“ The lunatic, the lover, and the poet are of imagination all compact ”
William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream (1601). copy citation
| Author | William Shakespeare |
|---|---|
| Source | A Midsummer Night's Dream |
| Topic | love imagination poetry |
| Date | 1601 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Written between 1590 and 1597 |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1514/1514-h/1514-h.htm |
Context
“More strange than true. I never may believe
These antique fables, nor these fairy toys. Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend More than cool reason ever comprehends. The lunatic, the lover, and the poet Are of imagination all compact: One sees more devils than vast hell can hold; That is the madman: the lover, all as frantic, Sees Helen's beauty in a brow of Egypt: The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling, Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven;” source
These antique fables, nor these fairy toys. Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend More than cool reason ever comprehends. The lunatic, the lover, and the poet Are of imagination all compact: One sees more devils than vast hell can hold; That is the madman: the lover, all as frantic, Sees Helen's beauty in a brow of Egypt: The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling, Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven;” source
Meaning and analysis
