William Shakespeare Quotes About Birth

• When we are born we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools.

  William Shakespeare

  Life, Memorable, Fool

  'King Lear' (1605-6) act 4, sc. 6, l. [187]

• Sir, the year growing ancient,
  Not yet on summer's death nor on the birth
  Of trembling winter, the fairest flowers o' th' season
  Are our carnations and streaked gillyvors,
  Which some call nature's bastards.

  William Shakespeare

  Summer, Flower, Winter

  William Shakespeare (2016). “The New Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works”, p.2941, Oxford University Press

• But thou art fair, and at thy birth, dear boy,
  Nature and Fortune join'd to make thee great:
  Of Nature's gifts thou mayst with lilies boast,
  And with the half-blown rose; but Fortune, O!

  William Shakespeare

  Art, Boys, Rose

  William Shakespeare (1837). “The Complete Works of William Shakspeare. Printed from the Text of the Most Renowned Editors, with ... Engravings, Accounts Historical and Explanatory of Each Play, a Copious and Elaborate Glossary, and the Author's Life [by C. Symmons].”, p.381

• Our jovial star reigned at his birth.

  William Shakespeare

  Stars, Astrology, Birth

  William Shakespeare, Roger Warren (1998). “Cymbeline”, p.236, Oxford University Press

• My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me, That I must love a loathed enemy.

  William Shakespeare

  Hate, Romance, Enemy

  'Romeo And Juliet' (1595) act 1, sc. 5, l. [142]

• Beauty, wit,
  High birth, vigour of bone, desert in service,
  Love, friendship, charity, are subjects all
  To envious and calumniating time.

  William Shakespeare

  Love, Time, Desert

  'Troilus And Cressida' (1602) act 3, sc. 3, l. 171

• Men must endure Their going hence, even as their coming hither. Ripeness is all.

  William Shakespeare

  Life, Death, Men

  'King Lear' (1605-6) act 5, sc. 2, l. 9

• Let me, if not by birth, have lands by wit;
  All with me's meet that I can fashion fit.

  William Shakespeare

  Fashion, Land, Greed

  William Shakespeare, Jonathan Bate, Eric Rasmussen (2009). “King Lear”, p.43, Palgrave Macmillan

• Is not birth, beauty, good shape, discourse, Manhood, learning, gentleness, virtue, youth, liberality, and such like, the spice and salt that season a man

  William Shakespeare

  Men, Spices, Shapes

  William Shakespeare (1833). “The plays and poems of William Shakspeare”, p.577

• Some say that ever 'gainst the season comes Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated, The bird of dawning singeth all night long: And then, they say, no spirit can walk abroad; The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike, No fairy takes, nor wi

  William Shakespeare

  Night, Long, Bird

  'Hamlet' (1601) act 1, sc. 1, l. 157

• Some glory in their birth , some in their skill , Some in their wealth , some in their bodies' force , Some in their garments, though new-fangled ill; Some in their hawks and hounds , some in their horse ; And every humor hath his adjunct pleasure , Wherein it finds a joy above the rest .

  William Shakespeare

  Horse, Skills, Joy

  William Shakespeare (1816). “The Works of William Shakspeare...: Collated Verbatim with the Most Authentic Copies, and Revised, with the Corrections and Illustrations of Various Commentators”, p.75

• Nor aught so good but strained from that fair use,
  Revolts from true birth stumbling on abuse.

  William Shakespeare

  Abuse, Birth, Juliet

  William Shakespeare (2009). “Romeo and Juliet”, p.51, Palgrave Macmillan

• Myself--a prince by fortune of my birth,
  Near to the king in blood, and near in love
  Till you did make him misinterpret me--
  Have stooped my neck under your injuries
  And sighed my English breath in foreign clouds,
  Eating the bitter bread of banishment,
  Whilst you have fed upon my signories,
  Disparked my parks and felled my forest woods,
  From my own windows torn my household coat,
  Rased out my imprese, leaving me no sign,
  Save men's opinions and my living blood,
  To show the world I am a gentleman.

  William Shakespeare

  Kings, Men, Blood

  William Shakespeare, Charles R. Forker (2002). “King Richard II: Third Series”, p.311, Cengage Learning EMEA

• Verily, I swear, it is better to be lowly born, and range with humble livers in content, than to be perked up in a glistering grief, and wear a golden sorrow.

  William Shakespeare

  Grief, Humble, Sorrow

  William Shakespeare, John Fletcher (2000). “King Henry VIII: Third Series”, p.291, Cengage Learning EMEA

• Vile worm, thou wast o'erlook'd even in thy birth.

  William Shakespeare

  Sassy, Birth, Worms

  William Shakespeare (1826). “The plays of William Shakspeare, pr. from the text by G. Steevens and E. Malone, with a selection of notes, by A. Chalmers”, p.279

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