“ Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than with honesty? ”
William Shakespeare, Hamlet (1623). copy citation
| Author | William Shakespeare |
|---|---|
| Source | Hamlet |
| Topic | beauty honesty |
| Date | 1623 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Written between 1599 and 1602 |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1524/1524-h/1524-h.htm |
Context
“
OPHELIA. My lord? HAMLET. Are you fair? OPHELIA. What means your lordship? HAMLET. That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty. OPHELIA. Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than with honesty? HAMLET. Ay, truly; for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness. This was sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof.” source
OPHELIA. My lord? HAMLET. Are you fair? OPHELIA. What means your lordship? HAMLET. That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty. OPHELIA. Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than with honesty? HAMLET. Ay, truly; for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness. This was sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof.” source
Meaning and analysis
