“ Call it not patience, Gaunt; it is despair: ”
William Shakespeare, Richard II (1595). copy citation
| Author | William Shakespeare |
|---|---|
| Source | Richard II |
| Topic | despair depression inaction |
| Date | 1595 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1111/pg1111-images.html |
Context
“Made him a man; and though thou livest and breathest, Yet art thou slain in him. Thou dost consent
In some large measure to thy father's death In that thou seest thy wretched brother die, Who was the model of thy father's life. Call it not patience, Gaunt-it is despair; In suff'ring thus thy brother to be slaught'red, Thou showest the naked pathway to thy life, Teaching stern murder how to butcher thee. That which in mean men we entitle patience Is pale cold cowardice in noble breasts.” source
In some large measure to thy father's death In that thou seest thy wretched brother die, Who was the model of thy father's life. Call it not patience, Gaunt-it is despair; In suff'ring thus thy brother to be slaught'red, Thou showest the naked pathway to thy life, Teaching stern murder how to butcher thee. That which in mean men we entitle patience Is pale cold cowardice in noble breasts.” source
Meaning and analysis
