“ The best in this kind are but shadows; and the worst are no worse, if imagination amend them. ”
William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream (1601). copy citation
| Author | William Shakespeare |
|---|---|
| Source | A Midsummer Night's Dream |
| Topic | imagination |
| Date | 1601 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Written between 1590 and 1597 |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1514/1514-h/1514-h.htm |
Context
“Now is the mural down between the two neighbours.
DEMETRIUS. No remedy, my lord, when walls are so wilful to hear without warning.
HIPPOLYTA. This is the silliest stuff that ever I heard.
THESEUS. The best in this kind are but shadows; and the worst are no worse, if imagination amend them.
HIPPOLYTA. It must be your imagination then, and not theirs.
THESEUS. If we imagine no worse of them than they of themselves, they may pass for excellent men. Here come two noble beasts in, a man and a lion.” source
DEMETRIUS. No remedy, my lord, when walls are so wilful to hear without warning.
HIPPOLYTA. This is the silliest stuff that ever I heard.
THESEUS. The best in this kind are but shadows; and the worst are no worse, if imagination amend them.
HIPPOLYTA. It must be your imagination then, and not theirs.
THESEUS. If we imagine no worse of them than they of themselves, they may pass for excellent men. Here come two noble beasts in, a man and a lion.” source
Meaning and analysis
