“ Ay, an you had any eye behind you, you might see more detraction at your heels than fortunes before you. ”
William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night (1623). copy citation
| Author | William Shakespeare |
|---|---|
| Source | Twelfth Night |
| Topic | danger fortune back |
| Date | 1623 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Written between 1601 and 1602 |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1526/pg1526-images.html |
Context
“M,—But then there is no consonancy in the sequel; that suffers under probation: A should follow, but O does.
FABIAN. And O shall end, I hope. SIR TOBY. Ay, or I'll cudgel him, and make him cry 'O!'
MALVOLIO. And then I comes behind. FABIAN. Ay, an you had any eye behind you, you might see more detraction at your heels than fortunes before you.
MALVOLIO. M, O, A, I;—This simulation is not as the former:—and yet, to crush this a little, it would bow to me, for every one of these letters are in my name. Soft; here follows prose.— 'If this fall into thy hand, revolve.” source
FABIAN. And O shall end, I hope. SIR TOBY. Ay, or I'll cudgel him, and make him cry 'O!'
MALVOLIO. And then I comes behind. FABIAN. Ay, an you had any eye behind you, you might see more detraction at your heels than fortunes before you.
MALVOLIO. M, O, A, I;—This simulation is not as the former:—and yet, to crush this a little, it would bow to me, for every one of these letters are in my name. Soft; here follows prose.— 'If this fall into thy hand, revolve.” source
Meaning and analysis
