
- Ferdinand the King of Navarre and his three lords declare that they will be taking a three year break from love, that is until the Princess of France and her three ladies arrive in Shakespeare’s early comedy Love’s Labour’s Lost.
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9.
"MY BOUNTY IS AS BOUNDLESS AS THE SEA,
MY LOVE AS DEEP; THE MORE I GIVE TO THEE
THE MORE I HAVE, FOR BOTH ARE INFINITE."
- Juliet declares her deep unyielding and eternal love for her dear Romeo on one of their famous balcony scenes in the play Romeo and Juliet.
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